Katy Balls is The Spectator’s former political editor.
From our UK edition
12 min listen
Today all candidates need 30 nominations to make it through to the next round. One dark horse in the race is Penny Mordaunt who is seen as Labour's greatest threat. This morning she held her official campaign launch in at Westminster's Cinnamon Club - promising to 'fix a broken Whitehall'. But will she be able to see off her rivals in the Tory leadership race?Katy Balls speaks to Fraser Nelson and James Forsyth.
From our UK edition
As cabinet members were lining up last week to tell Boris Johnson to resign, one major actor was absent from the drama. Liz Truss was in Indonesia at a G20 summit and missed the fun. She flew back the day after Johnson announced his resignation, knowing that if she makes it to the final stage of the leadership campaign, she has a very good chance of becoming the next prime minister. She is the longest-serving cabinet member, having been environment minister, Lord Chancellor, a treasury minister, trade secretary and now Foreign Secretary. To her admirers, she’s a ‘true blue’ Tory who can inspire a following with her brand of liberty-loving conservatism. She loves the party base, who in turn seem to love her.
From our UK edition
Is Penny Mordaunt the dark horse in the Tory leadership race? After topping a Conservative Home poll of Tory MPs, Mordaunt is certainly viewed as a dangerous candidate by her leadership rivals. This morning she held her official campaign launch in a sweaty, crowded room in Westminster's Cinnamon Club. The former defence secretary struck a patriotic tone as she recalled the Royal Navy's fleet leaving Portsmouth for the Falklands in 1982. Mordaunt said it made her realise the UK is a nation that ‘stands up to bullies’. Mordaunt suggested she would lead a return to traditional conservative values.
From our UK edition
11 min listen
Appropriately matched to the summer heatwave, the Tory leadership contest is hotting up. Whilst Grant Shapps has pulled out and decided to back Rishi Sunak, candidates must secure nominations from at least 20 MPs by this evening to enter the contest.Who will go through to the next round? And are they ready to be Prime Minister?James Forsyth speaks to Katy Balls. Produced by Natasha Feroze.
From our UK edition
Kemi Badenoch has just completed her leadership launch. Although she is an outside bet, her campaign has been building momentum after Michael Gove endorsed her and she came a narrow second in a ConHome poll on who should be the next Tory leader. The launch saw her try to put the flesh on the bones of her pitch to MPs – which so far has been dominated by identity politics. In a flick to her position on culture wars, the toilets at the venue had paper signs put on them so they weren’t gender neutral. In her speech, Badenoch was all too happy to put clear blue water between herself and Boris Johnson, saying politicians ought to be honest that people can’t have their cake and eat it.
From our UK edition
The 1922 Committee has this evening agreed to change the Tory leadership rules so as to raise the threshold of the number of MP nominations required to enter the race. Each candidate will need 20 supporters, including a proposer and seconder, in order to enter. They will then need to secure 30 votes in the first round to progress. This is a significant increase to the threshold which in 2019 was at just eight nominations As for the timetable, Sir Graham Brady – chair of the 1922 committee – said a new leader would be announced by 5th September. In terms of the parliamentary round, things could move very quickly indeed. The first ballot will take place on Wednesday then likely the second on Thursday. Brady suggested the final two could have been agreed as soon as next Monday.
From our UK edition
16 min listen
Liz Truss has today announced her candidacy for the Tory leadership. With Kemi Badenoch and Suella Braverman already looking to win votes from MPs on the right of the Conservative party, and with Jacob Rees-Mogg and Priti Patel also considering a run for the top job, who will become the candidate of the Tory right? Katy Balls speaks to Fraser Nelson and James Forsyth. Produced by Max Jeffery.
From our UK edition
The Tory leadership contest is a very crowded place – with Liz Truss overnight becoming the tenth candidate to declare (with Rehman Chishti becoming the eleventh a few minutes later). But it could be significantly slimmed down by this evening. Monday marks the day of the elections for the 1922 executive made up of Tory backbenchers. Once the new executive is in place this afternoon, they will meet to immediately decide the rules for the coming contest. To avoid the contest dragging on, the plan is to get the current field narrowed down to two by the summer recess on 21 July. The committee will discuss raising the threshold of MP nominations required to enter in the first place.
From our UK edition
Liz Truss has become the tenth candidate to enter the Tory leadership race. Announcing her intentions in an op-ed for the Daily Telegraph, the Foreign Secretary has promised if successful to 'fight the election as a Conservative and govern as a Conservative'. As for her pitch to MPs and members, Truss joins the list of Tory leadership hopefuls promising tax cuts. She says she would take 'immediate action to help people deal with the cost of living' which would mean cutting taxes from 'day one'. A supporter of Truss goes further: 'Liz is the tax cutting candidate who can actually lead the country from day one, help ensure Putin loses in Ukraine and the candidate with a track record of delivery in government'. So, how is Truss's campaign doing so far?
From our UK edition
The Tory leadership contest is yet to officially begin, but things are already turning nasty. As well as reports in the papers of dirty dossiers on candidates, Tory grandees have come out to call for a ceasefire in which Boris Johnson loyalists stop attacking Rishi Sunak. Now a row has broken out over Penny Mordaunt's candidacy. The former defence secretary announced this weekend that she will be running for leader – storming into second place on MP support. On announcing the news, Mordaunt took to social media to try to address one of the biggest criticisms facing her when it comes to the contest: that she is too 'woke'. The allegations regard trans rights after she said in 2018 that 'trans women are women and trans men are men'.
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17 min listen
James Forsyth speaks to Fraser Nelson and Katy Balls about what Boris Johnson has achieved and if he will leave a significant imprint as a result of his time in office.
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Rishi Sunak has this afternoon confirmed that he is running to be the next leader of the Conservative party. In a launch video published on social media, the former chancellor begins by telling the story of his grandmother coming to the UK from East Africa and starting a life here as he declares that 'family is everything' to him. https://twitter.com/RishiSunak/status/1545426650032111616?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw Sunak is associated with high taxes rather than tax cuts and will be arguing for patience Sunak – who has also launched a leadership website under the name Ready for Rishi – has adopted the slogan: 'restore trust, rebuild the economy and reunite the country'.
From our UK edition
11 min listen
The Tory leadership race has begun. Some candidates, like Steve Baker and Suella Braverman, have already declared that they will be running. Others, like Nadhim Zahawi, Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss, are expected to announce their candidacy in the coming days. What are their platforms? How many MPs will hopefuls need to have supporting them to make it onto the ballot? What should the party look for in a new leader? Katy Balls speaks to Fraser Nelson and James Forsyth. Produced by Max Jeffery.
From our UK edition
Keir Starmer is in the clear over beergate. This lunchtime, Durham Police announced that both the Labour leader and his deputy Angela Rayner have been cleared of breaking lockdown rules at an event involving curry and beer. When it comes to the event in April 2021, the police said there was ‘no case to answer’ as there was an exemption at the time for ‘reasonably necessary work’. Responding to the news, a Labour spokesperson said: ‘Keir Starmer and Angela Rayner have always been clear that no rules were broken in Durham.’ What does this mean for Labour? It means that Starmer’s gamble – of promising to resign if fined and thereby putting clear blue water between himself and Johnson – has paid off.
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30 min listen
In this week’s episode:After Boris, who's next?On the day the Prime Minister resigns, Katy Balls and James Forsyth discuss the aftermath of Boris Johnson’s premiership. Who might be the next Tory leader? (0.51).Also this week:Who are the wealthy Russian émigrés ready to fight in the war?Sean Thomas talks with Moscow-based journalist, Gabriel Gavin about the Russian émigrés who hate the war, but know they have to win it (19.56).And finally: Are 20mph speed limits causing more trouble than Brexit?Ysenda Maxtone Graham makes this case in the magazine this week. She's joined by Cllr Johnny Thalassites from the Kensington and Chelsea borough. (22.26)Hosted by Lara Prendergast & William MooreProduced by Natasha Feroze.
From our UK edition
Boris Johnson has announced his resignation. Speaking outside 10 Downing Street, the Prime Minister confirmed that he would reluctantly leave office after a majority of his MPs lost faith in his ability to lead. He said it was ‘clearly the will of the parliamentary Conservative party’ that he goes. In terms of the speech, Johnson used it to big up his achievements in office and pledge support for Ukraine. He also said it was critical that the Conservative party continues with the levelling up agenda so as to unleash all the ‘genius and talent and imagination’ in the country. Johnson did not thank any members of his (remaining) cabinet The speech was rather pointed in places.
From our UK edition
15 min listen
After fighting words briefed out to the papers overnight, this morning, the Prime Minister has finally decided to resign. A statement is expected today. On the episode, Katy Balls discusses with Isabel Hardman and Fraser Nelson whether he should have gone sooner (and the implications for the post-politics speaking circuit) and the leadership race that is about to start.Produced by Cindy Yu.
From our UK edition
Boris Johnson has so far had four cabinet ministers resign and sacked one – in the form of Michael Gove. Now, one minister has come out publicly to say they will run to be a successor should there be a leadership contest. Step forward Suella Braverman. On Wednesday evening, the Attorney General gave an interview to ITV's Robert Peston in which she voiced her unhappiness over the Prime Minister's behaviour in recent days. Braverman – who until now was viewed as a staunch Johnson loyalist – said there was an overwhelming sense of despair among MPs so 'the time has come for the Prime Minister to step down'. Given she is one of many to say that, it wasn't necessarily headline news. It's also notable that she hasn't actually resigned.
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14 min listen
As several cabinet ministers have resigned, is it hours, days, weeks or months before Boris Johnson is kicked out?James Forsyth joins Katy Balls from the roof of Parliament.
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Westminster has always been run more by convention than by rulebook. Prime ministers are seldom forced out: they are persuaded that their position is unsustainable and they walk. Margaret Thatcher quit before facing a final vote. Tony Blair chose resignation in preference to an uprising led by Gordon Brown. Theresa May was technically safe from any leadership challenge when she resigned. After Remain lost the EU referendum, David Cameron decided to go quietly rather than face a warring party. But Boris Johnson is not a creature of Westminster. He did not rise through its ranks, he built no tribe and he is more given to issuing edicts than winning people over. In the same way, he believes he can be vulnerable if he follows convention – something he has always tried to avoid doing.