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| Labour leadership: Thornberry gives Corbyn '0 out of 10' for election, but '10 out of 10' for principle - live news | Labour leadership: Thornberry gives Corbyn '0 out of 10' for election, but '10 out of 10' for principle - live news |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Rolling coverage of the day’s political developments as they happen | Rolling coverage of the day’s political developments as they happen |
| The troubled Northern rail franchise faces financial collapse within months, Grant Shapps, the transport secretary has said, as the government set out a timetable to tackle the “unacceptable services” for rail passengers in the north. My colleague Gwyn Topham has the full story here. | |
| Nadia Whittome, the new Labour MP for Nottingham East, also says she is going to nominate Clive Lewis for Labour leader without necessarily planning to vote for him because she wants his ideas to be part of the debate. Lloyd Russell-Moyle is in this position too. (See 1.55pm.) | Nadia Whittome, the new Labour MP for Nottingham East, also says she is going to nominate Clive Lewis for Labour leader without necessarily planning to vote for him because she wants his ideas to be part of the debate. Lloyd Russell-Moyle is in this position too. (See 1.55pm.) |
| In Edinburgh, first minister’s questions – briefly interrupted by Extinction Rebellion climate protesters – were dominated by a domestic agenda today, but not without the usual thread of constitutional matters. The interim Conservative leader, Jackson Carlaw’s attack on Nicola Sturgeon’s education record probably has to be seen in the context of his current bid for party leadership to replace Ruth Davidson, as he promised that 2020 would be the year of holding the SNP government to account. | In Edinburgh, first minister’s questions – briefly interrupted by Extinction Rebellion climate protesters – were dominated by a domestic agenda today, but not without the usual thread of constitutional matters. The interim Conservative leader, Jackson Carlaw’s attack on Nicola Sturgeon’s education record probably has to be seen in the context of his current bid for party leadership to replace Ruth Davidson, as he promised that 2020 would be the year of holding the SNP government to account. |
| Likewise, the Scottish Labour leader, Richard Leonard, mounted a dissection of social care services, arguing that the failing integration of health and social care services alongside council funding cuts were the direct responsibility of the Scottish government. | Likewise, the Scottish Labour leader, Richard Leonard, mounted a dissection of social care services, arguing that the failing integration of health and social care services alongside council funding cuts were the direct responsibility of the Scottish government. |
| As usual, Westminster was not far away: Sturgeon responded that her government was working to protect heath and social care within a very constrained overall budget, the ultimate result of Westminster austerity. Similarly, she rebuffed attempts to criticise the SNP’s record by repeating that the public had given their verdict in last month’s election. One might argue this is not necessarily a direct conclusion of the SNP’s general election success, given that a Westminster campaign does not scrutinise their performance in Holyrood. | As usual, Westminster was not far away: Sturgeon responded that her government was working to protect heath and social care within a very constrained overall budget, the ultimate result of Westminster austerity. Similarly, she rebuffed attempts to criticise the SNP’s record by repeating that the public had given their verdict in last month’s election. One might argue this is not necessarily a direct conclusion of the SNP’s general election success, given that a Westminster campaign does not scrutinise their performance in Holyrood. |
| But when Brexit was mentioned directly, with a question about Wednesday’s decisive Holyrood vote to reject Boris Johnson’s withdrawal agreement, Sturgeon repeated what is now an entirely familiar call for Scotland to have the opportunity to decide its own future. While yesterday’s vote was entirely symbolic – Holyrood can’t bind the Westminster parliament in this way – it does add to the growing narrative of Scotland as entirely divergent politically from the rest of the UK. | But when Brexit was mentioned directly, with a question about Wednesday’s decisive Holyrood vote to reject Boris Johnson’s withdrawal agreement, Sturgeon repeated what is now an entirely familiar call for Scotland to have the opportunity to decide its own future. While yesterday’s vote was entirely symbolic – Holyrood can’t bind the Westminster parliament in this way – it does add to the growing narrative of Scotland as entirely divergent politically from the rest of the UK. |
| Here is the New Statesman’s Stephen Bush on Barry Gardiner’s possible run for the Labour leadership. (See 1.26pm.) | Here is the New Statesman’s Stephen Bush on Barry Gardiner’s possible run for the Labour leadership. (See 1.26pm.) |
| Emily Thornberry has picked up another nomination. This is from the Labour MP and former minister Gareth Thomas. | Emily Thornberry has picked up another nomination. This is from the Labour MP and former minister Gareth Thomas. |
| Earlier I said that there was no evidence in this contest of Labour MPs nominating someone for the leadership even though they did not want them to become leader. (See 9.38am.) Some MPs nominated Jeremy Corbyn on this basis in 2015, and were horrified when he actually won. | Earlier I said that there was no evidence in this contest of Labour MPs nominating someone for the leadership even though they did not want them to become leader. (See 9.38am.) Some MPs nominated Jeremy Corbyn on this basis in 2015, and were horrified when he actually won. |
| Not for the first time, I spoke to soon. On the BBC’s Daily Politics Lloyd Russell-Moyle said that, although he was backing Rebecca Long Bailey for the leadership, he was considering nominating Clive Lewis because he thought that Lewis’s ideas for constitutional reform should be included in the debate. | Not for the first time, I spoke to soon. On the BBC’s Daily Politics Lloyd Russell-Moyle said that, although he was backing Rebecca Long Bailey for the leadership, he was considering nominating Clive Lewis because he thought that Lewis’s ideas for constitutional reform should be included in the debate. |
| Hannah Bardell, an SNP MP who was who was called “queer” by a peer after she raised his “abusive” behaviour towards parliamentary staff, is set to report him to the police for an alleged hate crime, HuffPost’s Arj Singh reports. Bardell was speaking in the Commons during business questions this morning. Here is an extract from Singh’s story. | Hannah Bardell, an SNP MP who was who was called “queer” by a peer after she raised his “abusive” behaviour towards parliamentary staff, is set to report him to the police for an alleged hate crime, HuffPost’s Arj Singh reports. Bardell was speaking in the Commons during business questions this morning. Here is an extract from Singh’s story. |
| Journalists last night were taken aback by the news that Barry Gardiner, the shadow international trade secretary, was considering entering the Labour leadership contest because it sounded most improbable. Gardiner has not been campaigning, candidates only have until 2.30pm on Monday to get the 22 nominations they need from MPs or MEPs to stay in the contest, around half of MPs have already nominated someone, and Gardiner himself is in Abu Dhabi at a climate crisis event, which is not the best place to be if you need to win over almost two dozen MPs. But he is considering standing, as he told my colleague Kate Proctor. Here is her story. | Journalists last night were taken aback by the news that Barry Gardiner, the shadow international trade secretary, was considering entering the Labour leadership contest because it sounded most improbable. Gardiner has not been campaigning, candidates only have until 2.30pm on Monday to get the 22 nominations they need from MPs or MEPs to stay in the contest, around half of MPs have already nominated someone, and Gardiner himself is in Abu Dhabi at a climate crisis event, which is not the best place to be if you need to win over almost two dozen MPs. But he is considering standing, as he told my colleague Kate Proctor. Here is her story. |
| This morning Gardiner gave another interview about his possible candidature to the BBC’s Victoria Derbyshire. He was speaking from Abu Dhabi, apparently via Skype. Here are the main points. | This morning Gardiner gave another interview about his possible candidature to the BBC’s Victoria Derbyshire. He was speaking from Abu Dhabi, apparently via Skype. Here are the main points. |
| Gardiner said if he could get the backing of 22 MPs he definitely would stand. Asked if he would be a candidate, he replied: | Gardiner said if he could get the backing of 22 MPs he definitely would stand. Asked if he would be a candidate, he replied: |
| He said if he did stand it would be to “energise” the campaign and to get “dynamism” into the debate. | He said if he did stand it would be to “energise” the campaign and to get “dynamism” into the debate. |
| He confirmed that Len McCluskey, the Unite general secretary, had not asked him to stand. And he said no one had urged him to stand on McCluskey’s behalf. But he would welcome McCluskey’s support, he said. He told Derbyshire: | He confirmed that Len McCluskey, the Unite general secretary, had not asked him to stand. And he said no one had urged him to stand on McCluskey’s behalf. But he would welcome McCluskey’s support, he said. He told Derbyshire: |
| This is odd because, according to McCluskey, Gardiner did get a call from the Unite leader last night. | This is odd because, according to McCluskey, Gardiner did get a call from the Unite leader last night. |
| Gardiner said Labour colleagues were urging him to stand because they saw him as an election winner. Asked what qualities he had that other candidates didn’t, he replied: | Gardiner said Labour colleagues were urging him to stand because they saw him as an election winner. Asked what qualities he had that other candidates didn’t, he replied: |
| Asked if he was saying the other candidates could not, he went on: | Asked if he was saying the other candidates could not, he went on: |
| McCluskey says he has not urged Gardiner to run, but Skwawkbox, a pro-Corbyn website supported by Unite and seen by some as a mouthpiece for the union, has over the last two days run articles promoting Gardiner as a candidate. Skwawkbox also ran various articles pushing Ian Lavery as a leadership candidate until he announced that he would not be standing. These blogposts fuelled the theory that some Corbynites were either unhappy with Rebecca Long Bailey as a candidate, or doubtful about whether she could win, and were looking around for someone else to champion Corbynism in the contest. | McCluskey says he has not urged Gardiner to run, but Skwawkbox, a pro-Corbyn website supported by Unite and seen by some as a mouthpiece for the union, has over the last two days run articles promoting Gardiner as a candidate. Skwawkbox also ran various articles pushing Ian Lavery as a leadership candidate until he announced that he would not be standing. These blogposts fuelled the theory that some Corbynites were either unhappy with Rebecca Long Bailey as a candidate, or doubtful about whether she could win, and were looking around for someone else to champion Corbynism in the contest. |
| Jack McConnell, the former Labour Scottish first minister, is backing Lisa Nandy for Labour leader, the Scotsman’s Paris Gourtsoyannis reports. | Jack McConnell, the former Labour Scottish first minister, is backing Lisa Nandy for Labour leader, the Scotsman’s Paris Gourtsoyannis reports. |
| The Labour leadership candidate Jess Phillips has posted this response on Twitter to Clive Lewis’s article in the Nation saying Scottish Labour should be free to back independence. (See 9.18am.) | The Labour leadership candidate Jess Phillips has posted this response on Twitter to Clive Lewis’s article in the Nation saying Scottish Labour should be free to back independence. (See 9.18am.) |
| The Labour leadership candidate Emily Thornberry has been speaking to Sky News and she has been giving her own marks for Jeremy Corbyn on a scale from 0 to 10. Rebecca Long Bailey, of course, said on Tuesday that Corbyn deserves 10 out of 10 as a leader. Thornberry’s assessment is less generous. She told Sky: | The Labour leadership candidate Emily Thornberry has been speaking to Sky News and she has been giving her own marks for Jeremy Corbyn on a scale from 0 to 10. Rebecca Long Bailey, of course, said on Tuesday that Corbyn deserves 10 out of 10 as a leader. Thornberry’s assessment is less generous. She told Sky: |
| This is from Sky’s Mollie Malone. | This is from Sky’s Mollie Malone. |
| Downing Street has now issued a fuller read-out of the PM’s conversation with the Iranian president. A spokesman said: | Downing Street has now issued a fuller read-out of the PM’s conversation with the Iranian president. A spokesman said: |
| Boris Johnson has spoken to the Iranian president, Hassan Rouhani, and called for “an end to hostilities” in the Gulf, No 10 has said. | Boris Johnson has spoken to the Iranian president, Hassan Rouhani, and called for “an end to hostilities” in the Gulf, No 10 has said. |
| I will post more from the No 10 briefing when I get it. | I will post more from the No 10 briefing when I get it. |