Boris Johnson news – live: Government embroiled in row over EU citizens’ rights, as Keir Starmer out ahead in Labour leadership poll
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Your support makes all the difference.The head of the European parliament’s Brexit steering group Guy Verhofstadt has claimed the UK will rejoin the EU one day because young people will demand to be part of the bloc. “It will happen,” he said.
In response Tory MEP Daniel Hannan told the BBC he supported holding another referendum in the future to test Mr Verhofstadt’s theory.
“I’m perfectly happy to have another referendum in a generation’s time and let people decide,” he told Radio 4’s Today programme.
It comes as the Commons authorities said money raised by the public to have Big Ben bong on 31 January cannot be accepted because of rules on private donations. Despite that, a campaign led by Tory MP Mark Francois to get the clock chiming has now raised more than £160,000.
Brexit Party chairman Richard Tice told the BBC: “I blame the bureaucrats. They’ve now said even if we raise the money, actually they won’t let us do it because they’re worried about spending privately-raised money on a public sector asset.”
Meanwhile in the Labour party Rebecca Long-Bailey and Emily Thornberry both set out their stalls for the leadership in their official launch events.
Ms Thornberry leant back on her experience, arguing the leader to succeed Jeremy Corbyn needed to be “battle hardened”, while Ms Long-Bailey invoked policies including the green new deal she had worked on for Mr Corbyn’s manifesto.
However both appear to be coming up short against the only man in the contest. In a YouGov poll conducted for the Times, Kier Starmer was placed ahead in the final round with a comfortable 63 per cent of the vote compared to the 37 per cent attributed to Rebecca Long-Bailey
Emily Thornberry would be out in the first round of votes, then Lisa Nandy, then Jess Phillips, according to the poll of 1005 Labour members.
Here are the day’s events as they happened:
‘I was a fan of Meghan’ says royal sceptic Lisa Nandy
Labour leadership hopeful Lisa Nandy has shared her views on the royal family and patriotism during a BBC interview with Nick Robinson.
“When we have the royal wedding – and I think it’s fair to say I’m a sceptic about the monarchy – but when we have the bunting up and tea towels on their front doors, that is about people wanting to be part of a national story.”
Probed by Robinson for her views on the monarchy, she said: “There are parts of the royal family I really like – I was quite a fan of Meghan Markle to be honest.
“I thought there was a moment when you saw couple who were very, very proud of different parts of their heritage. I think that was a really important moment.
On the Megxit mess, she added: “We have rows in my family – I just feel sorry for all of them. For most people their family disagreements stay behind closed doors ... I just sort of think we should leave them alone to try and sort it out.”
Tice ticked off about no tolling clock
Brexit Party chairman Richard Tice has been moaning about the Big Ben bongs again.
He explained that the Leave Means Leave party outside parliament on “Brexit night” has a plan B to play a recording of the bongs – if the Commons authorities refuse money being crowdfunded for the iconic clock tower to chime.
Asked on BBC Politics Live why it’s so important, he said: “it’s just an idea, we think it’s a fun idea … it’s what the world will expect to see and hear.”
“The plan B will be, at 11pm, the sound of Big Ben chimes will come through our loud, excellent speaker system – it’s just not as good as the real thing, that’s all.”
Lib Dems set to wait until summer to name Swinson’s successor
The Liberal Democrats are expected to wait until the summer to elect a permanent replacement for Jo Swinson – the departed leader who lost her seat at last month’s general election.
Party bosses will meet on Saturday to hammer out a timetable for the contest, but the expectation is that could delay the formal contest until after the local elections in May.
The race had been anticipated sooner so the party could begin to rebuild ahead of the local elections. Sir Ed Davey is serving as temporary leader until a successor has been appointed.
Our correspondent Lizzy Buchan has all the details.
Has Rebecca Long-Bailey ever taken illegal drugs?
The Labour leadership has been talking in not-very-complicated code about past use of particular drug.
Asked by Joe website if she has ever used illegal substances, Long-Bailey said: “Ooooooo … Well, I’ve been to Amsterdam. That’s all I’ll say.”
‘People are pretty angry’ at PM, says Nigel Farage
Nigel Farage has accused the government of being “embarrassed” by Brexit over its failure to back the bid for Big Ben to chime on January 31.
As the ding-dong over the bongs descended into farce, Farage claimed Boris Johnson “misled” the public when he suggested people could “bung a bob” to support the campaign.
The PM said on Tuesday that the government was “working up a plan so people can bung a bob for a Big Ben bong” after Commons authorities had already dismissed ruled the proposal because it could cost £500,000.
But No 10 has since sought to distance itself from the campaign.
Farage said: “Boris Johnson has misled people into donating money into the Mark Francois initiative and I should think people are pretty angry about that.
“And on a bigger level, why is it the government has no intention of marking or celebrating Brexit at all – when after all, this was the issue that won them the election and gave them a majority.
“And it seems to me they are embarrassed by Brexit and it makes me ask the question how much they really believe in it.”
He said the lack of support for the campaign was a “very worrying sign”, and said: “I can see us being mocked all over the world: ‘Britain leaves the EU and they can’t even get a clock to ring’.”
Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage (AP)
Francois makes an announcement
Mark Francois has an announcement to make. It’s about his crowdfunding campaign with Stand Up 4 Brexit to get Big Ben bonging.
The Tory MP told the BBC: “We’re at £166,000 and I can now make a formal announcement.
“Following telephone calls this morning, Leave Means Leave and Arron Banks have now donated £50,000 towards the campaign.
“We are now not far short of £220,000, and by the end of the day we probably won’t be a million miles away from having raised half the total in two days.”
So. After that announcement, nothing has changed.
Francois also said he was “deeply sceptical that is actually going to cost half-a-million pounds to chime Big Ben … I think the officials have deliberately inflated the figure because they don’t want to do it.”
Tory MP Mark Francois (Getty)
Labour’s independence position will be decided in Scotland, says Richard Leonard
Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard has warned Labour leadership contenders that the Scottish party will decide their position on independence and whether to back indyref2.
Leonard said he has spoken to UK leadership hopefuls and insisted the party north of the border must make the final call.
It came just days after candidates including Jess Phillips and Lisa Nandy weighed in on Scotland’s future within the UK, voicing opposition to a second referendum.
Earlier this week, Leonard said he is in support of “home rule” for Scotland, which would see more powers devolved to Holyrood and leaving areas such as economic policy, defence and foreign affairs at Westminster – a position reminiscent of “devolution max” which was touted ahead of the 2014 vote as an alternative to independence.
Leonard said: “One of the things that I’m saying to all the leadership candidates in this contest is it’s good that they’re concentrating a lot of their messages on Scotland – that they understand if Labour is to win again, we have to win in Scotland.
“But I'm getting the message across that in the end, on the Scottish constitutional question, that will be decided by members of the Scottish Labour Party.
“The Scottish Labour Party will be the ones driving that agenda.”
Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard (PA)
Kier Starmer has said he is unsure if the character of Mark Darcy in Helen Fielding's novel Bridgette Jones' Diary is based on him - but he would be flattered if he was the inspiration.
It is a rumour that has surrounded the Labour MP and former lawyer for some time - even if it is one that appears to have been put to bed bythe Guardian's Zoe Williams - however Mr Starmer has said he simply has no idea if the character popularised by Colin Firth was based on him.
Rebecca Long-Bailey has come out explicitly in favour of defending and extending abortion rights after expressing personal support for stronger limits on when procedures can be carried out.
Sharing a petition that calls on leadership candidates to back a number of measures including supporting the introduction of buffer zones and opposing any reductions of abortion time limits, she said: "For the avoidance of doubt I unequivocally support this."
It comes after she was revealed to have told priests from the Deanery of St. John the Evangelist in Salford that she "personally" did not agree with the legal position which allows for the termination of a pregnancy up to full term on the grounds of disability.
The Top 10: Political slogans from Robespierre to the EU referendum
Jess Phillips has "Speak Truth. Win Power. Kier Starmer has "Another Future is possible" - but are they a touch on some of the greatest political slogans of all time?
Here is his full list of John Rentoul's top 10 - although for a bonus eleventh consider US President Andrew Jackson, known for his terrible spelling and tendency to challenge his critics to duels, who faced John Quincy Adams at the ballot.
The slogan that helped him assume high office? "Vote for Jackson who can fight, not Adams who can write".
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