UK politics live: Kemi Badenoch says maternity pay ‘excessive’ as Rosie Duffield launches attack on Starmer
Badenoch suggests current maternity leave pay may be too generous at the Conservative Party conference
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Kemi Badenoch has claimed maternity pay benefits are “excessive” and called people to have “more personal responsibility”.
The Tory leadership hopeful told Times Radio that the pay varies depending on who you work for but statutory maternity pay is “a function of tax”.
The remarks come after the shadow secretary defended her claim that there has been a recent rise in the number of migrants coming to the UK who “hate Israel”.
She said in a newspaper op-ed on Sunday that migrants’ “feet may be in the UK, but their heads and hearts are still back in their country of origin.”
But when she was asked on Sky News if she was referring to Muslim immigrants, Ms Badenoch disagreed.
Meanwhile, MP Rosie Duffield has launched a scathing attack on Sir Keir Starmer since resigning the Labour whip on Saturday, accusing the prime minister of “having a problem with women”.
She told the BBC that many women backbenchers she’s friends with refer to the “young men that surround him [Starmer] as ‘the lads’ and it’s clear that the lads are now in charge”.
The Independent’s political team will be reporting live throughout the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham.
Rosie Duffield’s resignation letter is a warning Keir Starmer cannot ignore
Rosie Duffield claims Keir Starmer ‘has problem with women’ after quitting Labour
Rosie Duffield’s resignation letter in full: Your lack of ‘political instincts have come crashing down on us’
Israel should be ‘congratulated’ for Hassan Nasrallah assassination, Kemi Badenoch says
Jenrick: System of maternity pay is fair
Robert Jenrick said the UK has a “fair system of maternity pay” when it was put to him that the country has one of the lowest rates in the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development).
Asked for his views on maternity pay on Times Radio, he said: “Well, we have a fair system of maternity pay.
“Of course, there are always ways in which we could seek to improve, but it’s a balance, isn’t it?
“Because we’ve got to ensure that working mums and families have the support they need, but also that we can have the right labour laws in this country so that we maintain one of our great strengths as a country, which is a flexible labour market, which has enabled us to have record levels of employment, even in bad times.”
His comments come after Kemi Badenoch said people need to have “more personal responsibility” as she called maternity pay “excessive”
What to expect form the Conservative Party conference?
The Conservative Party conference is set to kick off in Birmingham at 2.30pm, with the leadership contest taking centre stage in the coming days.
On Monday, candidates Tom Tugendhat and Kemi Badenoch will field questions from party members on the main stage, while James Cleverly and Robert Jenrick will do the same on Tuesday.
Wednesday morning will feature speeches from all candidates as they vie for support.
Following the conference, MPs will narrow the field to two candidates on 9 and 10 October.
Conservative Party members will then cast their votes, with the winner expected to be announced on 2 November.
EXCLUSIVE | Tories facing ‘dire’ finances as donors switch to Farage and Starmer
Donors and businesses are turning their backs on the Tories for Labour and Nigel Farage’s Reform UK as the party enters its conference with question marks over its finances.
Insiders have told The Independent that a number of red flags have been raised in preparation for the first annual conference since the historically poor general election defeat in July.
Our political editor David Maddox has the full story:
Tories facing ‘dire’ finances as businesses and donors switch to Farage and Starmer
Exclusive: Concerns are being raised about the financial health of the Conservative Party ahead of a crucial conference in Birmingham this week
Voters gave up on Tory ‘bickering’, says party leadership hopeful
Voters gave up on the Conservatives’ “bickering”, James Cleverly has said during his campaign to become the party’s leader.
The shadow home secretary, who first became a minister during Theresa May’s premiership, claimed as soon as his party had named a new prime minister, “there were people within the party who set about removing them”.
After David Cameron’s resignation following the 2016 Brexit referendum, four Conservative MPs served as prime minister – Mrs May, Boris Johnson, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak.
The shortest among their terms in office was Ms Truss’s, who stayed in Number 10 for fewer than 50 days.
Speaking to Sky News’ Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips, Mr Cleverly said: “Look, when the voters tell you something, you should listen.
“The British voters told us not that they wanted a Labour government, in fact, in many instances they told us they didn’t want a Labour government.
“But what they did tell us is they wanted us out of office. And we have got to listen to that. We have got to respond to that.
“There’s no point getting angry with the voters. We certainly shouldn’t imply or say that they were wrong. Voters are never wrong.
“Sometimes politics is brutal but it’s beautiful.”
Pictured: Conservative Party conference kicks off
Badenoch: Statutory maternity pay is excessive
Kemi Badenoch has labelled the current statutory maternity pay as “excessive” and called for greater personal responsibility.
In an interview with Times Radio, she highlighted the variation in maternity pay based on employment but claimed that statutory maternity pay is fundamentally tied to taxation.
She added: “Tax comes from people who are working, we’re taking from one group of people and giving to another. This, in my view, is excessive.
“Businesses are closing. Businesses are not starting in the UK, because they say that the burden of regulation is too high.”
Put to her that she is saying maternity pay is “excessive”, Ms Badenoch said: “I think it’s gone too far, too far the other way, in terms of general business regulation, we need to allow businesses, especially small businesses, to make more of their own decisions.
“The exact amount of maternity pay, in my view, is neither here nor there. We need to make sure that we are creating an environment where people can work and people can have more freedom to make their individual decisions.”
She added: “We need to have more personal responsibility. There was a time when there wasn’t any maternity pay and people were having more babies.”
Robert Jenrick squirms over support for Donald Trump in US election
Robert Jenrick squirmed as he was challenged over his past support for Donald Trump, saying it is “natural” for a Conservative to lean towards Republican candidates.
The Tory leadership contest frontrunner was noticeably uncomfortable when the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg challenged him over his past support for the bombastic ex-US president.
He avoided using Trump’s name when repeatedly asked the question instead reverting to historic links between the Tories and Republicans in the US.
Our political correspondent Millie Cooke has the full story:
Robert Jenrick squirms over support for Donald Trump in US election
The Tory leadership contender pointed out that his party has ‘strong and historic links’ to the Republican Party
Sunak calls Tories to unite behind new leader
Rishi Sunak has urged Conservatives to rally behind whoever is elected as the new leader.
The former prime minister emphasised the importance of unity for the party’s future.
In an op-ed for the House magazine, his first significant statement since the general election, Mr Sunak described the upcoming annual conference as a “unique opportunity to debate and reflect” on the direction of the Conservative Party.
He added: “Just as importantly for many going, it will also be one to catch up with old friends and make new ones.
“We, the Conservative Party, are a family and, once this contest is over, we must come together to support our new leader.”
In a mesage to party members and MPs, past and present, he said: “This will be my last conference as leader, and I want to thank everyone in the party for their support. I will always be sorry that I could not deliver the results that everyone’s efforts deserved, but I will always be grateful for everyone’s hard work and commitment.”
Watch: Immigrants who see Israel as enemy ‘not welcome’ in UK says Badenoch
Badenoch praises Duffield but says she’s ‘not a Conservative'
When asked if she would welcome Rosie Duffield to the Conservative party, Tory leadership candidate Kemi Badenoch expressed admiration for the Labour critic but clarified that she is “not a Conservative”.
“Rosie Duffield is an amazing person. Whenever people ask me whoever’s the Labour person you like most, I always say Rosie,” Ms Badenoch told Times Radio. “She fights for her beliefs, she’s passionate, she’s principled. She’s not a Conservative.”
On the abuse Ms Duffield has received in recent weeks and since handing in her resignation, the shadow business secretary said: “I’ve offered moral support where I can. She’s had abuse from her own side, which is the worse thing.”
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