UK politics live: Cleverly defends plan to revive Truss policy as Tory leadership hopefuls make final pitches
Tory leadership hopeful James Cleverly vows to axe stamp duty ahead of final conference speech
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James Cleverly has pledged to abolish stamp duty on homes purchases for first-time buyers in order to help the economy “thrive”.
The Tory leadership contender vowed to bring the policy advocated by former PM Liz Truss if he wins the contest. He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that the stamp duty “stagnates the market”.
His promise comes as Conservative leadership rivals prepare for their final chance to address the party’s conference in their race to be Rishi Sunak’s successor.
The party’s future and the economy will be among the topics touched on when Robert Jenrick, Kemi Badenoch, Tom Tugendhat and Mr Cleverly address delegates.
The final session comes as Mr Jenrick sparked criticism for using footage of a soldier in Afghanistan who died after the film was taken claiming that UK special forces are “killing rather than capturing terrorists”.
Tory rival Mr Tugendhat said using a video of his dead friend was “upsetting” and branded the remarks by the former immigration minister “just not true”.
It comes as Sir Keir Starmer is under pressure to open the door for the European youth mobility scheme ahead of his bilateral meeting with Ursula von der Leyen during his visit to Brussels today.
The Independent’s political team will be reporting live throughout the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham.
Watch: Tory leadership hopefuls Kemi Badenoch and Tom Tugendhat address party conference
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The UK is in desperate need of an effective opposition
Jonathan Gullis complains he can’t get a job as a teacher because he’s a Tory
TUC backs discrimination at work - as long as it is against rightwing former Tory MPs
Former Tory MP Jonathan Gullis made some headlines at the party conference in Birmingham when he announced that he had tried to return to his old profession of teaching but had been blocked unfairly because he had been a Tory MP.
Mr Gullis is now working for Talk TV and had a role on Priti Patel’s ill-fated leadership campaign.
But his travails in finding work have not engendered much sympathy - especially from trade unions.
The TUC quote tweeted him with the comment: “The trade union movement will always stand up for workers facing unfair discrimination. This is not one of those times.”
An indignant Mr Gullis responded: “As a former trade union representative I always stood up for my members, regardless of their views. This is really disappointing to see.” But the TUC has insisted that its comment was “tongue-in-cheek”.
A spokesperson said: “It goes without saying that we oppose all and any forms of unfair treatment at work.
“This was a tongue-in-cheek response to Jonathan Gullis’ accusation that classrooms are full of ‘woke’ activists.
“His faux outrage shouldn’t disguise the fact that he was part of a government that relentlessly attacked teachers and their right to strike. We wish him all the best in finding a new job.”
Cleverly warns against ‘vilifying’ trans people
James Cleverly has warned against the vilification of trans people, calling for a “thoughtful” approach to gender dysphoria in children.
This came after he said on Monday that children should not be allowed to “dictate” their gender identity to adults.
While he reiterated his statement that “adults have a responsibility to children”, he added: “I’ve got very, very good friends who are lesbian, who are gay, who are trans and I am a freedom loving, live and let live Tory. But we also have to recognise that children deserve the support of parents.”
Asked for his view on the role of charities such as Stonewall, he added: “We should not imply that charity groups are inherently seeking to do harm, because generally they are not. But we also need to make sure we support children…particularly as they go through puberty.”
“I am a little bit uncomfortable, perhaps, where there are permanent life changing decisions that are made by children going through puberty, I’m naturally uncomfortable with that.
“We should be balanced, we should be thoughtful, we should take our responsibility to children seriously but we also shouldn’t’ vilify minority groups”, the Tory leadership candidate said.
Conservative Party leadership candidates call for election to be shortened
Two Conservative Party leadership candidates called for the election to be shortened so the winner can respond to Rachel Reeves’ Budget.
James Cleverly and Robert Jenrick separately told Tory party members they would be lobbying the party chairman Richard Fuller to bring the election to an early end if they make the final two next week.
Ms Reeves is due to give her first Budget as chancellor on Wednesday 30 October, three days before Conservative members find out who has won the leadership election.
In it she is expected to address the £22 billion blackhole she says officials have discovered in the public finances since they took office.
As it stands it will be the last major set piece parliamentary event for former prime minister Rishi Sunak before he stands down as leader.
Mr Cleverly said: “I think that the new leader should be given the opportunity to respond to it.”
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Labour urged to support households with energy bills – as more cold weather payments proposed
Labour urged to help with energy bills – as more cold weather payments proposed
Around 7.7 million households are at risk of fuel stress, finds a report from the Resolution Foundation, where families need to spend more than 10 per cent of their income to heat their homes
Cleverly says he will push to end leadership election before October budget
James Cleverly said he would push for the leadership election to be brought to an end early so the new party leader can respond to Rachel Reeves’s Budget in November.
Mr Cleverly said: “I think that the new leader should be given the opportunity to respond to it.”
He acknowledged that there may be some concern that some members who vote by postal ballot might not be able to get their vote submitted in time. He said he would speak to party chairman Richard Fuller if he is in the final two when the four candidates are whittled down next week.
He added: “I have already said to the party board that I would prefer that we nibble away a couple of days from the leadership (election)… I want to get at them at the first possible opportunity.
“This Budget will define this Labour Party. If we hit them hard, where it hurts, in their economic incompetence that will be a good starting point for the new leader of the party.”
China could help prop up UK TV by buying Peppa Pig now the licence fee is ‘unsustainable', Cleverly says
China could help prop up UK TV by buying Peppa Pig and other content now the licence fee is “unsustainable”, James Cleverly has suggested.
On the future of the TV Licence, Mr Cleverly said: “I had a delegation from the BBC come along to me and say, when I was a new MP, and they did the usual thing: ‘Oh, because of the unique way the BBC is funded ya-ya-ya.’
“And I said to them, and I said to them at the time, this was back in 2015, I said ‘if I were you, at the next renegotiation of the licence fee, I would start your planning to become a subscription service.
“‘You have a back catalogue of some of the best television in the world’. If Disney and Netflix can make money on the subscription model, the BBC should, because the bottom line is, in the era of streaming services, the tax to watch television is an unsustainable business model.
“And that back catalogue of content that we have already paid for, why don’t we make sure that when China obsesses about Peppa Pig – apparently Peppa Pig is very popular in China – and other content, that they pay for it rather than demanding that we pay for it all over again?”
Cleverly suggests Jenrick needs to ‘justify his words’ over special forces claim
James Cleverly has suggested leadership rival Robert Jenrick should “justify his words” after claiming that British special forces are “killing rather than capturing terrorists”.
Asked about the remarks, which were made by the former immigration minister in a campaign video, Mr Cleverly said: “Look, whoever said that needs to justify their words.
“I’ve never accused the British armed forces of murdering anybody and if you’re going to make that accusation you need to back it up.”
Cleverly claims dozens of migrants could have been sent to Rwanda if election was delayed
Conservative Party leadership contender James Cleverly said “dozens” could have been sent to Rwanda under Rishi Sunak’s plans for asylum seekers and illegal migrants, if the election had been delayed.
Speaking on the main stage of the Conservative Party conference, Mr Cleverly said if the election had not taken place earlier this year – with the incoming Labour Government scrapping the policy – more people would have gone to the East African country.
He said: “I reckon at this point we could have sent dozens of people to Rwanda.
“It’s not just about the people that you sent to Rwanda, because ideally you don’t want to be receiving people in the UK and sending them to Rwanda, you want people to stop coming to the UK.”
He compared the plan to the success of the agreement with Albania, which saw illegal arrivals from the country drop by 90%.
Mr Cleverly said: “The deal that we had with Albania… we didn’t need to send very many Albanians back to Albania before the message cut through ‘Don’t waste your time and money trying to get to the UK, because all they do is kick you out again’. That’s what would have happened once we got Rwanda up and running.”
Jenrick says he doesn’t supported creating a definition of Islamophobia
Leadership hopeful Robert Jenrick told the Tory party conference that he does not support creating a definition of Islamophobia, because there was “not a satisfactory way to do that, that maintained freedom of speech in our country”.
He added: “I think if you shout Allahu Akbar in an intimidating manner, of course context is everything, clearly not if one is doing it as millions of British Muslims and Muslims all over the world do in a peaceful manner, every day, a prayerful manner.
“But if you shout it in an intimidatory manner, then it’s right that action is taken, and that is what the law says. The law gives the police the ability to take action.
“Now, whether it’s that or scenes like we saw over the course of the last year, someone shouting ‘jihad’ off Oxford Street and the police putting out a tweet saying that it was perfectly okay.
“Someone projecting a genocidal chant onto Big Ben, and nothing really happening. People praising the Houthis on the streets of London when they were firing missiles at British flagged vessels. That is wrong, that is wrong, that is not the country I want to live in.”
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