UK politics live: Boris Johnson tries to defend £350m bus as he is quizzed over Brexit ‘betrayal’
Cleverly knocked out in huge Tory leadership shock to set up Badenoch and Jenrick clash
Boris Johnson has tried to defend his infamous Brexit campaign bus that claimed Britain paid £350m a week to the EU.
Speaking at his book launch event for his new memoir, Unleashed, the former prime minister was questioned about “the big bullsh***ing bus”, to which he responded: “That’s what other people call it.”
He added: “The £350m bus the whole point of that was it was 100% accurate, that was the gross figure. As far as it was inaccurate, it was an understatement of the gross figure.
“I think that’s a significant sum and people were right to ask what they were getting for it and that was only a tiny fraction of the argument.”
His comments come as both Robert Jenrick and Kemi Badenoch face a rebuff from a centrist faction of the Conservative party.
The Tory Reform Group (TRG), representing One Nation Conservatives, has declined to endorse either leadership candidates criticising their campaign rhetorics.
In a statement, the group said it had “engaged extensively” with all leadership hopefuls but was left unimpressed by the two finalists, accusing them of adopting a narrative that diverges from the principles that define the Tories.
Key Points
King to join PM at reception for UK’s international investment summit
The King will join Sir Keir Starmer in meeting business leaders from across the world at a reception linked to the Labour Government’s first major investment summit.
Buckingham Palace confirmed Charles’ attendance at the event, which will take place on Monday evening at St Paul’s Cathedral following the summit.
Alongside the Prime Minister, he will meet guests from sectors including technology, energy and the performing arts.
The reception will be held after around 300 industry leaders gather in London for the Government’s flagship investment summit, at which Sir Keir will pitch the UK as “open for business” as part of his bid to drive growth into the country.
Confirmed speakers include Ruth Porat, president and chief investment officer at Alphabet and Google, Alex Kendall, chief executive of AI firm Wayve, and Bruce Flatt, head of Brookfield Asset Management.
It is not the first time Charles has attended such an event, having hosted former premier Rishi Sunak at a similar reception at Buckingham Palace last year to conclude 2023’s UK Global Investment Summit.
Ministers accused of ‘poor leadership’ after Bill to axe climate target backed
Ministers have been accused of years of “poor leadership” and inaction after MSPs voted for the general principles of a Bill that would axe a key emissions target.
The Climate Change (Emissions Reduction Targets) (Scotland) Bill passed at stage one following a debate in Holyrood.
In the vote on Thursday, 94 backed the general principles of the Bill, none voted against and seven abstained.
The legislation was introduced after ministers announced they had abandoned a target of reducing emissions by 75% by 2030.
The Government accepted in April the goal was “out of reach”, but because it was included in climate change legislation, ministers have had to bring forward a Bill to amend it.
Scottish Labour said the scrapping of the target follows years of failure on the environment.
Speaking during a Holyrood debate, Sarah Boyack said: “We are hugely disappointed that we have ended up needing this Bill.
“We put it down to the fact that we have had poor environmental leadership over 17 years of the SNP’s time in government which has meant we have lost the opportunity to be a world leader on climate change.”
UK ‘has much to learn about welcoming immigrants’ – Labour peer Margaret Hodge
Labour veteran Margaret Hodge has opened up about her experience coming to the UK as a stateless refugee and told Parliament “we still have much to learn about welcoming immigrants”.
Ms Hodge, now known as Baroness Hodge of Barking, described how her Austrian Jewish grandfather came to the UK in 1939 and was imprisoned as an “enemy alien” in an internment camp near Liverpool.
Then, when she was four years old, her family came to Britain, stateless, for fear of persecution and later had to pass “the cricket test” to get citizenship.
The former Labour minister said in her maiden speech in the House of Lords: “As an immigrant who came to Britain aged four, escaping from the fear of persecution, and whose parents were forced to flee two countries, I never imagined in my wildest dreams that I might become a member of the House of Lords.”
She added: ““An immigration inspector came to tea with me, aged 10, and my sister, aged seven. My father insisted on cucumber sandwiches and dried fruit cake, though I hated both.
“We were questioned about the books we read, the games we played, the friends we had.
“We passed the cricket test, but both then and today, we still have much to learn about welcoming immigrants and celebrating their contribution.”
Reynolds: New workers’ rights law sets out ‘modern and fair vision for future’
The Government has published its plans for workers’ rights, describing them as the biggest upgrade in employment rights for a generation.
Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said the Employment Rights Bill will raise the minimum floor of employment rights, raise living standards across the country and provide better support for those businesses which are engaged in good practices.
In a statement, he said: “This is a comprehensive Bill which, once implemented, will represent the biggest upgrade in employment rights for a generation.”
He added: “This Bill will increase the baseline set of rights for employees with parental or other caring responsibilities, enabling more working parents to get on at work, and achieve a better work life balance – whether that’s raising children, improving their own wellbeing, or looking after a loved one with a long-term health condition.
“Businesses will gain, too, where this boosts increased workforce participation, helping employers fill vacancies. Measures will increase the likelihood of a request for flexible working arrangements to be granted, introduce day one entitlement to paternity leave and unpaid parental leave, and introduce a statutory entitlement to Bereavement Leave.”
The Bill also included plans to ban exploitative zero-hours contracts and “unscrupulous” fire and rehire practices.
Summit should provide opportunity to ‘speak frankly about big issues’ – Swinney
The first meeting of the Council of the Nations and Regions should provide an opportunity to “speak frankly about the big issues facing Scotland”, the country’s First Minister has said.
Heads of devolved governments and metro mayors will gather in Edinburgh on Friday for the first meeting of the newly-minted group, to be chaired by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.
He will meet John Swinney on Friday morning, before a joint meeting including the heads of the devolved administrations and a wider summit later in the day.
Speaking ahead of the event, Mr Swinney said he would stress the importance of public sector investment during his time with the Prime Minister and urge him to “stop the austerity agenda”.
“In July, I pledged to work constructively with the Prime Minister to tackle poverty, grow Scotland’s economy and support our public services,” the First Minister said.
“If we are truly serious about growing our economy and tackling poverty, we must acknowledge the barriers that prevent the Scottish Government advancing our progressive agenda.
“We know the acute pressures facing public finances and the need to grow the economy.
“This meeting should be an opportunity to speak frankly about the big issues facing Scotland – and the UK – and to discuss the action required to deliver meaningful change.”
Full story: Tory centrists refuse to back Jenrick or Badenoch
The leading centrist group on the left of the Tory party has announced it will not endorse either of the hard-right candidates put forward by Conservative MPs in the race to become leader.
The Tory Reform Group (TRG), which is in its 50th year, issued a statement after former home secretary James Cleverly was shockingly eliminated from the contest on Wednesday.
It leaves two right-wing candidates Robert Jenrick, who wants the UK to leave the European Convention of Human Rights, and Kemi Badenoch,who has been a leading voice in the so-called culture wars, including on trans issues.
The TRG statement read: “Unfortunately, we have been consistently disappointed by the lack of engagement from the two candidates chosen by MPs.
“Both have used rhetoric and focused on issues which are far and away from the party at its best, let alone the One Nation values we cherish and uphold.”
UK’s highest ranking Catholic urges flock to oppose assisted dying Bill
The UK’s highest ranking Catholic has urged his flock to write to their MPs to oppose proposed changes in assisted dying law.
Labour MP Kim Leadbeater will formally introduce a private member’s bill on the issue on October 16, with a debate and initial vote possible within weeks.
In a letter to be read out in the churches of his diocese, Cardinal Vincent Nichols warned Catholics to “be careful what you wish for”, adding that in countries where assisted dying has been legalised, the circumstances in which it is permitted have been “widened and widened”.
He said changing the law could result in those who are near to death feeling pressured to end their lives to relieve family members of a “perceived burden of care”, to avoid pain or “for the sake of inheritance”.
“The radical change in the law now being proposed risks bringing about for all medical professionals a slow change from a duty to care to a duty to kill,” he added.
The Archbishop of Westminster continued: “The suffering of a human being is not meaningless. It does not destroy that dignity.
“It is an intrinsic part of our human journey, a journey embraced by the eternal word of God, Christ Jesus himself.
“He brings our humanity to its full glory precisely through the gateway of suffering and death.”
Sue Gray to miss key meeting in new role to take ‘short break’
Sir Keir Starmer’s embattled former chief of staff Sue Gray is set to miss a meeting seen as key to her new role to take a break before returning to work, it is understood.
The Prime Minister will on Friday convene metro mayors and representatives of devolved administrations for the first gathering of his Council of the Nations and Regions in Scotland.
However, Ms Gray, whose new position as “envoy to the nations and regions” was confirmed on Sunday after weeks of turmoil behind the scenes in Number 10, will be a notable absence as she takes a brief hiatus before changing jobs.
Questions about the details of her role as envoy have mounted this week, with further information expected to be set out by the Cabinet Office shortly.
Cabinet ministers have insisted there is a strong team inside Downing Street despite Ms Gray being replaced by former campaign manager Morgan McSweeney after weeks of leaks and hostile briefings against her.
Ms Gray, a former senior civil servant with decades of Whitehall experience, cited “intense commentary about my position” that risked becoming a “distraction” when she stood down.
Johnson doubles down on Partygate apology regrets
My colleague Holly Evans is in Cheltenham at Boris Johnson’s book launch event:
Again questioned if he built an environment of “deniability”, with Ms Samuel referencing Owen Patterson, the Partygate scandal and Chris Pincher scandals, he said: “I think I did mishandle all those three things and I’ve tried to explain in the book.
Talking about Partygate, he said: What I honestly think was that my own personal behaviour I really don’t think I did anything wrong, I don’t think I broke any rules, I can give you a long list of why I think it was absurd that I was fined for standing in my office on my birthday.”
He doubled down on his previous comments that he should not have issued a “grovelling” apology, adding: “what that meant was that the public had accepted in advance of all the allegations that had been made despite many of them not being true.”
Johnson turns attention to US election
My colleague Holly Evans is in Cheltenham at Boris Johnson’s book launch event:
Turning to the upcoming US election, Johnson played coy in naming who he would be supporting, but suggested it would be Republican candidate Donald Trump.
After speaking about support for Ukraine, he said: “We need a strong America, I know people have strong opinions on the US presidential election.
“The point I need to make is and what an audience needs to understand is that if Trump wins, and I deeply disapporve of what happened on 6 January, my direct experience of how he operated when I was foreign secretary and prime minister, we have reason to hope that he will be tougher than what his Democratic predesscors have been.
“He may talk to Putin but he’s not going to be wanting the first few months of his presidency about making the Soviet Union great again, he wants to make America again.”
