Liz Truss has been embroiled in fresh controversy after a leaked email left her facing questions about why she did not declare thousands of pounds spent to woo Tory MPs ahead of her bid to succeed Boris Johnson. About a dozen Conservative MPs attended a champagne dinner called ‘Fizz with Liz’ hosted by the Foreign Secretary at Mayfair’s 5 Hertford St members’ club last year. The event was paid for by the club’s owner, multi-millionaire aristocrat Robin Birley. When The Independent asked why Ms Truss had not declared the function – worth around £3,000 – on the Commons register, where MPs are required to disclose hospitality worth more than £300, her spokesman denied she had organized it. He had “nothing to do with her,” they said. Ms Truss was just one of the Tory MP’s guests invited by “host and host” Mr Birley, the spokesman said. However, this account is disputed by other MPs present who told the Independent she was the hostess and not Mr Birley, who “popped in briefly to say hello”.
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Sunak and Truss clash over tax plans ahead of debate
Rishi Sunak has launched a fresh attack on Liz Truss’ plans for tax cuts ahead of the pair’s next debate in their bid to become prime minister. The former chancellor said his rival for foreign secretary in the Tory leadership race would further raise interest rates, pushing up mortgage payments, with her plans. His warning came as the Bank of England was forecast to raise interest rates to their highest level in nearly three decades on Thursday, from 1.25 percent to 1.75 percent. A Bank of England announcement is scheduled for midday, with experts warning that inflation could peak at 15%, adding to an already painful cost of living crisis with spiraling prices. Read the details in this report:
Sunak and Truss clash over tax plans ahead of debate
Their last meeting will be on Sky News. Namita Singh August 4, 2022 6:00 am 1659588287
Truss campaign bounces back after embarrassing reverse
Liz Truss has bounced back from an embarrassing U-turn to revive her Tory leadership campaign with grassroots support and a raft of polls showing her well ahead of her rival. A new survey by influential website ConservativeHome has put the Foreign Secretary 32 points ahead of Rishi Sunak in the race for Downing Street. Crucially, it came on Tuesday and Wednesday as Mrs Truss was forced to abandon plans to cut public sector pay outside London in the face of a revolt by Tory MPs. The result is similar to a YouGov poll of party members, which found a 34-point gap in favor of Ms Truss. Read the details in this joint report by Kate Devlin and Ashley Cowburn:
Truss campaign bounces back after embarrassing reversal
The Foreign Secretary secured the support of former chancellor Sajid Javid Namita Singh4 August 2022 05:44 1659586543
What is driving the Tory leadership candidates’ political games?
Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak are involved in a pre-poll policy arms race that is hitting the Tory MPs’ mats, writes Ashley Cowburn.
What is driving Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak’s politics?
The two candidates are engaged in a pre-poll policy arms race that is hitting the mats of Tory MPs, writes Ashley Cowburn Namita Singh August 4, 2022 5:15 am 1659586018
Sunak hints at lowering inheritance tax if elected prime minister
Rishi Sunak has hinted he could cut inheritance tax as he tries to revive his faltering Tory leadership campaign. The former chancellor was asked at appeals in Cardiff whether he would scrap the levy, which is a blow to many Conservative party members. He rejected that idea, but suggested he might tone it down in the future if he became prime minister, suggesting the move would be consistent with his political outlook. He told the audience: “I have drawn up a plan to keep income tax down over time because I want to reward hard work. But very much, as you heard from my previous remarks, I am someone who believes in supporting ambition. “I think that’s a conservative value that many of us in this room will hold dear, and inheritance tax is one way of doing that. Read more about it from Whitehall editor Kate Devlin:
Rishi Sunak hints he could cut inheritance tax as prime minister
Polls show the former chancellor is trailing his rival Liz Truss Namita Singh August 4, 2022 5:06 am 1659585310
Foreign Secretary embroiled in controversy over ‘Fizz with Liz’
Liz Truss is embroiled in fresh controversy after being investigated over a leaked email over the failure to declare thousands of pounds spent on hosting Tory MPs ahead of her bid to succeed Boris Johnson. About a dozen Conservative MPs attended a champagne dinner called ‘Fizz with Liz’ hosted by the Foreign Secretary at Mayfair’s 5 Hertford St members’ club last year. While the event was paid for by the club’s owner, multi-millionaire aristocrat Robin Birley, Ms Truss’s spokesman denied she organized the event. They said he was “nothing to do with her” and was just one of the people invited by the “organiser and host” Mr Birley. However, this account is disputed by other MPs present who told the Independent she was the hostess and not Mr Birley, who “popped in briefly to say hello”. Read more in this exclusive from my colleague Simon Walters:
Truss faces new questions at the ‘Fizz with Liz’ champagne dinner.
Exclusive: MPs must declare any gifts, benefits or hospitality worth more than £300 Namita Singh August 4, 2022 4:55 am 1659582968
Welcome to The Independent’s UK political blog for 4 August 2022, where we provide the latest on the Tory leadership race. Namita Singh4 August 2022 04:16
title: “Liz Truss Vs Rishi Sunak News Foreign Secretary Faces Fresh Questions Over Fizz With Liz Champagne Dinner " ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-07” author: “Tonya Reed”
Liz Truss has been embroiled in fresh controversy after a leaked email left her facing questions about why she did not declare thousands of pounds spent to woo Tory MPs ahead of her bid to succeed Boris Johnson. About a dozen Conservative MPs attended a champagne dinner called ‘Fizz with Liz’ hosted by the Foreign Secretary at Mayfair’s 5 Hertford St members’ club last year. The event was paid for by the club’s owner, multi-millionaire aristocrat Robin Birley. When The Independent asked why Ms Truss had not declared the function – worth around £3,000 – on the Commons register, where MPs are required to disclose hospitality worth more than £300, her spokesman denied she had organized it. He had “nothing to do with her,” they said. Ms Truss was just one of the Tory MP’s guests invited by “host and host” Mr Birley, the spokesman said. However, this account is disputed by other MPs present who told the Independent she was the hostess and not Mr Birley, who “popped in briefly to say hello”.
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Tory members doubt a major election victory under Sunak, poll shows
Under a fifth of Tory MPs believe the most likely outcome at the next general election is a Commons majority if Rishi Sunak succeeds Boris Johnson in No 10, according to a new poll. Two-and-a-half years after the outgoing prime minister won the biggest Tory majority since Margaret Thatcher, YouGov research found the Tory faithful were doubtful of a major electoral success. The evidence for Mr Sunak – the former chancellor – is starker, with just 19% of respondents suggesting the “most likely” outcome after the next election would be a Conservative majority in the Commons. 33 per cent thought the most likely scenario was a hung parliament with a Tory-led government, while 23 opted for a Labour-led government and 14 per cent for a Labor majority – the first in over a decade . Our political correspondent Ashley Cowburn reports:
Under a fifth of Tory members say the “most likely” scenario is a Tory majority under Sunak
Almost 40% of Tory MPs think scenario is ‘more likely’ for Liz Truss Namita Singh August 4, 2022 7:05 am 1659592501
Javid accuses Sunak of sleepwalking into high-tax economy as he backs Truss
Former chancellor Sajid Javid endorsed Liz Truss as she warned Rishi Sunak’s economic plans would send Britain “sleepwalking into a high-tax, low-growth economy”. Mr Javid and Mr Sunak resigned within an hour of each other last month, triggering a series of resignations that ultimately led to the end of Boris Johnson’s prime ministership. But writing in the Times, Mr Javid criticized his friend’s attitude as he backs his rival to win the keys to Downing Street. Mr Sunak argued that the tax cuts could come after massive inflation was brought under control.
Javid accuses Sunak of sleepwalking into high-tax economy as he backs Truss
Ex-Chancellor Warns ‘Tax Cuts Now Necessary’ Namita Singh August 4, 2022 6:55 am 1659591901
‘Dilapidated’ social care sector needs more money before year ends – MPs
England’s “broken” adult social care sector urgently needs more money from the Government before the end of the year, MPs have warned. A cash injection and a long-term plan are needed to help the sector meet immediate cost pressures and become sustainable in the coming years, the Upgrading, Housing and Communities Commission (LUHC) said. The cross-party committee said the pressures of the coronavirus pandemic have exacerbated the underlying challenges of rising demand, unmet needs and difficulties in recruiting and retaining staff. Rising inflation and increases in the National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage are also adding pressure. The commission, which carried out an inquiry into the long-term funding of adult social care, said “the message was clear” that adult social care “does not have enough funding either now or in the long term”.
‘Dilapidated’ social care sector needs more money before the year is out – MPs
A cash injection and a long-term plan are needed to help the industry deal with immediate cost pressures and become sustainable, the LUHC committee said. Namita Singh August 4, 2022 6:45 am 1659591301
UK ‘not on course’ to become science and technology superpower, peers warn
Ministers are set to break their promise to turn the UK into a “science and technology superpower” by 2030, according to a cross-party group of peers, which described the government’s science policy as “inconsistent and unclear”. The House of Lords science and technology committee said the pledge risked becoming “an empty slogan” without a “laser focus on implementation”. Peers also expressed concern over the government’s failure to appoint a new science minister after George Freeman resigned and the post was vacated on July 7. A replacement is not expected to be appointed until the Conservative Party elects a new prime minister. They called on Boris Johnson’s successor, expected to be announced early next month, to prioritize the appointment of a science, research and innovation minister to a cabinet post. Senior News Correspondent Samuel Lovett reports:
Government ‘not on track’ to turn UK into ‘science superpower’ by 2030
Baroness Brown of Cambridge says the government’s ‘science policy is far from perfect’ Namita Singh August 4, 2022 6:35 am 1659590701
MPs call for reform of laws that give cohabiting couples ‘less protection’
“Urgent” reforms are needed to current laws that leave cohabiting couples receiving “less protection” despite shifting social norms, a cross-party group of MPs has suggested. The Commons Women and Equalities Committee warned that many people believe in the “so-called myth of common law marriage”, often leaving women vulnerable to a “lack of legal protection in the event of family breakdown” or the death of a partner. The MPs’ report, entitled The Rights Of Cohabiting Partners, noted that cohabitation “is the fastest growing type of family” in England and Wales, adding: “In 2021 there were around 3.6 million cohabiting couples in the UK compared to with 1.5 million in 1996.” He added: “While married couples and civil partners in England and Wales have certain legal rights and responsibilities after divorce or death, cohabitants receive lesser protection. Despite the legal reality, many people believe in the so-called “myth of common law marriage,” which is the mistaken belief that, after a certain period of cohabitation, the law treats cohabitants as if they were married. In the event of family dissolution, cohabitants must rely on complex property law and trust principles. Commons Women and Equalities Committee Namita Singh August 4, 2022 6:25 am 1659590679
UK ‘not on course’ to become science and technology superpower, peers warn
Ministers are set to break their promise to turn the UK into a “science and technology superpower” by 2030, according to a cross-party group of peers, which described the government’s science policy as “inconsistent and unclear”. The House of Lords science and technology committee said the pledge risked becoming “an empty slogan” without a “laser focus on implementation”. Peers also expressed concern over the government’s failure to appoint a new science minister after George Freeman resigned and the post was vacated on July 7. A replacement is not expected to be appointed until the Conservative Party elects a new prime minister. They called on Boris Johnson’s successor, expected to be announced early next month, to prioritize the appointment of a science, research and innovation minister to a cabinet post. Senior News Correspondent Samuel Lovett reports:
Government ‘not on track’ to turn UK into ‘science superpower’ by 2030
Baroness Brown of Cambridge says the government’s ‘science policy is far from perfect’ Namita Singh4 August 2022 06:24 1659590101
“Refugees minister appeals to councils to help Afghan refugees”
Refugee Secretary Lord Harrington has appealed to councils to help house the 10,500 Afghans currently staying in hotels across the UK, according to a letter seen by the BBC. Marwa Koofi, 21, fled Kabul, Afghanistan when the city fell to the Taliban in August last year and has lived in two hotels for the past 12 months. He said the year felt “wasted” and he was recently separated from family members after three of them were moved from a hotel in Shelby, North Yorkshire, to one near Crawley, West Sussex. “I stayed in a hotel for 11 months, I don’t want to stay in a hotel for another 11 months,” Ms Koofi, who is to study International Relations at King’s College London in September, told the PA news agency. “I lost a year because my hotel (in Selby) was in a location where I couldn’t do anything. “When I look back on the year, I see it as a void – it’s nothing, I’ve done nothing.”
Our lives have stopped, says an Afghan displaced after 11 months in a UK hotel
Marwa Koofi, 21, said she felt the last year she spent in a hotel in Selby, North Yorkshire, was “wasted”. Namita Singh August 4, 2022 6:15 am 1659589201
Sunak and Truss clash over tax plans ahead of debate
Rishi Sunak has launched a fresh attack on Liz Truss’ plans for tax cuts ahead of the pair’s next debate in their bid to become prime minister. The former chancellor said his rival for foreign secretary in the Tory leadership race would further raise interest rates, pushing up mortgage payments, with her plans. His warning came as the Bank of England was forecast to raise interest rates to their highest level in nearly three decades on Thursday, from 1.25 percent to 1.75 percent. A Bank of England announcement is scheduled for…
