Jenrick: I want to put Farage out of business

Robert Jenrick said he wants to put Nigel Farage and Reform UK “out of business” if he becomes the next leader of the Conservative Party.

Mr Jenrick said he believes he is the “right candidate” to persuade Reform voters to come back “home” to the Conservatives and that would make Mr Farage “redundant”.

The former immigration minister told Chopper’s Political Podcast on GB News: “How I view Reform is that it is a symptom, not a cause. It exists in its current form because the Conservative Party failed.

“We made promises, we didn’t keep them. What I want to do is to put Nigel Farage out of business, to make him redundant, by bringing home Reform voters to the Conservative Party, to making my party once again the natural home for small ‘c’ conservatives because we would once again be the party of secure borders, controlled immigration, small business, entrepreneurship, storing defences, the family, you name it, the things that drove me into politics.

“I believe we can do that. I think I am the right candidate to do that.”

Mr Jenrick is one of four candidates still in the race to replace Rishi Sunak as Tory leader, along with Kemi Badenoch, James Cleverly and Tom Tugendhat.

You can follow the latest updates below and join the conversation in the comments section. 

03:50 PM BST

That is all for today...

Thank you for joining me for today’s politics live blog.

I will be back on Monday morning.

03:24 PM BST

Zelensky holds talks with Boris Johnson: ‘Ukrainians always remember those who stand by them’

03:06 PM BST

Starmer unpopularity hits three-year high after winter fuel payments cut

Sir Keir Starmer is more unpopular with the public than at any point in the past three years after his winter fuel payments cut, polling has shown.

Forty-six per cent of voters now have an unfavourable view of the Prime Minister – the joint-highest figure during his time as the Labour Party leader.

You can read the full story here. 

02:52 PM BST

Tories criticise No 10 over ‘disgraceful’ failure to assess winter fuel raid impact

The Conservative Party said it was “simply disgraceful” that the Government had not conducted an impact assessment for its raid on winter fuel payments.

Downing Street has confirmed that a full impact assessment of the change had not been carried out (see the post below at 09.07).

02:34 PM BST

‘Impossible’ to water down winter fuel raid on pensioners, says Labour

Labour has claimed it is impossible to water down its winter fuel raid on pensioners by linking the payments to council tax bands.

Emma Reynolds, the pensions minister, said it would “not be possible” to use the bands – which had been floated as a better way of means-testing the payment that would help the poorest get support – because her department did not hold the relevant data.

She also said banding based on property values may not accurately reflect taxpayers’ incomes.

You can read the full story here. 

02:09 PM BST

Pictured: Starmer and Lammy prepare for Biden talks in Washington DC

02:06 PM BST

Poll: Labour lead over Tories falls to four points

Labour’s lead over the Tories now sits at just four points after a sizeable fall since the general election, according to a new More in Common poll.

The survey, conducted between Sept 10-12, put Labour on 29 per cent which was down by six points when compared to the GB general election result.

The Tories were unchanged on 25 per cent.

But the Liberal Democrats, Reform UK and Green Party all recorded an increase in support.

The Lib Dems were up two points to 14 per cent, Reform was up three points to 18 per cent and the Greens were up two points to eight per cent.

01:34 PM BST

Prison population down 2pc in a week

The adult prison population dropped by more than 2,000 in the week the Government freed hundreds of inmates early.

Ministry of Justice figures showed there were 86,333 prisoners behind bars in England and Wales as of today.

That is 2,188 fewer than the 88,521 recorded at the end of last week, when the number of inmates being held hit another new record high amid the jail overcrowding crisis, indicating the population fell by 2 per cent within the seven-day period.

The Government said around 1,750 prisoners were freed early on Tuesday from jails across the two nations, suggesting a further 438 people also left under standard release terms.

01:16 PM BST

Starmer refuses to rule out axing single-person council tax discount

Sir Keir Starmer has refused to rule out scrapping the 25 per cent single-person council tax discount, saying decisions on the public finances had to be looked at “in the round”.

The Prime Minister said he would not be drawn on the future of the tax break for people who live alone ahead of Rachel Reeves’ Budget on Oct 30.

Scrapping the discount could further hit some pensioners living alone who have already suffered the loss of winter fuel payments, but Sir Keir insisted he was not punishing elderly Britons.

He told reporters accompanying him on his trip to Washington DC: “I’m not going to say before the Budget what we’re going to do.”

12:52 PM BST

Tugendhat welcomes endorsement from Sir David Lidington

12:40 PM BST

Jenrick: I want to put Farage and Reform out of business

Robert Jenrick said he wants to put Nigel Farage and Reform UK “out of business” if he becomes the next leader of the Conservative Party.

Mr Jenrick said he believes he is the “right candidate” to persuade Reform voters to come back “home” to the Conservatives and that would make Mr Farage “redundant”.

The former immigration minister told Chopper’s Political Podcast on GB News: “How I view Reform is that it is a symptom, not a cause. It exists in its current form because the Conservative Party failed.

“We made promises, we didn’t keep them. What I want to do is to put Nigel Farage out of business, to make him redundant, by bringing home Reform voters to the Conservative Party, to making my party once again the natural home for small ‘c’ conservatives because we would once again be the party of secure borders, controlled immigration, small business, entrepreneurship, storing defences, the family, you name it, the things that drove me into politics.

“I believe we can do that. I think I am the right candidate to do that.”

12:19 PM BST

Jenrick: Tory members being treated with ‘disdain’ over conference speech plan

Offering leadership candidates just 20 minutes to speak at Conservative Party conference is the latest example of Tory members being treated with “disdain”, Robert Jenrick has suggested.

Mr Jenrick said the existing proposal from the party’s HQ was for each of the candidates to make a speech lasting no longer than 20 minutes.

But he said they should be given more time to allow them to make a “proper” address and to set out their stall.

He told GB News: “Frankly, for too long members of our party have been disrespected by the central party.

“I think they are taken for granted and sometimes treated with a degree of disdain and the latest example of that is this suggestion that we the candidates for leadership of the party should only make 10 minute or 20 minute speeches.

“The members deserve the candidates to make proper speeches. We are applying for the most important job, to be leader of the party, leader of the opposition, and if you have the honour of that job you have to be able to perform consistently, day in, day out, in good times and bad.”

12:02 PM BST

Starmer’s winter fuel raid is ‘shameful’, says Jenrick

Scrapping winter fuel payments for 10 million pensioners is “shameful”, Robert Jenrick said as he promised to reverse the move if he ever becomes prime minister.

Asked if he would make the payments universal again, Mr Jenrick said: “I would do. Just to emphasise that point, I think it is shameful what Keir Starmer is doing.

“He is making a choice and the choices you make in office tell you a lot about individuals and their politics.”

11:43 AM BST

Tories cannot keep ‘making and breaking promises’, warns Jenrick

The Conservative Party cannot continue “making and breaking promises” if it wants to win back disillusioned voters, Robert Jenrick said.

Mr Jenrick, one of four candidates left in the race to replace Rishi Sunak as Tory leader, said a failure to deliver on promises was “why we lost”.

Mr Jenrick resigned from his role as immigration minister in December 2023 because he believed the Rwanda plan was flawed and did not go far enough.

Asked about his resignation, Mr Jenrick told GB News: “I believe politics is a team effort. I had loyally defended prime minister after prime minister and had served in their governments.

“But I did feel that it was not in the national interest for me to go out as the minister responsible for immigration and to say things I didn’t believe were true, to perpetuate the cycle of broken promises.

“I didn’t want to be just another minister who made and broke promises on immigration and today I don’t want the Conservative Party to keep on making and breaking promises because that is why we lost.”

11:29 AM BST

Jenrick: I would lift the ban on new grammar schools

Robert Jenrick said he would lift the ban on opening new grammar schools if he becomes Tory leader and wins the next general election.

New grammar schools were banned under the last Labour government but existing grammar schools are allowed to expand.

Lifting the ban has been a rumbling issue in conservative politics ever since.

Asked if he would scrap Labour’s ban on new grammar schools, Mr Jenrick told Chopper’s Political Podcast: “Yes. My constituents enjoy grammar schools in Lincolnshire. I am a strong supporter of grammar schools.”

Mr Jenrick also said he would reverse Labour’s decision to impose VAT on private school fees.

11:13 AM BST

Jenrick: ‘Long road’ ahead in leadership race

Robert Jenrick said there is a “long road” still to travel in the Tory leadership contest as he resisted the idea that he already had victory in the bag.

Mr Jenrick finished in the top spot in the first two rounds of voting by Tory MPs. He secured the support of 33 MPs in the second round, five ahead of Kemi Badenoch on 28.

Asked if he had already won the contest, Mr Jenrick told Chopper’s Political Podcast, published by GB News: “It is a long road, as you know, but I am absolutely delighted to have won so much support from parliamentary colleagues across the party, all wings of the parliamentary Conservative Party.

“And I think the message is resonating with MPs and above all with the members and the general public that the Conservative Party needs to change.”

10:55 AM BST

Sir David Lidington backs Tom Tugendhat in Tory leadership race

A senior figure from Theresa May’s government has endorsed Tom Tugendhat in the Tory leadership race.

Sir David Lidington, who served as Mrs May’s de facto deputy prime minister and stepped down from the House of Commons in 2019, said he believed Mr Tugendhat “has what it takes” to take the Conservative Party back into power.

10:45 AM BST

Russian spying claims ‘completely baseless’, says Foreign Office

Russia’s spying accusations against six British diplomats in Moscow (see the post below at 09.46) are “completely baseless”, the Foreign Office has said.

A Foreign Office spokesperson said: “The accusations made today by the FSB against our staff are completely baseless.

“The Russian authorities revoked the diplomatic accreditation of six UK diplomats in Russia last month, following action taken by the UK government in response to Russian state-directed activity across Europe and in the UK.

“We are unapologetic about protecting our national interests.”

10:42 AM BST

Osborne: Labour guns not ‘trained in the right direction’ with economic attacks

Labour’s economic attacks on the Tories are not resonating with voters and the Government’s guns are not “ trained in the right direction”, according to George Osborne.

The former Tory chancellor said it was “not really credible that you’ve elected a Labour Government to make cuts” and as a result Labour’s economic messaging was misfiring.

He told his Political Currency podcast: “I think people broadly accept that public finances were incredibly tight, that some decisions were put off by the last Conservative government. But I don’t think [Rachel Reeves] has really established that was the central thing that the Conservatives got wrong.”

He continued: “Her solution, which is, ‘because we’ve inherited a black hole, we’re going to have to cut things, and we’re going to have to cut things like the winter fuel payment’ suggests that the Tories didn’t take tough decisions on public expenditure cuts.

“I just don’t think that really resonates yet and it’s not really credible that you’ve elected a Labour Government to make cuts. Which is why, on the economic front, I don’t think the guns are trained in the right direction from Labour’s point of view.

“As a political practitioner I am all for trying to frame your inheritance in a way that works best to your advantage. But I don’t think they’ve quite got the economic argument right, and that’s why this winter fuel payment is proving so difficult for them.”

10:29 AM BST

NHS needs ‘big injection of resources’, says Ed Balls

The NHS needs a “big injection of resources” immediately if Labour is to improve the performance of the health service, according to Ed Balls.

The former Labour shadow chancellor said there will not be a “marked improvement” unless there is a “substantially bigger increase in health resources”.

His comments appear to run counter to Sir Keir Starmer’s message yesterday that working people “can’t afford to pay more” so the NHS must “reform or die”.

Mr Balls told his Political Currency podcast: “The reforms are important, but the thing which will make the biggest difference, if you get the right reforms with value for money, is a big injection of resources.

“If Labour wants to have delivered change by the next election, that injection of resources has to happen now.”

He added: “There is no way on earth there will be a marked improvement in health outcomes or perception of the health service without a substantially bigger increase in health resources over this Parliament than we’ve seen on average in the last 15 years.”

His fellow podcast host George Osborne, the former Tory chancellor, replied: “I don’t think there’s going to be the influx of money into the NHS that you are talking about, because I’m not sure where it comes from.”

10:08 AM BST

Osborne: Starmer summoned his ‘inner Tony Blair’ with NHS ‘reform or die’ warning

Sir Keir Starmer summoned his “inner Tony Blair” when he said he would prioritise reform over more funding for the NHS, according to George Osborne.

Sir Keir said yesterday that there would be no new money for the NHS unless it agreed to change the way it works and Mr Osborne said that was “quite a thing” for a Labour premier to say.

The former Tory chancellor told his Political Currency podcast: “What Keir Starmer is saying is his solution is not more money. That is quite a thing for a new Labour prime minister to say.

“He says the NHS has reached a fork in the road, and we can either increase taxes on working people to pay for more of the healthcare required by an ageing society, or we can reform – and then he says it’s a case of ‘reform or die.’

“It felt to me that that’s the first time I’ve heard Starmer summon up his inner Tony Blair. He’s now talking about radical healthcare reform… that’s quite a different message than you have had from the Labour Party in recent years, which is ‘there’s not enough money going into the NHS’.”

09:46 AM BST

Russia expels six British diplomats for ‘spying and sabotage’

Russia said today it had revoked the accreditation of six British diplomats in Moscow whose actions it claimed showed signs of “spying and sabotage”, according to the Russian FSB security service.

The FSB, the main successor agency to the Soviet KGB, said it had documents showing that a British Foreign Office department in London was coordinating what it called “the escalation of the political and military situation” and was tasked with ensuring Russia’s strategic defeat in its war against Ukraine.

“The facts revealed give grounds to consider the activities of British diplomats sent to Moscow by the directorate as threatening the security of the Russian Federation,” the FSB said in a statement.

You can follow the latest updates on this story on our dedicated Russia/Ukraine live blog here. 

09:32 AM BST

Lib Dems blast Labour over failure to assess winter fuel raid impact

The Liberal Democrats said it was “absolutely unthinkable” that the Government had not carried out an impact assessment on its decision to scrap winter fuel payments for 10 million pensioners.

Downing Street has confirmed that a full impact assessment on the change has not been carried out.

Wendy Chamberlain, the Lib Dems’ work and pensions spokesperson, said: “It is absolutely unthinkable that this new Government would push through a cut to winter fuel payments without an impact assessment.

“We know this will have massive knock-on effects for pensioners and potentially our NHS this winter as people are forced to choose between heating and eating.

“It’s not too late for ministers to change course. Liberal Democrats are calling on the Government to tax the big banks rather than punish pensioners to make up for the years of Conservative Party failure.”

09:07 AM BST

Starmer confirms no impact assessment carried out on winter fuel raid

Sir Keir Starmer said “there isn’t a report on my desk” showing the impact of his Government’s decision to strip winter fuel payments from millions of pensioners.

Downing Street confirmed that a full impact assessment of the change had not been carried out.

The Prime Minister and Rachel Reeves, the Chancellor, decided to means-test the payments, worth up to £300, to help fill a £22 billion “black hole” in the public finances.

From this winter, only people on pension credit or certain other benefits will receive the payments in England and Wales.

The Government has been under pressure from the Tories to publish an impact assessment of the plan.

Pressed on whether an impact assessment would be published, Sir Keir told reporters travelling with him to Washington DC: “There isn’t a report on my desk which somehow we’re not showing, that I’m not showing, as simple as that.”

08:51 AM BST

Putin has ‘continually made threats’, says minister amid escalation warning

Vladimir Putin has “continually made threats” of escalation during his invasion of Ukraine, Peter Kyle said.

The Russian president has warned that Nato and Russia would be at war if Kyiv was allowed to use longer-range weapons.

Asked how worried he was by the threat, Mr Kyle, the Science Secretary, told Sky News: “Well, president Putin has continually made threats but the bottom line has never changed in this.

“If this war could end quickly, it could do so because of president Putin who could decide to end this war straight away.

“He started the war, he did so in an illegal way, he did so in an unprovoked way. He could end the war by just turning off the aggression that he has shown consistently since the very beginning and return this continent to peace.”

08:43 AM BST

Starmer and Biden will discuss Ukrainian Storm Shadow demands, says minister

Sir Keir Starmer and Joe Biden will discuss whether to grant Ukraine approval to use Storm Shadow missiles to hit targets inside Russia when they meet in Washington DC today, a Cabinet minister has confirmed.

Peter Kyle, the Science Secretary, was asked during an interview on Sky News if it was likely from the meeting that Ukraine would be given approval for the use of long range missiles into Russia.

Mr Kyle replied: “That is clearly going to be one of the items that they are going to discuss. I think they want to discuss Ukraine in the round.

“I think they want to understand where the conflict has got to, they want to try and understand the behaviour of president Putin, he is increasingly erratic, his volatility is causing huge instability not just in Ukraine and the immediate region but around the world as well.”

08:41 AM BST

GPs will strike if Wes Streeting ‘doesn’t listen to us’, says union

GPs will strike if Wes Streeting does not “listen to us”, a senior union figure has warned.

Dr Katie Bramall-Stainer, the chair of the BMA’s GP committee, warned there could be further industrial action to come if the Government does not take “rapid action” to improve the situation for family doctors.

Surgeries across the country are embarking on “work-to-rule” measures designed to bring the NHS to “a standstill”, with doctors having been told they can “pick and choose” from measures designed to wreak chaos across the health service.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme this morning, Ms Bramall-Stainer insisted this action did not amount to “striking”, but warned GPs could take that step if they don’t see results from the Government.

Asked if the union could go further, she said: “If the Government don’t listen to us… if we don’t see rapid action quickly enough, my worry is that the employed GPs or other employed members of staff, such as practice nurses, may decide to undertake a ballot to undertake industrial action and potentially even strike.”

08:19 AM BST

Ed Miliband hails ‘milestone’ energy system deal

The Government is to bring National Grid’s Electricity System Operator arm into public ownership after striking a deal worth £630 million.

The move is part of the launch of the new National Energy System Operator (NESO) – a public body designed to aid the UK’s clean energy transition and support energy security.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero said the new body will launch on October 1 following the deal with National Grid.

National Grid said the “final cash consideration” for the sale is still subject to potential adjustments before the deal closes.

Ed Miliband, the Energy Security and Net Zero Secretary, said: “Today marks a milestone for Britain’s energy system as we bring the system operator into public ownership to provide impartial, whole-system expertise on building a network that is fit for the future.

“The new National Energy System Operator has a huge role to play in delivering our mission to make Britain a clean energy superpower. This is another step forward by a Government in a hurry to deliver for the British people.”

08:04 AM BST

Conservatives need to tackle perception they are ‘angry’ or ‘negative’, says Cleverly

James Cleverly said he wanted to break the perception that being a conservative means you are “angry” or “grumpy”.

The Tory leadership contender said conservatives needed to change the way they are perceived in order to win over new voters.

He told the BBC Radio 4 Political Thinking podcast: “I want to break this artificial perception that being conservative means you are angry or negative or moany or grumpy.

“Because it just turns people off. It is running contrary to the mood of a lot of people that we need to win over, particularly younger voters.”

07:46 AM BST

Cleverly: I have outperformed Tory leadership rivals ‘by a country mile’

James Cleverly claimed he had “outperformed” all of his Tory leadership rivals “by a country mile” during his time in Westminster.

Mr Cleverly suggested that his three challengers for the top job - Kemi Badenoch, Robert Jenrick and Tom Tugendhat - could not match his political CV in terms of experience and achievements.

The former home secretary and former foreign secretary told the BBC Radio 4 Political Thinking podcast: “I have outperformed everyone else on this leadership ticket… not just the jobs I have held but what I have achieved in those jobs.

“I’ve outperformed all the other runners and riders by a country mile. I have outperformed almost everyone else in my parliamentary intake.

“If you Tipp-Exed the words ‘James Cleverly’ off my political CV and slid it across the desk, you’d look at it and go, ‘bloody hell’.”

07:37 AM BST

Cleverly: ‘I’ve been underestimated’

James Cleverly said he believed he had been “underestimated” throughout his political career because he does not parade his accomplishments “like peacock feathers” like some of his colleagues.

The Tory leadership contender told the BBC Radio 4’s Political Thinking podcast that he had survived in high profile roles under successive Tory leaders because he is “really good”.

He said: “I think the reason I survived is I am really good at my job. And I’ve spent a lot of my career being a little bit diffident.

“I’m surrounded in my work by people that parade their accomplishments like peacock feathers. And that’s not a criticism, it’s just an observation.

“I’ve perhaps through my career been a little bit less like that. And I’m therefore conscious that sometimes I think I’ve been underestimated.

“I’ve had career advice about how I should and shouldn’t do things about my leadership campaign… from people that have never run a department, never held any of the great offices of state and never won a general election.”

07:28 AM BST

Lammy: UK missiles are vital to stop Putin

Britain and America must give Ukraine the weapons it needs “to win” against Russia before a pivotal winter of fighting, the Foreign Secretary has said.

Ahead of Washington talks on long-range missile use, David Lammy told The Telegraph the coming months were “crucial” in helping Kyiv get in a winning position.

Talks between Sir Keir Starmer and Joe Biden, the US President, at the White House on Friday are expected to include discussions on whether to let Ukraine fire Storm Shadow missiles into Russia.

It came as Vladimir Putin warned that Nato and Russia would be at war if Kyiv was allowed to use longer-range weapons.

You can read the full story here.

07:25 AM BST

Farage: Labour doesn’t have ‘the guts’ for major NHS reform

Labour doesn’t have “the guts” for a major overhaul of the NHS, Nigel Farage claimed after Sir Keir Starmer said the health service had to “reform or die”.

Mr Farage told GB News: “But I wonder, just how radical is the Labour Party going to be? Now Wes Streeting the Health Secretary wrote a piece in The Times last year that I found really very, very encouraging.

“But will his boss really let him put in place the reforms that are needed? Well, I don’t think so. And here’s why, here’s Starmer from again this morning: ‘So the problem isn’t that the NHS is the wrong model. It’s the right model. It’s just not taking advantage of the opportunities in front of it, and that’s what we need to change.’

“Well, I don’t agree with that. I think the model is wrong. I think the funding model is wrong. The principle of healthcare being free at the point of delivery, that’s all anybody cares about. I don’t think the Labour Party actually has got the guts to do it.”

Sir Keir delivered his warning yesterday after an independent report by Lord Darzi painted a grim picture of the state of the NHS.