“Theresa May has formally resigned as leader of the Conservative Party triggering the start of the race to succeed her. Her resignation was formally confirmed in an exchange of letters between Mrs May and Charles Walker and Dame Cheryl Gillan, the vice chairmen of the 1922 committee this afternoon. Sources confirmed to The Telegraph that the letters have been exchanged, which means Mrs May has stood down as leader. She has to continue as acting leader under Electoral Commission rules. Neither of the letters will be released. A person who has seen the “private” exchange said that there has “a short and warm exchange” of words betweeen the 1922 and Mrs May… The 1922 committee of backbench Tory MPs issued a formal notice triggering the start of the contest.” – Daily Telegraph
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>Yesterday:
“Theresa May’s attempts to bolster her legacy by pouring billions into education and mental health projects have been repeatedly blocked by Philip Hammond. The prime minister has met the chancellor at least three times in recent weeks in an effort to persuade him to release funds set aside to cope with a no-deal Brexit for a series of domestic policy initiatives, according to Whitehall sources. Mrs May wants to use her final weeks in office to pursue some of the domestic policy agenda she was forced to sideline as she made her ill-fated attempt to secure a Brexit deal… However, Mrs May has clashed with Mr Hammond, who is not prepared to fund what he regards as an effort by the prime minister to create a political legacy rather than initiatives driven by immediate financial necessity.” – The Times
Comment:
>Yesterday: ToryDiary: Hammond is right to be concerned about the 2050 emissions pledge
“Boris Johnson will not face criminal charges over his statements during the Brexit campaign after senior judges dismissed a private prosecution of the frontrunner in the Tory leadership. The former foreign secretary was issued with a summons by District Judge Margot Coleman on May 29 to face three allegations of misconduct in public office. That ruling, heard at Westminster magistrates’ court, came after Marcus Ball, 29, an entrepreneur from Norfolk, crowdfunded £300,000 for a private prosecution… At a hearing in the High Court in London yesterday,Lady Justice Rafferty and Mr Justice Supperstone overturned the earlier decision. The court said reasons would be given later.” – The Times
>Today: Nick Hargrave’s column: How Johnson became Prime Minister, cut a Brexit deal, won an election – and triumphed. For a bit.
“Everything is going right for the former London Mayor at the moment. Just look at how the court case against him over the Leave campaign’s £350million pledge has been quashed. In a sign of the state of the race, the other campaigns are becoming increasingly frustrated with how the frontrunner is avoiding being grilled on radio and television. “Why are they so afraid of their own candidate? He is their biggest risk,” grumbles one irritated rival. At the same time, the Raab campaign — competing with Boris for Brexiteer votes — is publicly making the argument that the former Foreign Secretary is the most divisive candidate in the race. But — so far — none of this is hurting Boris. He will formally launch his campaign next week with a speech and a question and answer session with journalists.” – The Sun
Editorial:
>Yesterday:
“Sajid Javid has said he wants to see an end to tough rules on overseas students being allowed to stay in the UK to work, arguing for what he called a more “flexible, sensible attitude” to immigration. In comments that go against Theresa May’s longstanding approach, the home secretary, who is among a crowded field hoping to succeed her, said he would loosen the current rules, which restrict overseas students to six months of work after finishing their studies. “I want to see more international students come to our country,” Javid told an event in London organised by the thinktank British Future… His announcement has been welcomed by Jo Johnson, the former universities minister who is seeking to amend the immigration bill to change the six-month limit back to its previous timeline of two years.” – The Guardian
>Today: ToryDiary: Citizens of nowhere? Or citizens of somewhere? Who should the Conservatives be targetting? Our joint event with Policy Exchange.
>Yesterday:
“Michael Gove last night admitted taking cocaine on ‘several social occasions’. The Tory leadership candidate said he used the banned substance when he was younger and deeply regrets it. He told the Daily Mail: ‘I took drugs on several occasions at social events more than 20 years ago. At the time I was a young journalist. It was a mistake. I look back and I think, I wish I hadn’t done that.’ Mr Gove, 51, insisted his past mistakes should not be held against him as he battles to replace Theresa May as prime minister. She stepped down as Tory leader yesterday. ‘It was 20 years ago and yes, it was a mistake,’ he said. ‘But I don’t believe that past mistakes disqualify you.’” – Daily Mail
>Yesterday: Comment: Gove’s answer to the seven questions we asked of him
“The SNP’s flagship broadband pledge to give every Scottish home and business superfast broadband by the end of 2021 is running a year late after ministers admitted there has been a delay. Paul Wheelhouse, the Connectivity Minister, slipped out a parliamentary answer in which he announced that contracts for the R100 programme work will now not be signed until the end of this year. He said bidders had requested more time to “remodel their solutions” for the scheme, under which every premises in Scotland was promised speeds of 30mbps by the end of 2021. But the Tories said it was a “damning revelation” and the Nationalists are on course to miss their deadline “by a mile”, with the contracts originally supposed to be signed by the end of 2018.” – Daily Telegraph
“Conservative MP Dominic Grieve is facing a deselection battle over his anti-Brexit views after local activists in his Beaconsfield constituency told him to apply for readoption as their parliamentary candidate. The decision was made at a special general meeting of the local Conservative Association on Friday evening, at which the former attorney general made what was described as an “impassioned” speech defending his stance on EU withdrawal. Mr Grieve has been a key figure in ensuring parliamentary scrutiny of Theresa May’s EU withdrawal agreement, tabling a series of amendments designed to ensure that the prime minister’s plans were subjected to meaningful votes in the House of Commons.” – The Independent
“A fresh antisemitism row engulfed the Labour Party last night when a senior backbencher called for its newest MP to be suspended hours after she won the Peterborough by-election. Lisa Forbes was narrowly elected for the constituency on Thursday. It was disclosed during the campaign that she had “liked” a Facebook post that said Theresa May was following a “Zionist slave masters agenda”. In response to a post claiming that Mossad and the CIA were responsible for the Islamic State terrorist group, Ms Forbes wrote: “I have enjoyed reading this thread so much.” Dame Louise Ellman, a Labour MP and former chairwoman of Jewish Labour, said that Ms Forbes should lose the whip while the party carried out an urgent investigation.” – The Times
Brexit Party:
Comment:
>Yesterday: MPs Etc.: Labour cling on in Peterborough
“A Labour MP has been formally accused of anti-semitism by two-ex employees, with one claiming that she repeatedly asked him why he had the Star of David on his bag. Rupa Huq, 47, has been the Labour MP for Ealing Central and Acton since 2015 and faces accusations from two former staffers who worked at her Westminster office until this year. One complainant alleged that Ms Huq questioned why he had a badge showing the Star of David on his satchel. He claimed that she asked: ‘Why do you have the flag of Israel on your bag?’… A dossier of more than 2,500 words was written by the former employee and sent to Labour. In it, he alleges that Ms Huq also branded a policy briefing he had written about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as too pro-Israel. Later, he was banned from writing policy documents altogether, with the complainant believing the incidents were linked.” – Daily Mail
“Jeremy Corbyn is dropping the idea of social mobility as a goal for the next Labour government, saying he would instead create a “social justice commission” with the power to audit policy. In a shift being billed by Labour strategists as the rejection of 40 years of political consensus, Corbyn will say on Saturday that pursuing social mobility “has failed, even on its own terms”. Speaking at a Labour education event in Birmingham, the party leader will promise to replace the idea that the brightest, most talented young people must have the opportunity to succeed, with a demand that all children be allowed to flourish. Labour would replace the social mobility commission, which is chaired by Dame Martina Milburn, with a social justice commission, the party said.” – The Guardian
>Today: Frank Young in Comment: The Tories must win over lower-income voters to win the next election