The chairman of the Commons defence committee has been suspended from the Conservative parliamentary party after abstaining in last night’s confidence vote in the government.
The decision, taken by party whips, means that Tobias Ellwood will not be allowed to vote in the latest round of the leadership contest tonight.
Ellwood had been backing Penny Mordaunt and was one of the first Conservatives to call for Boris Johnson to quit. It is understood that Ellwood was in Moldova yesterday meeting the country’s leader, Maia Sandu, and also did not vote in last night’s leadership round — possibly the reason why Mordaunt lost a vote in yesterday’s round.
A Conservative source defended the decision to remove the whip saying that confidence votes were “amongst the most important votes an MP might cast and failure to vote appropriately could bring down a government”.
Boris Johnson takes his seat for the official photograph of his new cabinet today
ANDREW PARSONS /NO10 DOWNING STREET
They added that Ellwood was given prior warning of the debate taking place and his “slip” allowing to go abroad being rescinded.
The source said: “Other Conservative MPs cancelled foreign trips, left poorly relatives and one MP’s mother died on the morning of the vote and still attended and voted. Thus these matters are taken extremely seriously by all members of parliament.”
PM holds his final cabinet meeting
The decision to suspend the whip could be problematic for Mordaunt’s leadership campaign, which is fighting for second place behind Rishi Sunak.
It will mean he is unable to participate in tonight’s vote or tomorrow’s run-off to determine the final two candidates.
1 hour ago
11.20am
Taxing issue for candidates
Tax policy has dominated the Tory leadership election with a divide between candidates demanding tax cuts and Rishi Sunak, who has accused them of “fairytale” economics (Chris Smyth writes).
One of Penny Mordaunt’s leading backers has argued that her proposed £16 billion of tax cuts would be “self-funding” because they would allow people to spend more on treats or meals out.
George Freeman laid into “Liz Truss’s big tax giveaways to the rich” this morning, branding her plan to scrap a national insurance rise and her promise of further cuts “reckless and unfair”.
Rishi Sunak in Westminster this morning
BEN CAWTHRA/LNP
Echoing Sunak, Freeman said that “our position in the autumn budget is that it is irresponsible to be doing huge unfunded tax giveaways”. He added: “If we go too far we’ll drive up inflation further and risk interest rates rises.”
However, he argued that Mordaunt’s plans to halve fuel duty, raise income tax thresholds and offer tax breaks to small businesses would pay for themselves.
• Analysis: Sensible stimulus or fantasy economics?
Freeman told the BBC that Sunak and the Treasury had “made clear that the tax cuts they’ve made and the money that they’ve put out in support will drive growth”. He added: “We’re on the edge of a recession and we’ve got to put money in people’s pockets ... Penny’s 50 per cent fuel tax cut is significant. It means when you fill up next time, it’ll be about £10 off. And what are people going to do with that £10? Spend it in the economy ... That’s why they’re self funding.”
Challenged by Victoria Derbyshire that the claim did not make sense, Freeman said: “I put it to you that £10 in every fill-up will be re-spent back in the economy driving growth, supporting businesses and driving tax revenues. That’s the difference between the Penny Mordaunt plan for growth and the Liz Truss tax giveaway and the Treasury plan of just wait and it will all come right.”
2 hours ago
10.10am
Will tactical voting come into play today?
The race is on this morning to win over the 31 votes of Tom Tugendhat in the fourth round of the Tory leadership race. How those votes divide will be critical in determining who makes it into the final two (Oliver Wright writes).
While Tugendhat’s platform is perhaps closest to that of Penny Mordaunt’s, some believe his backers could vote tactically for Kemi Badenoch to keep Liz Truss out of the final two.
Kemi Badenoch this morning. She gained nine new backers in yesterday’s vote
PETER MACDIARMID/LNP
In an interview this morning Damian Green, Theresa May’s former deputy prime minister and an early backer of Tugendhat, said this was entirely possible.
“I’m absolutely sure that there are colleagues doing that because we all know how the system works,” he told Today on BBC Radio 4.
• Analysis: Horse-trading shows chasing pack in flux
Green also appeared to criticise the tax policies of Truss, and to a lesser extent Mordaunt.
“Some of the simplistic analysis I’ve heard — which is that Margaret Thatcher cut taxes, therefore that’s the way to promote growth — suggests people need to go back and read the history books,” he said.
“Margaret Thatcher cut taxes in her later years after she got the public finances under control.”
Liz Truss attended the cabinet meeting at No 10 this morning
STEFAN ROUSSEAU/PA
Green praised Mordaunt’s work as a junior minister in his department and said he had no reason to question her record in government.
“I’ve heard obviously the criticisms from other people, but all I can say is from my own experience, that’s not true.”
But he also revealed that he was meeting with Badenoch before this afternoon’s vote to decide who he would finally support.
With just a few hours to go before the voting begins there is still much to play for.
3 hours ago
9.10am
Truss interview: Why I would lower taxes and cut regulation
Is the foreign secretary, as Sunak implied, a socialist? “No, I’m quite surprised you had to ask that,” she said in an interview with The Times’s Steven Swinford.
“I’m a low-tax Conservative, I believe the way we get to greater economic growth is through lower taxes, less regulation, investing in skills and attracting business to this country. You can’t tax your way to growth.”
The ideological divide between Sunak and Truss over tax has been at the heart of one of the most brutal Tory leadership contests in history.
The two candidates have fundamentally different visions of Britain. Truss has outlined a huge package of tax cuts in a move to get Britain growing.
Now, as she faces an existential battle with Penny Mordaunt, a trade minister, for the second spot in the leadership contest, she believes her tax pledges will set her apart.
On her first day as prime minister she would reverse Sunak’s 2.5 per cent increase in national insurance, axe plans to raise corporation tax and scrap green levies on energy bills.
3 hours ago
9.10am
Another day, another candidate gone
Tom Tugendhat eliminated from the Tory leadership race
Good morning and welcome to The Times’s live politics coverage on a day when the Tory leadership race will be whittled down from four to three candidates.
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiZmh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LnRoZXRpbWVzLmNvLnVrL2FydGljbGUvdG9yeS1sZWFkZXJzaGlwLXJhY2Utdm90ZS1yZXN1bHRzLXRvZGF5LWNhbmRpZGF0ZXMtbGF0ZXN0LXczbDc5ZGw1eNIBAA?oc=5
2022-07-19 10:20:00Z
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