Liz Truss wins backing from top Eurosceptics in Conservative leadership race - Financial Times

Liz Truss’s bid to become prime minister has received a much-needed boost after leading Eurosceptics, including the attorney-general Suella Braverman, backed her campaign.

Truss also won the support of Braverman-backer Steve Baker, the former Brexit minister, and Lord David Frost, who delivered a scathing attack on Truss’s rival Penny Mordaunt, the trade minister, in the process.

The foreign secretary is the favoured candidate of supporters of Prime Minister Boris Johnson and has sought to appeal to the small-state, low-tax, pro-Brexit wing of the Conservative party.

But she has been struggling to build momentum in her bid to become the next Tory leader. Mordaunt has been a surprise success in the leadership campaign, with a message combining Brexit, social liberalism and the offer of a “fresh start”.

Truss remains in third place behind former chancellor Rishi Sunak and Mordaunt, making the next few days crucial for her campaign as she tries to gain ground on her rivals.

Braverman, who was eliminated from the leadership contest in the second round of voting by Tory MPs on Thursday, announced she would back Truss to deliver on Brexit and to take a firm line on immigration, cutting taxes and shrinking the state. Braverman, who described herself as the only “authentic” Brexiter, secured only 27 votes.

Truss won 64 votes in the second round, trailing Mordaunt on 83 and Sunak on 101. She will hope to pick up many of Braverman’s 27 votes in the next round of voting on Monday.

In his Daily Telegraph column, Frost urged another pro-Brexit candidate, Kemi Badenoch, to stand down “in return for a serious job in a Truss administration” to allow the Tory right to unite.

Badenoch, who won 49 votes on Thursday, said she had no intention of withdrawing from the race and was in it “to win it”.

Frost also renewed his criticism of Mordaunt, with whom he worked on Brexit issues as a cabinet office minister. He has said she “wasn’t fully accountable or always visible” during talks with Brussels.

Badenoch, who also has gained momentum in the contest, and Tom Tugendhat, the moderate One Nation candidate who won 32 votes, hope to use a series of television hustings to boost their profile.

Channel 4 will host a debate on Friday night, with ITV hosting a second event on Sunday and Sky News early next week.

If Tugendhat is knocked out in the next round of voting on Monday, Sunak will hope to pick up many of his votes; he needs the backing of 120 colleagues to be sure of reaching the final shortlist of two, which will be presented to party members over the summer.

If Badenoch is eliminated next, then Truss and Mordaunt will be locked in a desperate tussle to win the backing of her supporters to reach the final run-off. A new Tory leader and prime minister will be named on September 5.

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2022-07-15 07:02:27Z
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Two more days of rail strikes announced in row over jobs, pay and conditions - Sky News

Two further days of rail strikes have been announced by the RMT union for 18 and 20 August in the row over jobs, pay and working conditions.

The action will see more than 40,000 workers across Network Rail and 14 train operating companies walk out.

This is in addition to a 24-hour strike by the RMT on 27 July.

General secretary Mick Lynch said: "The rail industry and the government need to understand that this dispute will not simply vanish.

"They need to get serious about providing an offer on pay which helps deal with the cost-of-living crisis, job security for our members and provides good conditions at work.

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"We remain open for talks, but we will continue our campaign until we reach a negotiated settlement."

Andrew Haines, chief executive of Network Rail, said: "By announcing even more strike dates, the RMT has dropped any pretence that this is about reaching a deal.

More on Rail Strikes

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"It's clear the best interests of passengers and our staff are taking second place to the union's bosses' political campaign."

The companies involved in the RMT strikes are: Network Rail, Chiltern Railways, Cross Country Trains, Greater Anglia, LNER, East Midlands Railway, c2c, Great Western Railway, Northern Trains, South Eastern, South Western Railway, Transpennine Express, Avanti West Coast, West Midlands Trains and GTR (including Gatwick Express).

Earlier, drivers from the Aslef union - who work for eight rail companies - announced they will strike on 30 July.

Mick Whelan, Aslef general secretary, said: "We don't want to go on strike - strikes are the result of a failure of negotiation - and this union, since I was elected general secretary in 2011, has only ever been on strike, until this year, for a handful of days.

"We don't want to inconvenience passengers - not least because our friends and families use public transport, too, and we believe in building trust in the railways in Britain - and we don't want to lose money by going on strike.

"But we've been forced into this position by the train companies, driven by the Tory government."

Aslef members at eight companies - Arriva Rail London; Chiltern Railways; Greater Anglia; Great Western; Hull Trains; LNER; Southeastern; and West Midlands Trains - will join the strike action.

Read more:
Network Rail makes new pay offer to workers after strikes but RMT union calls it a 'real-terms pay cut'

But Mr Whelan said that drivers at Greater Anglia would also strike on Saturday 23 July and drivers on Hull Trains would also strike on Saturday 16 July and Saturday 23 July.

Further ballots close at Avanti West Coast and CrossCountry on Wednesday 27 July; and at Northern Trains; TransPennine Express; and Transport for Wales on Thursday 25 August, he added.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: "It's incredibly disappointing that, just three days after their ballots closed, Aslef bosses have already opted for destructive strike action, instead of engaging in constructive talks.

"Not only that but, by seemingly co-ordinating strike dates around the Commonwealth Games, it's clear union bosses are determined to cause as much misery as possible and derail an event the whole country is looking forward to."

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2022-07-14 21:17:16Z
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Suella Braverman backs Liz Truss after exit from Conservative leadership race - Sky News

Suella Braverman has given her backing to Liz Truss after her own exit from the Conservative leadership race.

The attorney general made it to the second round of the contest, but was knocked out earlier after receiving only 27 votes.

Now Ms Braverman believes the foreign secretary should be the next Tory leader and the country's prime minister, Sky News has confirmed.

Politics Hub: Sunak and Truss into final five as Mordaunt makes most gains

The five remaining hopefuls will progress to the third round on Monday next week, having received the following votes on Thursday:

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There will be successive rounds of voting by Tory MPs until only two contenders remain.

Rishi Sunak and Penny Mordaunt maintained their places at the top end of the leaderboard in first and second spot respectively following the second ballot.

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Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, who came in third, will hope to pick up votes from Ms Braverman's supporters in the next round.

Kemi Badenoch was fourth, with Tom Tugendhat in fifth place.

Tory backbencher Steve Baker, who ran Ms Braverman's campaign, told Sky News earlier that he would move his support to whoever she chose.

"I promised Suella I will vote the same way as Suella," he said. "Most of the team [will] wait for what Suella decides."

But our chief political correspondent Jon Craig said it was not guaranteed all 27 of the candidate's backers will follow suit, as some may rally behind Ms Badenoch.

In the first vote yesterday, former health secretary Jeremy Hunt and new chancellor Nadhim Zahawi were eliminated from the contest.

They both fell short of the 30 votes needed to move to the next round, with Mr Zahawi receiving 25 and Mr Hunt 18.

But while Mr Hunt gave his backing to the ex-chancellor, Mr Sunak, the current head of the Treasury has yet to pledge his allegiance.

The final stage is expected to be reached by the end of next week at the latest, leaving the final pair to carry out hustings over the summer and face a vote from the wider Tory party membership - with a result announced on 5 September.

Image: Suella Braverman has been eliminated from the race

Responding to the second round results, allies of Mr Tugendhat insisted he would not pull out of the Tory leadership contest despite dropping five votes since the first round.

Posting on social media, Mr Tugendhat wrote: "I have never turned down a challenge because the odds were against me. I don't plan to start now."

Reacting to receiving the most votes for a second time, Mr Sunak said he was "incredibly grateful" for the support of Tory MPs.

"I am prepared to give everything I have in service to our nation," he tweeted.

"Together we can restore trust, rebuild our economy and reunite the country."

Meanwhile, Ms Truss's leadership election team said "now is the time for MPs to unite behind the candidate who will cut taxes, deliver the real economic change we need, continue to deliver the benefits of Brexit and ensure Putin loses in Ukraine".

Ms Mordaunt tweeted out another thank you video to her supporters, saying: "Together we're going to make a real difference."

And Ms Badenoch said she was "delighted that a growing number of my colleagues have faith in my vision for a return to honest politics and conservative principles".

But Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said a general election is needed to ensure "fundamental change".

"I don't think the answer to the stagnation of the last 12 years is to change the candidate or the leader of the Tory party," he told reporters.

"We need much more fundamental change that, therefore, whoever emerges as the new leader of the Conservative Party is not going to be able to address the fundamental failure of the last 12 years.

"This is like a club that's sinking into relegation, desperately changing the manager. That is not the change that we need. We need to change the government, a fresh start for Britain, and that is what my Labour Party is able to offer."

The leadership contest was triggered after Boris Johnson announced his resignation last Thursday.

His announcement followed an avalanche of ministerial resignations over his handling of the disgraced MP Chris Pincher, and accusations he had lied about what he knew of the former deputy chief whip's inappropriate behaviour.

Mr Johnson remains in Number 10 as a caretaker prime minister while the contest is carried out.

But Labour has been pushing for the PM to go immediately, attempting to call a confidence vote in him and the government - with the potential of triggering a general election.

Instead, the government has called a confidence vote in itself, allowing it to set the wording to make it easier for Tory critics of Mr Johnson to vote in favour.

Sky News is hosting a live TV debate with the contenders vying to be the next leader of the Conservative Party and therefore prime minister, and you could be in the virtual audience.

The debate will take place on Tuesday 19 July at 8pm.

If you would like to be a member of the virtual audience and be in with a chance of asking a question, please email NewsDebates@sky.uk.

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2022-07-14 19:07:30Z
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Online Safety Bill put on hold until new prime minister in place - BBC

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Plans for new internet safety laws have been put on hold until a new prime minister is in place in the autumn.

The Online Safety Bill aims to lay down rules in law about how platforms should deal with harmful content.

It had been in its final stages and was to be discussed in Parliament next week, but will now be paused until MPs return from their summer break.

A government source confirmed to the BBC that timetable pressures meant the bill is being rescheduled.

Shadow culture minister Alex Davies-Jones said the delay was "an absolutely devastating blow and another example of the Tories prioritising their own ideals over people's safety online".

Campaigners seeking changes to the existing regulations expressed concern at the delay.

• Online Safety Bill : What to expect
• Cyber-flashing added to bill targeting online harm

The bill is at report stage, which means MPs can discuss amendments. It was expected to clear the Commons later this month before proceeding to the House of Lords.

The bill's aims are to:

• prevent the spread of illegal content and activity such as images of child abuse, terrorist material and hate crimes, including racist abuse
• protect children from harmful material
• protect adults from legal - but harmful - content

The legislation largely puts the onus on the tech giants, like Meta - previously Facebook - and Google, to figure out how it would meet those aims. It also empowers Ofcom as a regulator to police whether they do a good enough job.

Firms that fail to comply with the new rules could face fines of up to £18m, or 10% of their annual global turnover, whichever is highest.

The bill also requires pornography websites to use age verification technology to stop children from accessing the material on their sites, and there will be a duty for the largest social media platforms and search engines to prevent fraudulent advertising.

A government source suggested parliamentary time had been reduced because of the demand from the Labour Party for a formal vote of no confidence in the government and the prime minister.

Labour, which wants the PM to leave office immediately, had put forward a motion to hold a vote of no confidence in the prime minister. Its attempt failed, although Boris Johnson has decided to give MPs a vote of no confidence in the government.

The government source said: "Parliamentary time got cut because of Labour's pointless motion.

"It was either the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill or the second day of the Online Safety Bill report stage that got dropped to allow Labour to have time to play politics.

"The Online Safety Bill lost out."

Labour's Ms Davies-Jones rejected claims her party were to blame for the delay tweeting: "Parliamentary timetabling is entirely in the government's gift".

Ruth Smeeth, CEO of campaign group Index on Censorship and former Labour MP, welcomed the bill's passage through Parliament being paused.

She said: "This is a fundamentally broken bill - the next prime minister needs a total rethink.

"It would give tech executives like Nick Clegg and Mark Zuckerberg massive amounts of control over what we all can say online, would make the UK the first democracy in the world to break encrypted messaging apps, and it would make people who have experienced abuse online less safe by forcing platforms to delete vital evidence."

The bill has also been criticised by Conservative ex-minister David Davis who this week described it as "extraordinarily controversial" and called for it to be delayed.

But Andy Burrows, from children's charity the NSPCC, said the bill was a "crucial piece of legislation".

He said tech firms "have allowed harm to fester rather than get their house in order".

Mr Burrows added: "Online regulation is therefore vital to force their hand and delivering this legislation should be a cornerstone of any government's duty to keep the most vulnerable in our society safe."

Meanwhile, the delay triggered an exchange between the Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries and one of the contenders to be Tory leader - and prime minister - Kemi Badenoch.

Mrs Badenoch tweeted that the bill was "in no fit state to become law" adding: "If I'm elected prime minister I will ensure the bill doesn't overreach. We should not be legislating for hurt feelings."

Ms Dorries, who has been overseeing the legislation, replied with a question: "Which part of the bill legislates for hurt feelings, Kemi?"

A new prime minister is expected to be announced on 5 September.

The first draft paper of this bill was introduced by former PM Theresa May back in 2019.

The last three years have seen seemingly endless revisions and amendments and the Online Safety Bill continues to generate huge debate. Some say that in itself is an indication of how flawed it is.

The government says it is designed to make the internet a safer place, and to shield people, especially children, from harmful content. Punishments for tech firms who do not remove this material quickly enough or do enough to actively prevent it from appearing in the first place, include huge fines and even prison sentences for individual executives.

In its current form the bill gives enormous powers to the regulator Ofcom, which has in response been busy recruiting an army of specialists - although critics argue that parts of the rules are hard to enforce or require tech tools that do not yet exist.

For example, currently the most popular messaging platform, WhatsApp, uses end-to-end encryption - this means only the device which sends a message and the device which receives it can read it.

The tech firms themselves have no oversight of them and there is no backdoor for law enforcement. They can only be fully scanned for harmful content if there is a chink in this armour - which would also open the door for bad actors to exploit.

The government itself has in the past taken advantage of the privacy provided by end-to-end encryption - back in March it was revealed that PM Boris Johnson was receiving sensitive data via WhatsApp.

• 'I AIN'T GOT TIME FOR DRAMA': Nine things we learned from Adele's Desert Island Discs
• 'MUM RAGE' EXPLAINED: Could meltdowns signal a need for self-care?

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2022-07-13 22:16:39Z
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Conservative leadership race: Jeremy Hunt backs Rishi Sunak after being knocked out of contest - Sky News

Jeremy Hunt has declared his support for former chancellor Rishi Sunak after he and Nadhim Zahawi were knocked out of the Conservative leadership race.

The ex-health secretary said Mr Sunak had a "formidable ability" to deal with the challenging economy, but also said his character would suit the top job.

"Rishi is one of the most decent straight people with the highest standards of integrity that I have ever met in British politics," he said.

"And that's why I would be proud to have him as my next prime minister."

Politics Hub: Latest reaction from Westminster as field to become next PM narrows

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A total of six candidates made it through the first round of voting, with chair of the backbench 1922 Committee Sir Graham Brady revealing the number of MPs who had supported each of them.

Those who made it through to the next round are:

However, while Mr Sunak leads the vote in the Commons, Ms Mordaunt has topped two polls of the wider Tory membership.

Mr Hunt only secured the backing of 18 MPs in the first round of voting on Wednesday, falling short of the threshold of 30.

But he was not alone, as the new chancellor, Mr Zahawi, also failed to make the mark, getting the support of only 25 MPs.

Tory MPs will vote again on Thursday as they continue to narrow down the pack to the final two candidates.

Mr Zahawi, who was appointed chancellor just last week, put out a statement saying his "total focus" would now be on the Treasury as the "steward of the nation's finances".

He added: "I stood for the [leadership] because I have a passionate vision for the United Kingdom that I want to see. One where ability, skills and productivity are the key to achieving success and where there is opportunity for all.

"Clearly my part in the contest has now ended. My priority is my work as chancellor of the Exchequer."

Mr Hunt, who made the final two to run against Boris Johnson in the last leadership election, gave "a gentle word of advice" to those still in the race, warning them against "smears and attacks" for "short term tactical gain".

"The nation is watching and they've had enough of our drama," he added.

Image: (L-R) Nadhim Zahawi and Jeremy Hunt

When it came to the winners of the first round, Ms Mordaunt tweeted a thank you video to her supporters, while Mr Tugendhat, who chairs the foreign affairs select committee, called it a "fantastic result" for his campaign.

He also tweeted his condolences to Mr Zahawi, saying: "You're a great man, you've been a great candidate and you're a great friend. Frontline politics needs you."

Ms Braverman, who is the attorney general, also tweeted her thanks, and a spokesperson for foreign secretary Ms Truss made a call for MPs to "unite" behind her, saying she will "cut taxes, deliver the real economic change we need from day one and ensure Putin loses in Ukraine".

Read more:
How many backers does each Tory candidate have so far?
Who are the contenders for PM and what are their policies?

Ms Badenoch said she was "grateful" to make it to the next stage, adding: "Our party must stand as the party for change. I have the conviction, the courage, and the clarity of thought to deliver that change."

There is still further to go in the contest until the final two candidates are reached, with the second round of voting due to take place on Thursday.

There had been reports a higher threshold would be imposed, but instead, it will just be the person with the lowest number of votes that is kicked out of the contest - although others may choose to withdraw.

The final stage is expected to be reached by the end of next week at the latest, leaving the last pair to carry out hustings over the summer and face a vote from the wider Tory party membership - with a result announced on 5 September.

The leadership contest was triggered after Mr Johnson announced his departure from Downing Street last week.

It followed an avalanche of ministerial resignations over his handling of disgraced MP Chris Pincher, and accusations he had lied about what he knew regarding the inappropriate behaviour of the former deputy chief whip.

Mr Johnson remains in No 10 as a caretaker prime minister while the contest is carried out.

But Labour has been pushing for the PM to go immediately, attempting to call a confidence vote in him and the government - with the potential of triggering a general election.

Instead, the government has called a confidence vote in itself, allowing it to set the wording to make it easier for Tory critics of Mr Johnson to vote in favour.

Sky News is hosting a live TV debate with the contenders vying to be the next leader of the Conservative Party and therefore prime minister, and you could be in the virtual audience.

The debate will take place on Monday 18 July hosted by Sky News presenter Kay Burley.

If you would like to be a member of the virtual audience and be in with a chance of asking a question, please email NewsDebates@sky.uk.

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2022-07-13 20:32:11Z
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Rishi Sunak and Penny Mordaunt become frontrunners in Tory leadership race - Financial Times

Former chancellor Rishi Sunak and trade minister Penny Mordaunt on Wednesday emerged as frontrunners in the race to be the next Conservative party leader, as MPs prepared to further narrow the field.

In the first round of voting by Tory MPs for their next leader and prime minister, Sunak came first with 88 votes — a quarter of the parliamentary party — while Mordaunt was second with 67.

Two contenders were knocked out of the race to succeed Boris Johnson: former health secretary Jeremy Hunt and chancellor Nadhim Zahawi, who both failed to secure the requisite support of 30 Tory MPs to go into the next round of voting.

The four other contenders left in the contest are foreign secretary Liz Truss, who received 50 votes on Thursday, followed by ex-equalities minister Kemi Badenoch on 40, House of Commons foreign affairs committee chair Tom Tugendhat on 37, and attorney-general Suella Braverman on 32.

Conservative MPs will reduce the number of candidates further in a second round of voting on Thursday — the contender with the lowest level of support will fall out of the race.

MPs must cut the field to two candidates by Thursday next week. Tory party members will then vote to choose the winner.

Sunak’s supporters are increasingly hopeful he will make it on to the final shortlist.

One Sunak ally said MPs recognised that “Rishi has the best experience and plans to deal with the current economic situation”.

Unlike several other candidates, Sunak has insisted tax cuts cannot be implemented until surging inflation has been brought under control.

Sunak has made himself unpopular with some Tory MPs, including rightwingers, by raising taxes to pay for the Covid-19 crisis and improvements to public services.

Mordaunt emerged as favourite to challenge Sunak on the final shortlist when she launched her campaign on Wednesday with a pledge to return to traditional Tory values of “low tax, a small state and personal responsibility”.

Her campaign was boosted by a YouGov poll of Tory members that put her far ahead of other candidates.

The bookmakers’ odds on her winning the contest shortened after the poll suggested she would beat Sunak by 67 per cent to 28 per cent in the ballot of party activists.

Hunt’s campaign declined to deny media reports the ex-health secretary could endorse Mordaunt, in what would be a further boost to her candidacy.

Although Truss came third in the first round, Conservative party insiders said she was struggling to combat Mordaunt’s momentum. One said Truss had put in a “surprisingly poor performance”.

Truss’ campaign team said she wants rightwing Tory MPs to unite behind her candidacy.

“Now is the time for colleagues to unite behind the candidate who will cut taxes, deliver the real economic change we need from day one and ensure Putin loses in Ukraine,” it added.

If the right of the parliamentary party were to rally round Truss, the other place on the final shortlist might go to Mordaunt instead of Sunak, meaning the Tories would have their third female leader.

Braverman’s team said the attorney-general was not throwing in the towel, in spite of only just crossing the 30-vote threshold to fight the next round.

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2022-07-13 18:42:04Z
1494214054

UK ministers to tear up post-Brexit trade deal - Financial Times

Ministers on Wednesday pushed ahead with a bill to rip up Boris Johnson’s post-Brexit trading arrangements for Northern Ireland, a move that none of the Tory leadership candidates have challenged.

The bill has poisoned relations with the EU, raising fears of a trade war and the prospect of British scientists being excluded from a €95bn research programme, but it is expected to survive the leadership contest.

Downing Street has said the proposed legislation, which would override parts of the protocol, is “agreed policy” and will continue its passage through the Commons while outgoing prime minister Johnson leads a caretaker government.

The bill, which began its line-by-line scrutiny stage on the floor of the House of Commons on Wednesday, is expected to face tough opposition when it reaches the House of Lords.

None of the Tory leadership contenders — including former chancellor Rishi Sunak, trade minister Penny Mordaunt and foreign secretary Liz Truss — has committed to scrapping it. Any such move would be unpopular with some Tory MPs and party members.

Sunak resisted the Northern Ireland protocol bill while in cabinet, warning it could lead to reprisals from the EU. But the former chancellor on Monday assured members of the European Research Group, the pro-Brexit club of Tory MPs, at a private meeting that he would allow the bill to pass unamended, according to attendees.

One ally of Sunak said: “Rishi would let the bill go through, but there would be a different tone.” Sunak’s spokeswoman declined to comment.

One senior ERG source said they were reassured by Sunak’s comments but said that no senior member of the group was likely to back the former chancellor in the leadership contest.

“We care about other things other than Brexit,” the source said. “We got no commitments to cut tax at all. The vision he gave us was not a vision of hope — it was frankly managerial.”

The ERG met on Wednesday to discuss the leadership contest, but the group — thought to number scores of members — will not endorse a single candidate, with support spread between rightwing challengers Truss, attorney-general Suella Braverman and former equalities minister Kemi Badenoch.

The pyre near the Rathcoole estate in County Antrim © Paul McErlane/FT

One cabinet member predicted that even if the protocol bill reached the statute book, the removal of Johnson from Downing Street would make a negotiated settlement of the dispute more likely.

“There’s no trust at the moment, but a new leader would change everything,” said one cabinet minister, claiming that Brussels and Emmanuel Macron, French president, would want to engage with a new leader — particularly if it was Sunak.

One EU diplomat said: “A new face always makes a difference. It provides an opportunity. One approach would be to broaden the discussion over Northern Ireland into a much wider-ranging attempt to reboot the relationship.”

Officials speculated that areas for potential discussion as part of a grand bargain over Northern Ireland could include unblocking the UK’s membership of the Horizon Europe science programme and the prospect of a veterinary agreement to reduce border frictions.

Last month, Truss introduced the protocol bill, saying it would “fix” practical problems with the agreement that Brussels is refusing to solve, but EU officials warn that the legislation will worsen tensions.

Truss has argued that the protocol has created difficulties in supplying goods to Northern Ireland from Britain, and undermines the 1998 Good Friday Agreement between nationalists and unionists that ended three decades of conflict.

The row over the so-called Northern Ireland Protocol, which has brought local politics in the region to a standstill, loomed over the bonfires and parades held annually by unionists and loyalists on July 11-12 in celebration of their UK identity.

Richard Bell: ‘The protocol is a mess. They’re treating us as if we aren’t British’ © Paul McErlane/FT

One pyre, near the staunchly loyalist Rathcoole estate in County Antrim, was decked with signs reading “Protocol must go” and “Compromise = sell out” as a band played “Land of Hope and Glory”.

“I’d like to see Liz Truss get in. She’s tough on the protocol and what I call the dictatorship of the EU,” said Richard Bell, 79, a retired electrical engineer, watching a marching band in north Belfast.

“The protocol is a mess. They’re treating us as if we aren’t British,” he added as marchers commemorated the victory of the Protestant king William of Orange over the Catholic James II at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690.

Victor Molyneaux: ‘I don’t think the Conservatives have anyone to put in that I would trust’ © Paul McErlane/FT

The Democratic Unionist party has paralysed local politics by boycotting the region’s power-sharing assembly and executive until the Irish Sea border goes.

James McCluskey, 33, who works in banking, feared that if “we give an inch, then an inch, then an inch . . . eventually I’ll be showing my passport to go to Scotland”. He supported the bill’s proposal for a “green lane” for goods coming from Great Britain and staying in Northern Ireland.

But while celebrating their Britishness on the “Twelfth”, many unionists professed little interest in who becomes their next prime minister. “I don’t think the Conservatives have anyone to put in that I would trust,” said Victor Molyneaux, 63, a HGV driver.

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2022-07-13 15:17:24Z
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