UK politics live: Boris Johnson tries to defend £350m bus as he is quizzed over Brexit ‘betrayal’

Former Brexit minister Steve Baker has thrown his support behind Kemi Badenoch in the final round of the Conservative leadership contest against Robert Jenrick.

Speaking to GB News, Mr Baker, who lost his seat in the general election, praised Ms Badenoch’s “authenticity” and commitment to conservative values.

He said: “I shall vote for Kemi and with a good heart too, because she’s authentic and she’s got a ferocious passion for what she believes.”

He also criticised his own party for “lacking an intellectual keel” in recent years, suggesting the Conservatives had lost its ideological direction by following the public opinion rather than shaping it.

“Kemi truly believes in conservative ideas, and she argues for them with great passion. And it’s that authenticity which for me tells me it should be Kemi,” he added.

Boris Johnson has hinted he may return to the political spotlight, describing the relentless nature of effective politicians as having a “cockroach-like” survival instinct.

In an interview with Times Radio, the former prime minister left open the door to a future role in public life, suggesting that his time in politics might not be over.

When asked if he saw a potential comeback, the former prime minister referenced the late Queen’s advice, claiming: “You should only do things you think can be useful.”

Pressed further on whether he still considered himself useful, Mr Johnson carefully avoided ruling anything out, adding: “I’m not saying that.”

He went on: “For politicians to be effective, they must be like wasps in a jam jar. They’ve got to want continually, cockroach-like to survive and to continue.

“That’s not necessarily a despicable thing from the point of view of the electorate because we all need people who really, really want to do their best for us.”

The cost pf policing Taylor Swift’s concerts in London saw a significant increase over the summer, largely due to heightened security concerns following a failed terror plot in Europe.

Reports suggest that senior political figures, including home secretary Yvette Cooper, pushed for enhanced measures. She attended one of the August concerts without charge, further drawing attention to the scale of state resources allocated, Sky News reports.

The June concerts required 332 police officers and cost £206,557. Organisers reimbursed £79,140.08.

After the terror threat emerged, August’s security costs surged to nearly £500,000, involving 881 police officers. The organisers reimbursed £172,157.52.

Overall, £704,948.05 was spent on security for the popstar’s concerts, with organisers covering £251,297.60 of that sum. Across the two concert dates, a total of 1,143 officers were deployed.

Conservative MPs stunned Westminster by pivoting to the right and ditching centrist candidate James Cleverly in the race to succeed Rishi Sunak.

In a shock result, the former home secretary was knocked out of the contest on Wednesday afternoon, leaving Robert Jenrick and Kemi Badenoch – both candidates favoured by the right of the party – to face a vote of the membership.

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Welcome back to the politics live blog.

It’s a busy day in Westminster, with a mix of international diplomacy, domestic fiscal challenges and political manoeuvring at play.

• First on the agenda, Sir Keir Starmer is set to meet Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky at Downing Street, who is in a European tour to rally more support for Ukraine’s fight against Russia.

• The prime minister will also meet Nato’s new general secretary Mark Rutte.

• Meanwhile, the economic outlook is looking tense. A report from the Institute of Fiscal Studies warned that £25 billion in tax rises may be necessary to sustain the government’s spending plans.

• With the budget looming on 30 October, chancellor Rachel Reeves faces a tricky task of balancing fiscal responsibility with public reluctance towards tax hikes or spending cuts.

• In the Tory leadership contest, James Cleverly’s surprising exit has shocked many. A ‘failed’ tactical voting effort left Robert Jenrick and Kemi Badenoch as the last contenders.

• Elsewhere, home secretary Yvette Cooper is facing scrutiny after pushing for enhanced security for Taylor Swift before attending one of her concerts.

Volodymyr Zelensky will visit Downing Street on Thursday as he tours European nations seeking support for Ukraine’s resistance against Russia.

The Ukrainian president will meet Sir Keir Starmer and Nato secretary-general Mark Rutte, with the Prime Minister expected to underline the UK’s commitment to the defence of Ukraine.

The visit will be Mr Zelensky’s second trip to Number 10 since Sir Keir came to power after he addressed an extraordinary meeting of the Cabinet in July.

In an exchange in a BBC Radio interview less than two hours after Ms Badenoch and Mr Jenrick, South Holland and The Deeping MP Sir John said: “Robert has a much broader experience of government than Kemi. He is appealing and can unite the party. We don’t need an irascible leadership. We want a leadership that is emollient but principled.”

When Droitwich and Evesham MP Mr Huddleston was asked to respond to the suggestion that Ms Badenoch is “irascible”, he said: “Kemi can connect with lots of people. Her message is very different from the others. She starts from first principles and values that will unite all Conservatives. Other candidates have gone out there with very deep dive specific policies.”

The Tory civil war has erupted again after MPs decided to make the leadership final the most right-wing in the party’s history.

Less than two hours after hard-right candidates Kemi Badenoch and Robert Jenrick made it to the last round of the Tory leadership contest, the camps started attacking each other.

Jenrick cheerleader Tory MP Sir John Hayes took a sideswipe at Ms Badenoch, saying the Conservatives do not want an “irascible leadership” – a thinly veiled reference to claims that she is “abrasive” at times.

The Government will today announce details of new rights for workers, including plans to ban exploitative zero-hours contracts and “unscrupulous” fire and rehire practices which it said will benefit millions of workers.

Ministers described the Employment Rights Bill as the biggest boost to pay and productivity in the workplace in a generation.

Unions warmly welcomed the measures as a “seismic shift” from the low pay, low productivity economy they accused the previous Conservative government of presiding over.

There are 28 separate changes in the Bill, with most of them not expected to be implemented before the autumn of 2026.

Some measures, such as the right to “switch off” at the end of a working day, are not in the Bill but will be included in a so-called Next Steps document for further consideration and consultation.

Under the Bill, the existing two-year qualifying period for protections from unfair dismissal will be removed and workers will have the right from the first day in a job.

Ministers say this will benefit nine million workers who have been with their employer for less than two years.

Rachel Reeves may need to raise up to £25 billion from tax increases if she wants to keep spending rising with national income, the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) estimates.

Even if the Chancellor changes the debt rule she inherited from the Tories, this would do “almost nothing” to ease the challenge on public service funding, the IFS said as it released its Green Budget report.

Because of her promise to meet day-to-day spending out of revenues, Ms Reeves would still need to turn to tax rises to avoid spending cuts and meet her pledge to borrow only to invest.

IFS director Paul Johnson said Ms Reeves’ first Budget, which she will deliver on October 30, could be “the most consequential since at least 2010”.

The report, funded by the Nuffield Foundation and using economic forecasting by Citi, analysed the challenges facing the Chancellor.

In a scenario modelled by Citi, the report concluded that if there are no cuts to spending outside of public services, Ms Reeves would need a tax rise of £16 billion to remain on course to balance the budget in 2028-29.

This would be on top of the £9 billion tax rise from measures set out in Labour’s manifesto – adding up to almost £25 billion in total.