Tory leadership debate: Boris Johnson brandishes kipper on stage as he declares May's Brexit deal ‘defunct' at final hustings
The final Conservative Party leadership hustings with Boris Johnson and Jeremy Hunt, as it happened
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Your support makes all the difference.Tory leadership contenders Boris Johnson and Jeremy Hunt both stood by their stated approaches to handling Brexit at the final hustings before the polls close for Conservative members to vote for their party’s new leader and the country’s next prime minister.
Mr Johnson repeatedly refused to rule out suspending Parliament as PM to force through Brexit and said the UK would leave the European Union by 31 October with or without a deal.
Mr Hunt meanwhile said he could delay Brexit beyond that point if a deal was in reach, but he has also not ruled out walking away from negotiations without an agreement.
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Mr Johnson "absolutely" describes himself as a feminist, meaning someone who believes in the "equality of human beings", he says.
He is "not certain that introducing quotas" - ie all-female shortlists for parliamentary constituencies - is a good idea, though.
He is now speaking about work he did at the Foreign Office to promote girls' education around the world. He describes it as a "Swiss army knife policy" to insist on the improvement of schooling for girls.
Mr Johnson strenuously denies the "outrageous suggestion" that he dyes his hair.
Such questioning, apparently at the behest of newspaper journalists, shows how long a campaign this has been, he says.
A questioner asks Mr Johnson whether a fresh general election is essential for the new PM.
The frontrunner suggests that Britons are weary of elections and referenda; rather than holding an election the Tories should push through Brexit, he says.
Would Boris Johnson work with the Brexit Party to prevent Jeremy Corbyn entering No 10?
"I don't believe that we should do deals with any party," says Mr Johnson.
"I rule it out," he adds in response to a shouted intervention.
What would Mr Johnson do to teach children to manage money?
"Clearly we are not doing enough," he says. "Of course, the answer is better education in both primary and secondary."
Mr Johnson adds that he plans to boost schools funding. He pledges to consider specifically with a future education secretary the point the questioner raised.
"Are you good at managing money?" asks Mr Dale.
"I've certainly spent a lot," says Mr Johnson.
Mr Johnson's tax cuts will stimulate economic growth and therefore pay for his planned spending commitments, he tells a questioner.
In contrast, Jeremy Corbyn, wants to "pluck the feathers" of some "beautiful" metaphorical economic bird to the extent that the UK would enter a "death spiral", he says.
Mr Johnson is asked if Donald Trump should "tone it down" - referring to the racist tweets about Democratic congresswomen.
He says the president's tweets were "unacceptable".
But he still will not use the word "racist".
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