Senior Tory reveals plot to oust Boris Johnson on first day as PM in extraordinary revelation
Former premier Sir John Major warns of constitutional crisis over ‘do or die’ Brexit plan
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Your support makes all the difference.A former Europe minister has revealed he quit the government to table an emergency motion in parliament that could have blocked Boris Johnson from becoming prime minister.
Sir Alan Duncan‘s motion was rejected by speaker John Bercow but it exposes the depth of rifts within the Conservative Party over the expected elevation to 10 Downing Street of the Brexiteer who has vowed to take the UK out of the EU in October, deal or no deal.
At the same time Mr Johnson was warned he faces “constitutional crisis” within weeks over his “do or die” plans.
Sir John Major became the third former PM in as many days to issue a stern warning about a premiership led by Mr Johnson, who is expected to be confirmed as Britain’s next prime minister on Tuesday.
Whoever succeeds Theresa May “must choose whether to be the spokesman for an ultra-Brexit faction or the servant of the nation he leads” said the former Tory premier.
“He cannot be both,” he said.
Further pro-EU ministers are expected to follow chancellor Philip Hammond, justice secretary David Gauke and international development secretary Rory Stewart in resigning before they can be sacked by Mr Johnson.
The moves came on the day Jo Swinson was elected as the first female leader of the Liberal Democrats, defeating Ed Davey in the race to replace Sir Vince Cable.
And Jeremy Corbyn outlined proposals to accelerate the expulsion of antisemites from Labour‘s ranks.
See below for what was our live coverage
Tory divisions have boiled over in the wake of Sir Alan Duncan's resignation, with several MPs openly rowing on Twitter.
Amid the Tory chaos, Labour is also facing a big day today as the shadow cabinet will meet to discuss handling of antisemitism complaints. Jeremy Corbyn will also address the parliamentary Labour party meeting later - which is likely to be fractious.
The Jewish Labour Movement has written to members of the shadow cabinet ahead of the meeting, urging them to show real leadership on the issue.
Theresa May has given up on her hopes of securing a multi-billion pound boost to education spending as part of her legacy as prime minister.
Teachers were today awarded a pay rise of 2.75 per cent - the equivalent of £1,000 a year for the average classroom teacher - as part of an inflation-busting package of increases for almost a million public sector workers confirmed by the Treasury.
More here:
Sir Alan Duncan has used his resignation letter to take a veiled swipe at Boris Johnson over his handling of the case involving the imprisonment of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe in Iran.
Ahead of the anticipated arrival of Mr Johnson in Downing Street on Wednesday, Sir Alan, a vocal critic of the ex-foreign secretary, announced his imminent departure from government.
Refusing to serve under an administration led by his former boss at the Foreign Office, the minister added that Theresa May "deserved better" and claimed her self-esteem will "far exceed" that of her critics.
A senior Tory source said the Conservative whip had been suspended from Charlie Elphicke. The Dover MP is facing charges of sexual assault against two women.
More than 750 people may have missed out on their right to vote because of pilot schemes requiring them to prove their identity.
Pilot schemes in 10 council areas for the local elections in England left "important questions" unanswered, the Electoral Commission said.
Labour claimed the voter ID trials were evidence of a "blatant attempt by the Tories to rig the result of future elections" and called for the programme to be abandoned.
But the government insisted the schemes revealed requiring voters to show ID was a "reasonable and proportionate measure" to tackle electoral fraud.
The 10 trial areas in May's elections were Braintree, Broxtowe, Craven, Derby, Mid-Sussex, North Kesteven, North West Leicestershire, Pendle, Watford and Woking.
In a written statement to MPs, Cabinet Office minister Kevin Foster said the pilots were successful and "the overwhelming majority of people who came to polling stations were able to cast their vote without difficulty".
But Cat Smith, shadow minister for voter engagement, said: "It is now clear that the government's fixation with voter ID is a blatant attempt by the Tories to rig the result of future elections by voter suppression.
"For years Labour warned that restrictive identification requirements will make it harder for people to vote.
"But the Government refused to listen, denying countless citizens a voice in our democratic process.
"We cannot allow the Tories to shut down democracy, which is why we are calling for these undemocratic and unpopular pilot schemes to be abandoned immediately."
A majority of Britons feel politically homeless amid growing dissatisfaction from voters with the established parties, a new poll has revealed.
The exclusive study for The Independent found 53 per cent of the public did not feel represented by any political party, as the Tories prepare for a Boris Johnson premiership and with Labour split over Brexit and antisemitism.
Despite the failure of Change UK to mount a centrist fightback, the new poll by BMG shows there could still be significant gains to be made in the centre ground.
More here:
If Boris Johnson emerges victorious in the Conservative leadership contest next week, expect the traditional flurry of congratulatory phone calls from foreign leaders once he enters Downing Street, writes Indy political correspondent Ashley Cowburn.
This will be the relatively easy bit. Harder will be repairing relations with nations and leaders in a series of overseas visits – especially ones he has insulted (think describing the French as “turds”).
Read his piece here:
Jeremy Hunt is expected to make a statement later on the situation in the Persian Gulf, but the Speaker has granted three urgent questions beforehand.
Sir Alan Duncan apparently resigned so he could try to lodge an emergency vote tomorrow - effectively a vote of no confidence in the new PM.
However the Speaker, John Bercow, refused his application. Sir Alan is said to be astonished that his request was not granted.
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