Jenrick sabotaged his Tory leadership chances at conference, survey of members suggests, with Cleverly rising fast
Conservative members were more likely to be turned off by what they saw of Robert Jenrick at the party conference than impressed, a survey suggests.
Jenrick arrived at the conference as the clear bookmakers’ favourite. But, according to a ConservativeHome survey of Tory members, only 23% of them said that what happened at conference made them more likely to support him – and 43% said they were less likely to support him afterwards.
Tom Tugendhat experienced a similar loss of support – but he is expected to be out of the contest by the end of today anyway as the candidate most likely to be eliminated in today’s ballot of MPs.
Conservative members favour Kemi Badenoch for next leader, according to numerous ConHome surveys, and proper polling, but 35% of respondents said conference made them less likely to support her, while 30% said the opposite.
The survey suggests the big winner was James Cleverly. Some 55% of Tories said conference made him a more attractive candidate, while only 14% said it didn’t.
The survey also suggests that, by a large margin, he was seen as delivering the best speech on the final day. Badenoch came second.
As a result of what happened at conference, Cleverly has now become the clear bookmakers’ favourite. This chart from the PoliticalBetting.com website, showing the implied chances of winning, illustrates how that has happened.
ConservativeHome has a panel of Tory members and it regularly surveys them on leadership preferences. In the past it has been a reliable guide to Tory leadership elections – always pointing to the right winner, if not by the correct margin.
Jenrick came first in the last two ballots of Tory MPs. Some rightwingers are supporting him because they thought Badenoch would not make the final two (because she is a lot more popular with members than with MPs) and because they thought Jenrick would beat any of the likely “left” candidates in the final two. But a survey at the weekend suggests that is no longer true, which could provide an opening for Badenoch.
In Tory terms, Badenoch and Jenrick are the two “right” candidates, while Cleverly and Tugendhat are the two “left” ones. In non-Tory terms, they are all quite rightwing.
Key events
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Voters see Cleverly as Tory leadership candidate with best chance of becoming PM, poll suggests
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UK population up 1% to 68.3m, largest annual rise since 1971, largely due to net migration, ONS says
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No 10 dismisses claims borrowing costs going up because of concerns about budget plans
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Labour’s Liam Byrne defends decision to delay budget until end of October, despite claims that’s led to government drift
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Lammy accused of misleading MPs when he said Chagossians kept informed about sovereignty talks with Mauritius
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Parties would have to justify House of Lords nominations under new rules
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Leading economist joins calls for ‘rational adjustment’ to government’s fiscal rules
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Prison system was ‘teetering on disaster’ when Labour came to power, says minister
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UK may approve bee-killing pesticide despite election promise to ban it
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Jenrick sabotaged his Tory leadership chances at conference, survey of members suggests, with Cleverly rising fast
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Boris Johnson hits out at ‘greedy’ Keir Starmer over freebies
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Haigh comes close to confirming HS2 will run to Euston, saying ending it at Old Oak Common would not make sense
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Keir Starmer does not have a problem with women, says transport secretary
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Labour won’t be able to rely on ethnic minority voters as ‘bloc’ of support in future, says major report
In the Commons MPs are debating a Conservative opposition day motion criticising the government’s plan to impose VAT on school fees. This is one issue on which the Tories are united; all four leadership candidates have opposed the move, and said they want to reverse it.
The debate was opened by Damian Hinds, the shadow education secretary, who is not a leadership candidate.
Bridget Phillipson, the education secretary, was criticised for a post on X where she justified the tax by referring to private schools cutting back on embossed stationery and swimming pools to help fund it.
Our state schools need teachers more than private schools need embossed stationery.
Our children need mental health support more than private schools need new pools.
Our students need careers advice more than private schools need AstroTurf pitches.https://t.co/Wc55CmVuge
— Bridget Phillipson (@bphillipsonMP) October 5, 2024
Our state schools need teachers more than private schools need embossed stationery.
Our children need mental health support more than private schools need new pools.
Our students need careers advice more than private schools need AstroTurf pitches
The Conservative MP Graham Stuart said this was a “malicious and spiteful tweet” and he said James Murray, the Treasury minister speaking on behalf of the government, should apologise for it on Phillipson’s behalf.
But Murray replied:
I, nor any of my colleagues, will make any apology for wanting to improve state education across this country to make sure that the aspiration of every parent in our country to get the best possible education for their children can be fulfilled.
More in Common have now published their voting intention polling figures mentioned earlier. This is from Luke Tryl’s, its director, who also points out that the combined total for parties on the right (47% – Conservatives 28%, plus Reform UK 19%) is almost the same as the combined total for parties on the left (49% – Labour 29%, Lib Dems 11%, Greens 7% and SNP 2%).
🆕In today’s Playbook our latest @Moreincommon_ voting intention has Labour’s lead at 1 point
🌹Lab 29% (-1)
🌳Con 28% (+2)
➡️ Ref 19% (+1)
🔶Lib Dem 11% (-2)
🌎 Green 7% (-1)
🟡 SNP 2% (-1)Dates: 5-7/10 n= 2023, changes with 24-25/9 pic.twitter.com/xcdvW92Now
— Luke Tryl (@LukeTryl) October 8, 2024
Voters see Cleverly as Tory leadership candidate with best chance of becoming PM, poll suggests
James Cleverly is seen by voters as the Tory leadership candidate most likely to become prime minister, according to new polling by Ipsos..
In its write-up, Ipsos says:
When asked which leadership candidate would be most likely to become prime minister if they become Conservative leader, one in five Britons say James Cleverly (21%) marking a 7-point increase since late September 2024 before Conservative party conference. Robert Jenrick trails behind at 10%, with Tom Tugendhat and Kemi Badenoch at 7% each. The main shift here being between those saying don’t know (-6) and those saying Mr Cleverly is most likely (+7).
However, more than one in four still say they don’t know (27%) and 28% think none of the candidates are likely to become prime minister.
But the polling also suggests, as the public heard and read about the last four candidates in the contest while the Tory conference was happening, all of them saw their net favourability ratings with the public at large go down. Cleverly’s ratings only fell by 2 points, from -16 to -18. But Tom Tugendhat’s fell by 6 points, and Kemi Badenoch’s and Robert Jenrick’s both fell by 8 points.
On this measure, Badenoch is the most unpopular candidate, with a net favourability rating of -26, followed by Jenrick (-24), Tugendhat (-19) and Cleverly (-18).
Like many Guardian readers, including a lot of you BTL, Anushka Asthana, ITV’s political editor, is annoyed by reports that suggest Sue Gray’s departure is best understood as part of a boy’s club plot and Keir Starmer having a problem with women. She has posted these on social media.
Sorry to rant but the whole “boys club” thing irritates me. Of course there is a lot of focus on the Keir’s, Morgan’s and (admittedly numerous) Matt’s but as I’ve discovered Keir Starmer would NOT be PM without the senior women in the operation 1/
— Anushka Asthana (@AnushkaAsthana) October 8, 2024
Sorry to rant but the whole “boys club” thing irritates me. Of course there is a lot of focus on the Keir’s, Morgan’s and (admittedly numerous) Matt’s but as I’ve discovered Keir Starmer would NOT be PM without the senior women in the operation 1/
Firstly the entire campaign was field directed by a woman. Yeah yeah- totally true that they put two men in charge (don’t they so often!) but Hollie Ridley basically ran the mechanics of the campaign 2/
The strategy director was Deborah Mattinson, the now party chair Ellie Reeves was critical, and as for the new deputy chief of staffs- Jill Cuthbertson and Vidhya Alakeson … 3/
Ask anyone inside Labour and they’ll tell you that Jill Cuthbertson is about as powerful as they come. She was by Gordon Brown’s side in 2010 & Ed Miliband’s in 2015 and was beside Starmer’s at almost every key moment of campaign. She helped make Zelensky meet happen for eg 4/
The turnaround in the reputation with business (which was hard got and is now on shaky ground) was led by Vidhya Alakeson and Katie Martin (Rachel Reeves’ chief of staff) and the CX herself. Alakeson has run big organisations previously 5/
Obviously Sue Gray as chief of staff was also central to that (and her deputy- also a woman- Helene Reardon Bond) so its not surprising her supporters feel she’s been badly treated but they should blame the man who made decision not the women in the team!? 6/
I think the “boys club” does exist in links between boys on either side of the political and media fences – which means the roles of men are so often amplified (and obviously often with reason- I’ve written myself about McSweeney today) but it’s not true that it’s all men 7/
And for what it’s worth I’ve had more women moan about Sue Gray’s role than men. But also true that almost all these people- men & women- have been in Downing st from the start of this operation- so surely all carry blame for what has gone wrong? & Starmer ultimately in charge 8/
Btw that doesn’t mean I think Labour don’t have a woman leader problem – and I talk about this in my book. I’m sure the party- wanting to opt for “safe” option post 2019- at least in part saw Starmer as safe because as a man he was seen as more prime ministerial 9/
Anushka has got more about this in her new book about the election (reviewed here).
Anyway this was not a sales pitch for my book 🤣 just a Tuesday morning moan- BUT I’ve written all about the election machine – both Labour and Conservative – and made sure that no women are written out of the story. Do read! 10/ 👇 https://t.co/X02Ky43D12
— Anushka Asthana (@AnushkaAsthana) October 8, 2024
Keir Starmer did discuss the decision to replace Sue Gray as his chief of staff with Morgan McSweeney at cabinet this morning, the PM’s spokesperson told journalists at the lobby briefing. The spokesperson said:
He did briefly speak about the appointment made, consistently with the statement that was put out over the weekend… and in the context of the cabinet discussion on delivering for the country, delivering on the change that he was elected to deliver.
This morning the Times splashed on a story quoting unnamed government sources as saying that the removal of Gray would not solve all Starmer’s difficulties because the problems in No 10 go beyond an individual. In their story, Oliver Wright and Steven Swinford said a Gray ally was claiming “Gray had been the victim of an ‘out-of-control group’ of senior male advisers who felt threatened by her”.
Wright and Swinford report:
A Whitehall source said: “The dysfunction in Downing Street is not the fault of Sue. There are systemic issues which Starmer has not addressed. Just because she has now gone does not mean that things are going to improve.
“In some ways if you’re chief of staff all roads lead to your door and you can be blamed for everything. But in reality the ultimate responsibility lies with the prime minister.”
Another senior figure warned that Gray’s treatment by other staff in No 10 had already resulted in at least one senior woman deciding not to apply for the job as Starmer’s new cabinet secretary.
UK population up 1% to 68.3m, largest annual rise since 1971, largely due to net migration, ONS says
The UK population is estimated to have risen by 1.0% in the year to June 2023, the largest annual percentage increase since comparable data began in 1971, according to a report from the Office for National Statistics. In its report on the figures PA Media says:
Some 68,265,200 people were likely to have been resident in the UK in the middle of last year, up 662,400 from 67,602,800 12 months earlier.
The jump of 1.0% in the year to mid-2023 follows a rise of 0.9% in the year to mid-2022, according to the ONS.
It means the UK population is estimated to have increased by 1.28 million in the two years to mid-2023.
The rise of 662,400 in the 12 months to June 2023 is also the largest annual numerical increase since comparable data began in 1971.
Net international migration was the main contributor to the rise in population for all four countries of the UK in the year to mid-2023, the ONS said.
Asked about the figures at the Downing Street lobby briefing, the PM’s spokesperson said Keir Starmer was determined to bring net migration down. The spokesperson said:
The PM and the home secretary have been clear that overall net migration does need to come down, and we should end the situation where legal migration is used as an alternative to tackling skill shortages in the UK.
And indeed, we’ve made announcements recently to achieve this, including the Migration Advisory Committee conducting annual assessments to highlight key sectors where labour market failures have led to rocketing overseas recruitment and the fact that rules around migrant sponsorship will be toughened to ensure employers guilty of flouting employment laws are banned from hiring from abroad.
No 10 dismisses claims borrowing costs going up because of concerns about budget plans
According a Financial Times report, the UK government’s borrowing costs have risen sharply, “fuelled by investor concerns about the Labour government’s budget, pushing the gap with Germany to the widest in more than a year”.
In their report, Ian Smith and Sam Fleming say:
With three weeks to go to Rachel Reeves’ first Budget, bondholders say the UK chancellor will have to walk a “tightrope” if she is to proceed with her borrowing and investment plans without triggering a gilt sell-off.
The spread between UK and German benchmark 10-year bond yields has already risen to 1.94 percentage points, its highest since August 2023, on worries Reeves will increase debt, as well as concerns about persistent inflation, investors say.
At the Downing Street lobby briefing this morning the PM’s spokesperson said he did not accept the claim that uncertainty about what the government would do was pushing up borrowing costs. He said:
I wouldn’t accept that characterisation … One of the first steps of this government is to restore economic stability, The budget will absolutely deliver on that, delivering on the robust fiscal rules that were that were set out in the manifesto. That includes moving the current budget into balance, that includes debt as a share of the economy.
More broadly, the budget will be about fixing the foundations of the economy, delivering stability, because it’s only with economic stability that we’ll get the growth and investment that the economy needs, that public services need, and deliver the higher living standards for people across the country.
Graeme Wearden has more on the government’s rising borrowing costs on his business live blog.
The Department for Transport has today announced a £500m investment in zero-emission buses. In a new release it says:
Up to 500 UK manufacturing jobs are set to be supported as bus operator Go Ahead today announces a major £500m investment to decarbonise its fleet, including creating a new dedicated manufacturing line and partnership with Northern Ireland-based bus manufacturer Wrightbus.
The investment is set to fund the manufacturing of up to 1,200 new zero emission buses over the next 3 years. Built for operator Go Ahead, this investment will accelerate the transition to greener buses across the country including in Plymouth, Gloucestershire, East Yorkshire, London and the Isle of Wight.
The Tory leadership candidate James Cleverly attended freebie sports events twice last year accompanied by his wife, without saying she was there in the official declaration, Dave Burke reports in a story for the Mirror. Cleverly’s team told the paper the shadow home secretary always intended to be transparent, suggesting the mistake might have been made by officials unaware his wife attended when they filled in his ministerial declaration.
And, on the subject of difficulties for the government, polling from More in Common suggests the Labour lead over the Conservative party is now down to just 1 point, according to Politico’s London Playbook. It reports.
Labour’s lead over the Tories has fallen to just *1* point, according to a More in Common poll shared with Playbook. One point! The survey of 2,023 British adults has Labour on 29 percent, the Conservatives on 28, Reform UK on 19, the Lib Dems on 11 and Greens on 7. That historic landslide election victory suddenly feels an awfully long time ago.
Labour’s Liam Byrne defends decision to delay budget until end of October, despite claims that’s led to government drift
Yesterday Alastair Campbell, Tony Blair’s former communictions chief, said a big reason why the government was in political difficulties was the fact that it decided to wait almost 16 weeks from the election before holding a budget.
On the Today programme this morning Liam Byrne, the Labour MP and former Treasury minister who chairs the Commons business committee, defended the government’s decision to wait that long.
Byrne said that, although there were “virtues getting the budget done fast”, there were also good reasons for waiting until the end of October.
Campbell said that after the elections in. 1979, 1997 and 2010, budgets were held respectively five weeks later, eight weeks later and six weeks later.
But now the Office for Budget Responsibility has to publish an economic assessmement alongside the budget, and that takes at least 10 weeks, Byrne said.
He also said there was an interest rate cut at the start of August, public sector pay deals were only agreed at the end of July, and new planning rules were published at the start of August. All these factors influence the budget, he argued. He went on:
You definitely can do these things fast – Liz Truss did it in 18 days – but I think the whole country will thank the chancellor for not doing a Liz Truss, because now is the time to be strategic and not slapdash.
The budget will be on Wednesday 30 October.
Lammy accused of misleading MPs when he said Chagossians kept informed about sovereignty talks with Mauritius
Yesterday, in response to a question from Andrew Mitchell, his Tory shadow, about whether the Chagossians were consulted about the government’s deal handing over sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, David Lammy, the foreign secrtary, said: “Of course we kept the Chagossians informed all along the way.”
Chagossian Voices, a group representing Chagossians, says Lammy was not telling the truth.
We will be writing to @DavidLammy and The Speaker of HOC. It was claimed in Parliament today that he and his team had met Chagossian groups to discuss the sovereignty negotiations. Neither we, nor any other groups we know have met him or his team to discuss this since the…
— Chagossian Voices (@ChagossianVoic2) October 7, 2024
We will be writing to @DavidLammy and The Speaker of HOC. It was claimed in Parliament today that he and his team had met Chagossian groups to discuss the sovereignty negotiations. Neither we, nor any other groups we know have met him or his team to discuss this since the election. We learned about the announcement at 9.00am last Thursday in an email from the BBC.
At a meeting with Chagossian groups about community support for Chagossians with FCDO Minister Doughty on 30th September (the first and only meeting) attendees were told he could not talk about the negotiations and they even confirmed this in an email (last four lines of extract… pic.twitter.com/aLTWeLhBur
— Chagossian Voices (@ChagossianVoic2) October 8, 2024
At a meeting with Chagossian groups about community support for Chagossians with FCDO Minister Doughty on 30th September (the first and only meeting) attendees were told he could not talk about the negotiations and they even confirmed this in an email (last four lines of extract…
The Foreign Office has been approached for a comment. I will post their reply when I get it.
Parties would have to justify House of Lords nominations under new rules
Political parties will be required to justify offering peerages under new rules being drafted by the government to overhaul the image of the House of Lords. As Jessica Elgot reports, the move – which could involve similar citations as those when people receive honours from the monarch – is in response to a number of controversial appointments over the years including those of two of Boris Johnson’s key aides and of Evgeny Lebedev, the Independent’s largest shareholder. Jess’s full story is here.
Leading economist joins calls for ‘rational adjustment’ to government’s fiscal rules
Today the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) thinktank has published a report saying Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, should change the government’s fiscal rules and adopt a new measure of debt. Richard Partington has written about it here.
On the Today programme this morning Mohamed El-Erian, one of Britain’s leading economists, also said the fiscal framework needs to change. El-Erian, who is president of Queen’s College, Cambridge, and chief economic adviser to Allianz, a fund manager, called for “a rational adjustment to the fiscal rules”. He explained:
Right now the government’s operating with a very arbitrary fiscal framework that it has inherited. It tends to be biased against investment, and it tends to undermine the one thing this country needs most, which is productivity and growth.
I would like to see the anti-investment biases taken out, so it means don’t treat spending on current consumption as the same as spending on investment. They are fundamentally different in terms of the impact.
He also said the rules should be changed so they don’t “apply arbitrary time horizons that have nothing to the underlying economics”. Currently the debt rule just says debt should be falling as a proportion of the GDP in the fifth year of the forecast period – which means between year 4 looking ahead and year 5 looking ahead. It is a rolling target, and so every year year 5 is another five years in the future. El-Erian said:
These are changes that are supported by the vast majority of economists, and they will be better for a government that’s seeking growth, because that is what we need.
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