Brexit news: Tory leadership candidates deepen party splits over no-deal and cabinet appointments
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Your support makes all the difference.Conservative leadership hopefuls have clashed over whether to back a no-deal Brexit, as party bosses tightened the rules to limit the number of candidates to succeed Theresa May.
Esther McVey said she would only have "committed Brexiteers" in her cabinet until the UK was out of the EU, which she pledged would happen by 31 October, with or without a deal.
But rival candidate Matt Hancock said no deal is "not a credible option" as he pledged to go back to the EU to discuss the Irish border issue.
To follow events as they unfolded, see our live coverage below
A former Conservative health secretary has agreed the NHS is under threat from a trade deal with the US after Brexit, warning: “We have to resist them.”
Andrew Lansley joined critics of Donald Trump’s call for the health service to be “on the table”, predicting a demand to open it up to giant US firms – ramping up the price of medicines in this country.
“It is quite clear that what they will actually target is the process by which we control pharmaceutical pricing,” Lord Lansley said.
Tory leadership contenders will take part in a live TV debate on June 16 under plans set out by Channel 4.
The 90-minute event will take place after the first round of votes by Tory MPs which is expected to remove some of the outsiders from the race.
The debate, in front of a live studio audience, will be hosted by Krishnan Guru-Murthy and follows the first ballot of Conservative MPs on June 13.
Channel 4's director of programmes Ian Katz said that with only Tory MPs and party members having a vote to decide the next prime minister "it's vital that they are properly tested before the wider electorate".
"There has been a dismaying trend in recent years towards major politicians avoiding taking part in televised debates but we're hopeful that this will mark a return to healthy public scrutiny of candidates for our highest office," he said.
Sky and the BBC have already set out plans for TV events throughout the Tory leadership contest.
The turmoil in the Tory party triggered by the fall of Theresa May will slam the brakes on her pledge to end austerity, a senior Treasury minister has admitted.
A three-year review of public spending promised for this autumn – the mechanism to end a near-decade of cuts – is now “unlikely to happen” on schedule, Liz Truss said.
Blaming the “goings-on within the Conservative party”, she said big decisions on spending would be taken by the new prime minister, postponing the launch of the review planned for July.
More here:
Ardent Brexiteer Steve Baker has announced he will stand in the Tory leadership contest if colleagues ask him to.
Launching a paper on how to rip up the current Brexit deal and achieve a "clean, managed" exit from the EU, Mr Baker said the new leader must be willing to follow its recommendations.
Otherwise, Mr Baker said, the group would need to put forward its own candidate - and he was willing to join the race when it officially opens on Monday.
With 16 names signed on the policy paper, including former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith, Mr Baker indicated he already had the minimum number of nominations to enter.
"I am in the hands of my colleagues," he said.
"If we get to the opening and closing of nominations on Monday and we collectively agree there must be somebody who is willing to do this then I would be willing to be the person who gets nominated."
He added: "If you're asking am I decided that if they ask me to do it I will, you bet."
Brexiteers were "spoiled for choice" for candidates, Mr Baker added, and named three candidates - Esther McVey, Dominic Raab and Boris Johnson - he believed could back the ERG paper.
Opinion: The centre ground wasn't where Change UK thought it was, writes chief political commentator John Rentoul...
Stop what you are doing - MPs have just had a vote! It was on a small piece of legislation relating to animal rights and is the sort of thing that would have gone completely unnoticed at any other time.
It is significant, though, because it is the first vote in the House of Commons fore exactly three weeks.
The Brexit deadlock and now the Tory leadership contest mean new legislation from the government has all but dried up, and MPs are effectively killing time until a new government is formed.
Many are spending more time in their constituencies and campaigning on issues they care about, while on the Conservative side most of the focus is being spent on leadership campaigns.
Labour’s real by-election fear is finishing third, writes The Independent's Sean O'Grady.
Ahead of tomorrow's poll in Peterborough, read his analysis here:
Theresa May is flying out there this evening and spending the night in Normandy, Downing Street has said.
She and husband Philip will take part with Macron in the inauguration ceremony for a new memorial being erected in Ver-sur-Mer, which is partially funded by fines imposed by the Government on bankers involved in the Libor scandal.
She will then attend a service of remembrance at Bayeux Cathedral with the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall, followed by a service of commemoration where she will lay a wreath and give a reading.
After lunch with veterans, she will return to her constituency.
PA has filed this absolutely tremendous anecdote from Donald Trump's attendance at the D-Day anniversary commemorations.
The president and First Lady went on to a reception for US military and other special guests where he was thronged by service personnel seeking selfies.
Veteran Tory Brexiteer Bill Cash introduced himself to the president and said to him: "Congratulations Mr President. I'm a Conservative member of parliament."
Mr Trump said: "Good, you look like it. Who is going to be your next prime minister?"
Mr Cash replied: "I think it could be Boris [Johnson]. I am chairman of the European committee in the House of Commons so congratulations, I'm a great fan."
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