Brexit news: Conservatives plotting to change rules to stop Johnson being toppled by own party as soon as he becomes PM
As it happened
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Your support makes all the difference.Senior Tories are considering changing party rules to stop Boris Johnson facing a no-confidence vote within the first year of being prime minister, by preventing a vote of no-confidence in the leader being called until they had been in office for at least 12 months.
It came after Philip Hammond suggested he would be willing to vote against the next Conservative government in a vote of no confidence if it pursued a no-deal Brexit.
The chancellor’s latest comments followed a claim by leading Tory Eurosceptic Jacob Rees-Mogg, a supporter of Mr Johnson, that suspending parliament so that MPs cannot stop the next prime minister forcing through a no-deal Brexit “may have to happen”. The leading Tory Eurosceptic said he did not support a lengthy prorogation but that parliament could have to be closed for one or two days.
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NEW: Angela Merkel has said the Northern Ireland backstop will be "overwritten" if another solution to the border issue is included in the political declaration on the future UK-EU relationship.
Here is that Angela Merkel quote in full. The German chancellor suggests that the Northern Ireland backstop could be "overwritten" if an alternative way is found to keep the Irish border open after Brexit.
Speaking a press conference, she says:
"The Withdrawal Agreement is the Withdrawal Agreement, but the moment that a solution for the management of the border is found in [the declaration on] the future relationship - so for the European Union's future ties to Britain - which basically squares the circle - on the one hand I have no physcial border but on the other hand the EU Single Market ends - that satisifies both questions, then the backstop will be overwritten so-to-speak."
Full story: Theresa May to promise public sector workers £2bn pay rise - but there will be no new money to fund it
The Jewish Leadership Council has written to members of the shadow cabinet urging them to speak out about antisemitism, ahead of an emergency meeting on Monday at which Jeremy Corbyn's top team will discuss the issue.
The chair of the organisation, Jonathan Goldstein, wrote:
"The Labour Party currently attracts antisemites and repels Jews. This is a sickening situation for you and for us, but it is the undeniable truth."
Addressing shadow cabinet ministers, he said:
"We appeal to you, individually and collectively, to examine your consciences and do everything in your power to stop Labour Party antisemitism...
"In this situation, to be silent is to be complicit. To fail to lead is to allow evil to flourish...
"As members of the shadow cabinet, you now face a very difficult and unavoidable decision, in which inaction will signal your support for what has happened and what will follow.
"Please do not underestimate the importance of your actions for the future wellbeing of British Jews, or for the wider messages that you give about racism, liberal democratic values and our British society."
Three Jewish Labour MPs have also written to Jeremy Corbyn to raise fresh concerns over antisemitism
In a letter posted on Twitter, Louise Ellman, Ruth Smeeth and Dame Margaret Hodge said their party leader's claims about Labour's handling of anti-Jewish abuse "in no way matches up with the reality".
They wrote:
"Labour's entire approach seems more interested in protecting you from further embarrassment rather than allowing whistleblowers to speak out against antisemitism."
They claimed that Mr Corbyn's office had "corrupted the complaints process" and said it was "extremely damaging to the Labour Party that you continue to deny this". His record of leadership in tackling antisemitism was "woeful" they said.
They called on Mr Corbyn to take four steps: set up an independent disciplinary process, promise to automatically expel members where there is clear evidence of racism, apologise to antisemitism whistleblowers, and publish Labour's response to the equalities watchdog's inquiry into anti-Jewish abuse in the party.
Sajid Javid has called on all public figures to “moderate their language” but refused to criticise Boris Johnson when The Independent highlighted his comments comparing Muslim women to letterboxes and bank robbers, writes Lizzie Dearden.
“It's incumbent on all politicians to be careful about the language they use,” the home secretary said, before reiterating his support for Mr Johnson in the Conservative leadership race.
A blimp caricaturing Boris Johnson is to be sent into the skies of London, just as one mocking Donald Trump was flown last month.
The giant inflatable depicting the probable next prime minister was unveiled by anti-Brexit campaigners on Thursday, writes Colin Drury.
It will float above the capital during the anti-Brexit March For Change on Saturday after more than £6,000 was crowdfunded to create it.
Britain's budget deficit widened to £7.15bn last month, the largest gap for a June since 2015 and more than double its level last year, official data has showed, writes Olesya Dmitracova.
The Office for National Statistics focuses on year-to-year rather than month-to-month comparisons in the public finances data because it does not adjust the numbers for seasonal variations.
The unexpectedly large gap between public revenue and spending underscores the pressure on the UK government as it is trying to prepare for a possible no-deal Brexit, as well as end years of austerity.
So, farewell then, This Week. I’m not at all sure about the BBC’s reasoning for dropping this show, and it is said that it follows presenter Andrew Neil’s decision to “step down” from the Thursday night show, writes Sean O'Grady.
It is a loss. It tried to inject a bit of humour into grim times. The sofa team – Michael Portillo, Diane Abbott, Liz Kendall, Alan Johnson and the like – did their best to restrain the usual partisan nonsense we’re subjected to. They put the cheeky girls on. They did quizzes. They did jokes. Best of all… they gave Andrew Neil a regular outing.
I hope we won’t be seeing less of him. He looks like he has plenty of life in him, and indeed he does. Perhaps right on cue, he was given the opportunity to conduct the only serious one-on-one interviews with Boris Johnson and Jeremy Hunt for the Tory leadership, and it was enthralling and amusing to watch.
European politicians are again insisting the Withdrawal Agreement cannot be re-negotiated.
French Europe minister Amelie de Montchalin visited the Irish border on Friday and said she had seen at first hand the importance of an ordered Brexit to protect the bloc's internal market and the Irish peace process.
And later on Friday Leo Varadkar, the Irish premier, tweeted that an image of Ms De Montchalin at the border "says it all" about European solidarity.
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