Robert Jenrick on top in first round of Tory leadership race as Priti Patel eliminated

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Robert Jenrick has emerged as the front-runner in the Conservative Party leadership race after comfortably coming top in the first round of voting.

Dame Priti Patel became the first candidate to be eliminated after gaining the fewest votes from fellow Tory MPs, leaving five still in the race.

Mr Jenrick, the former immigration minister, won the backing of 28 Tory MPs, with Kemi Badenoch, the former business secretary, second on 22.

James Cleverly, the former foreign secretary, won 21 votes.

Tom Tugendhat, the shadow security minister, was on 17, just above Mel Stride, the former work and pensions secretary, on 16.

Dame Priti secured the support of just 14 Tory MPs – from a total of 121 – meaning she is out of the race at the first hurdle.

It comes as three first-time Tory MPs, writing for The Telegraph, declare their support for Mr Tugendhat with a call for the party to move on from the “old guard”.

Patrick Spencer, Harriet Cross and Neil Shastri-Hurst – the new MPs for Central Suffolk and North Ipswich, Gordon and Buchan, and Solihull West and Shirley respectively – frame Mr Tugendhat, 51, as a “fresh face” who can lead the party into the future.

They write: “As three Conservative MPs who won their seats despite Labour’s landslide victory, we know better than anyone that the party has to learn from the mistakes that were made and draw a clear and distinct line under the past.

“That is not to say we should forget the past, we have to learn from it.

“Our party is not only facing a leadership contest, but a leadership crisis.

“To ensure a decisive break from the old guard, we need a fresh face and true conservative leadership at the helm of our party.

“The public were fed up with our party, but they were not fed up with our policies.

“The next leader must therefore be someone able to reform the party, rebuild our reputation with the public, and present a radical conservative choice to the electorate at the next general election.

“After five years of Labour chaos, this is the leadership our nation will not just need but crave.”

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The intervention comes as one of the key dynamics playing out in the race is how highly government experience should be valued.

Mr Cleverly, 55, held two great offices of state – the Foreign Office and the Home Office. Dame Priti, 52, is a former home secretary.

A newer generation of Tories – Mr Jenrick, 42, Mrs Badenoch, 44, and Mr Tugendhat – are seeking to turn their lack of senior ministerial roles into a strength.

Mr Tugendhat, who had been a soldier before entering politics, only joined the government benches in 2022 when he became security minister.

Dame Priti bowed out with a plea to respect party members, saying: “We must grow our membership and reach a new, younger audience if we are to be successful in the future.”

She said: “I’ve enjoyed spending the summer with thousands of so many of our dedicated and hard-working party members.

“The support and affection they have shown me over the summer has been heartwarming and truly humbling, and I am grateful to everyone who has supported, worked on or volunteered for my campaign.

“I have placed party reform at the heart of my pitch for the leadership of the Conservative and Unionist Party and did that for a reason.”

After paying tribute to Tory members, councillors and association officers as “the heart and soul of our party”, and insisting the party must grow its membership and reach a younger voter base, the senior Conservative MP said: “I wish my fellow candidates well with the rest of the leadership campaign and thank them for the good-spirited debated we have had.

“To win back the trust of the British people, we must unite around our Conservative values and show how they can offer solutions to the challenges our country faces.”

Mr Cleverly posted on X, formerly Twitter: “Momentum is on our side, but the work continues.”

A scramble to secure Dame Priti’s endorsement by the other candidates is now set to take place behind the scenes. She did not back a leadership rival in her defeat statement.

Perhaps the biggest surprise of the first round of voting was the size of Mr Jenrick’s lead – six votes – over his rival Mrs Badenoch, who had widely been seen as the front-runner.

The betting markets on Wednesday evening after the vote had Mr Jenrick as narrow favourite, with odds slightly better than Mrs Badenoch, the shadow communities secretary.

A Jenrick ally said: “To get to the final two, you need 41 votes. After today’s result, while you can never take anything for granted, Rob’s path to that looks pretty rock solid.”

Mr Jenrick has positioned himself to the Right of the field, standing out with a promise to leave the European Convention of Human Rights and to cap annual net migration below 100,000.

Mrs Badenoch has vowed to lead a “renewal” agenda for 2030, when the party hopes to be back in power, and stressed the need for deep thinking about how to reform.

A source in Mrs Badenoch’s camp had predicted that Mr Jenrick would be ahead in the first round before the result, arguing that Mr Jenrick and Dame Priti were splitting the vote on the Right while the four other candidates were competing for the backing of centrist Tory MPs.

But that leaves Mr Jenrick well placed to pick up votes in the second round next week, when Dame Priti’s supporters will need to choose someone else to back.

Mr Tugendhat said his leadership rivals were “all friends” but he believed he was the only candidate who could “deliver the Conservative revolution that our party and our nation need”.

Andrew Griffith, the shadow technology minister who is backing Mrs Badenoch, said: “At this point in the cycle, you often see people come through and gather support and momentum, and it seems to me Kemi’s got that momentum.”

The five surviving candidates will now face a second vote on Tuesday next week, with Mr Stride and Mr Tugendhat appearing most at risk, according to the first-round vote tallies.

The successful quartet will then make their case to Tory members at the party’s annual conference in Birmingham at the end of the month.

Tory MPs will then vote again between Oct 9-10 to eliminate two more candidates, leaving a final duo who will face a ballot of Conservative members.

Member voting will close at 5pm on Oct 31 and Rishi Sunak’s replacement will be announced on Nov 2.

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You can follow today’s updates below and join the conversation in the comments section. 

04:25 PM BST

That is all for today...

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

I will be back tomorrow morning.

04:23 PM BST

Cleverly: Priti Patel will be ‘integral part’ of Tories’ future

04:12 PM BST

Telegraph readers deliver verdict on Patel’s exit

Dame Priti Patel is no longer in the Tory leadership race while Robert Jenrick is riding high after finishing top in the first round of voting.

Telegraph readers have been responding to this afternoon’s action in the comments section of today’s politics live blog:

04:02 PM BST

Labour: Tory leadership field a ‘damning indictment’ of state of Conservative Party

Labour claimed none of the Tory leadership candidates are “prepared to learn from the lessons of the past”.

Responding to this afternoon’s vote, a Labour spokesperson said: “The Tories have successfully slimmed down the pool of contenders from six people who each played their hand in 14 years of chaos and decline, to five people who each played their hand in 14 years of chaos and decline.

“From what we have seen so far, not one of them is prepared to learn from the lessons of the past. It is a damning indictment of the state of the Conservative Party that these candidates are the best they have to offer.

“The Conservatives left the worst possible inheritance. Labour is getting on with the job of fixing it.”

03:59 PM BST

Badenoch still bookmaker’s favourite despite trailing Jenrick

Kemi Badenoch is still a bookmaker’s favourite to be the next Tory leader, despite finishing in second place in the first round of MP voting.

Coral offered the following odds after this afternoon’s result:

• 6-5 Kemi Badenoch

• 6-4 Robert Jenrick

• 11-2 Tom Tugendhat

• 10-1 James Cleverly

• 33-1 Mel Stride

Coral’s John Hill said: “Kemi Badenoch and Robert Jenrick have both had their odds slashed following the opening round of voting in the Conservative leadership race. The former picked up the most votes, but it is Badenoch who is the favourite in our betting to replace Rishi Sunak in November.”

03:55 PM BST

‘Kemi’s got momentum,’ says supporter

Kemi Badenoch has “momentum” after coming second in the first Tory leadership ballot, shadow minister Andrew Griffith has said.

Mr Griffith, who is backing Mrs Badenoch for the leadership, told Sky News: “Kemi did really well in this round, second, coming through very strongly for someone who, remember, is one of the younger members of the candidate team here.”

Pointing to polls suggesting Mrs Badenoch has significant support among party members, Mr Griffith added: “At this point in the cycle, you often see people come through and gather support and momentum, and it seems to me Kemi’s got that momentum.”

03:51 PM BST

Cleverly: ‘Momentum is on our side’

03:49 PM BST

Reader poll: Who should be the next Tory leader?

And then there were five.

Dame Priti Patel will not be the next leader of the Conservative Party after she was eliminated from the contest this afternoon.

But five candidates are still in the race and based on today’s result it is still all to play for in terms of who could make it to the final four and then the final two.

Who do you think should be the next Tory leader? You can have your say in our reader poll below:

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03:46 PM BST

Badenoch thanks supporters and says ‘it’s time to deal with hard truths’

03:44 PM BST

Will Priti Patel endorse another candidate?

The big question following Dame Priti Patel’s elimination from the Tory leadership race is whether she will now endorse another one of the candidates.

In a parliamentary party of just 121 MPs, Dame Priti will now be in a powerful position as she could help to deliver her 14 backers to one of her rivals.

That could play a big part in the outcome of the second round of voting next Tuesday.

03:41 PM BST

Tugendhat: ‘Only I can deliver the Conservative revolution that our party and our nation need’

Tom Tugendhat said his leadership rivals are “all friends” but he believed he is the only candidate who can “deliver the Conservative revolution that our Party and our nation need”.

He said: “It is a privilege to have the support of my Parliamentary colleagues and to have made it through to the next round of the leadership contest. To my friend Priti, you have always faithfully served this Party, care deeply about its future, and I’m sure you will continue to play a key role in it.

“Mel, James, Kemi, and Robert are all friends and good Conservatives. However, only I can deliver the Conservative revolution that our party and our nation need. I will lead in opposition as I would as Prime Minister, by serving the British people, leading with conviction, and acting to make our nation better. That is my promise, and I always deliver on my promises.”

03:36 PM BST

Second round of voting to take place on Tuesday next week

Bob Blackman, the chairman of the 1922 Committee, said the second vote in the Tory leadership contest will take place on Tuesday next week.

That is a minor change - we had expected it to take place on Monday.

03:32 PM BST

Jenrick wins first round of voting as Patel is eliminated

Robert Jenrick has finished top in the first round of voting in the Tory leadership contest as Dame Priti Patel was eliminated from the race.

here are the results:

• Robert Jenrick: 28

• Kemi Badenoch: 22

• James Cleverly: 21

• Tom Tugendhat: 17

• Mel Stride: 16

• Dame Priti Patel: 14

03:30 PM BST

Tory leadership result imminent

We are now just minutes away from finding out which candidate will be the first to be eliminated from the Tory leadership race.

We are expecting to hear from Bob Blackman, the 1922 Committee chairman, imminently.

03:13 PM BST

Could a dark horse candidate spring a surprise?

The result of the first MPs’ vote in the Tory leadership contest will be heavily scrutinised.

Many people in Westminster expect Kemi Badenoch and Robert Jenrick to be in the top two, although not necessarily in that order.

But could one of the other candidates spring a surprise?

It is certainly possible, especially because the voting process is entirely secret.

Only so many of the 121 Tory MPs have declared their allegiance publicly which means there are plenty of votes in play behind the scenes.

All that matters for the candidates at this stage is staying alive in the contest and making it to the final four.

03:00 PM BST

Voting closes in first round of Tory leadership contest

Voting has now closed in the first round of the Tory leadership contest.

The ballots cast by Conservative MPs will now be counted and the result will be announced at 3.30pm.

02:42 PM BST

12 Tory peers announce backing for Kemi Badenoch

A dozen Tory peers have announced they are backing Kemi Badenoch in the Conservative Party’s leadership contest.

In a letter published by Mrs Badenoch’s “Renewal 2030” campaign, the peers said she had the “honesty, vision, and ability to take the fight to all other major parties: Labour, Reform, the SNP and Liberal Democrats”.

02:30 PM BST

Reader poll: Who should be the next Tory leader?

Six will soon become five as Tory MPs vote this afternoon to get rid of one of the current field of Tory leadership contenders.

But who do you believe should replace Rishi Sunak? You can have your say in our reader poll below:

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02:06 PM BST

Listen: The Daily T’s interviews with Tory leadership hopefuls

The Daily T podcast has done sit down interviews with four of the six Tory leadership candidates (so far).

You can find the podcasts here:

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01:53 PM BST

Tory leadership voting under way

Voting is now well under way in the first round of the Tory leadership contest.

Conservative MPs have a window between 1.30pm and 3pm to cast their ballot, with the result due to be announced at 3.30pm.

One of the six candidates will be eliminated.

The candidates, if you needed a reminder, are: Mel Stride, Dame Priti Patel, James Cleverly, Tom Tugendhat, Robert Jenrick and Kemi Badenoch.

01:50 PM BST

Tories apply pressure to PM on winter fuel

01:16 PM BST

Starmer faces growing Labour rebellion over winter fuel decision

Sir Keir Starmer is facing a growing rebellion over cutbacks to the winter fuel payment ahead of a crunch Commons vote next week.

Around a dozen Labour MPs have now voiced concerns over the move, including eight who have signed a motion urging him to pause it.

Former frontbencher Stella Creasy became the latest to intervene, saying No 10 should make savings on Private Finance Initiative schemes instead.

“Before we ask pensioners to pay more for heating, we should ask how we pay less for PFI,” she wrote in an article for the Labour List website.

The Prime Minister is set to call a vote, to take place on Tuesday, on the move to strip the winter fuel payment from 10 million pensioners.

01:14 PM BST

Watch live: Sir Keir Starmer delivers Grenfell statement

Sir Keir Starmer is currently setting out his response to the Grenfell Tower Inquiry report and answering questions from MPs.

You can watch below:

12:51 PM BST

PM on winter fuel: ‘I’m not pretending it’s not a difficult decision’

Sir Ed Davey, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, said the proposed cuts to the winter fuel payment will affect carers who earn more than the new threshold for receiving the benefit.

Sir Ed told the Commons about a carer named Norman who looks after his wife, Ros, who has Alzheimer’s disease and multiple sclerosis and who has gone back to work in order to be able to afford her care.

He said: “As their income is just a few hundred pounds above the limit for pension credit, they are set to lose their winter fuel allowance unless the Prime Minister listens to these benches and others and changes this plan.

“So if he doesn’t, what advice has the Prime Minister got for Norman, Ros and millions of struggling pensioners as they face rising heating bills this winter?”

Sir Keir said: “I know how much he, both politically and personally has championed care. We have taken a difficult decision, and I’m not pretending it’s not a difficult decision. Of course it’s a difficult decision, but we have to stabilise the economy.

“The first thing the Chancellor did was an audit, she found £22 billion worth of unfunded spending. We can’t walk past that – we can’t pretend it doesn’t exist.

“We will put all the support in that we can, and talk to the local government about this, but we have to take tough decisions in relation to this.”

12:42 PM BST

Labour leader digs in over decision to scale back winter fuel payments

Sir Keir Starmer signalled the Government will not change course over scrapping winter fuel payments for 10 million pensioners.

A Tory MP asked Sir Keir if he would consider “broadening the eligibility for the winter fuel payment so that those low income pensioners who rely on it to stay warm can continue to benefit”.

Sir Keir said: “The reality is this. This decision has been taken because of the £22 billion black hole so responsibility for the position lies with the party that broke the economy.

“There is a reason we have a mandate for change, there is a reason that this party is now sitting there and that is because they broke the economy and I am not going to apologise for clearing up the mess that they left.”

12:34 PM BST

Starmer vows action to tackle ‘extortionate’ concert ticket resale prices

Sir Keir Starmer said the Government will take action to tackle “extortionate” concert ticket resale prices after the issue was brought into sharp focus by the recent demand for Oasis tickets.

The Prime Minister was asked by a Labour MP if he agreed that “urgent action” was needed to stop “profiteering” by people seeking to resell tickets high above face value.

He said: “Yes, I do. Firstly, it is great that Oasis are back together. I think from what I have determined about half the country was queuing for tickets over the weekend.

“But it is depressing to hear of price hikes. I am committed to putting fans at the heart of music and end extortionate price resales and we are starting a consultation to work out how best we can do this.”

12:27 PM BST

PM: Government supports Israel’s right to self-defence

Rishi Sunak criticised the timing of the Government announcement that some arms sales to Israel were being suspended after it happened on the same day that Israel was burying hostages murdered by Hamas.

He also asked Sir Keir Starmer to give an assurance that the Government “stands behind Israel and its right to self-defence”.

Sir Keir replied: “We absolutely recognise and support Israel’s right to self defence.”

12:23 PM BST

UK ‘talked through’ Israel decision with US, insists Starmer

Rishi Sunak stressed the need for “transatlantic unity in the face of terrorist threats and avoid any perception of splits between” the UK and the US.

The Tory leader asked Sir Keir Starmer what engagement there was with the US before the decision was taken to suspend some arms sales to Israel.

Sir Keir would not be drawn on specifics but said: “We have talked this through with our allies... they have a different legal system.”

12:21 PM BST

Israel arms sales ban a ‘legal decision, not a policy decision’, says Starmer

Turning to the Government’s decision to suspend some arms sales to Israel, Rishi Sunak asked Sir Keir Starmer to explain how the move would help to secure the release of hostages held by Hamas.

Sir Keir said that the “remaining hostages must be released and we need a ceasefire to ensure that can happen”.

The Prime Minister said that the Government had come to a “clear legal conclusion” that some arms sales had to end.

He added: “This is a difficult issue, I recognise that, but it is a legal decision, not a policy decision.”

12:17 PM BST

Sunak: Starmer ‘doesn’t have to’ scrap winter fuel payments

Rishi Sunak asked Sir Keir Starmer to spell out “very specifically” how much worse off pensioners would be this year under Labour than they were last year under the Tories.

Sir Keir dodged the question but said “no prime minister wants to do what we have to do in relation to the winter fuel allowance.”

He said he was taking “tough decisions that they ducked”.

But Mr Sunak said: “The Government doesn’t have to choose to take money off low income pensioners in order to give it to highly paid train drivers.”

12:09 PM BST

Tories face ‘very, very long time’ in opposition, says Starmer

Rishi Sunak asked Sir Keir Starmer to explain to pensioners why he had taken money away from them to give more money to “highly paid train drivers”.

Sir Keir said he had been given a mandate at the election to deliver major changes and said the Tories were trying to pretend that the UK did not have major problems.

The Prime Minister said that if the Tories continued in a state of denial they would stay in opposition for a “very, very long time”.

The PM said Labour had inherited “absolute chaos” from the Tories.

12:06 PM BST

Starmer chose train drivers over vulnerable pensioners, claims Sunak

Rishi Sunak used his first question at PMQs to grill Sir Keir Starmer about the decision to scrap the winter fuel payment for 10 million pensioners.

The Tory leader said Labour had opted to take money from pensioners in order to fund big pay rises for public sector workers.

Mr Sunak asked: “Why did he choose train drivers over Britain’s vulnerable pensioners?”

Sir Keir hit back and said Labour had to “clear up the mess left by the party opposite” as he repeated Labour’s claim about a £22 billion black hole.

12:04 PM BST

Channel migrant deaths ‘shocking and deeply tragic’, says Starmer

PMQs is now underway.

Sir Keir Starmer said yesterday’s incident in the Channel as 12 migrants lost their lives was “shocking and deeply tragic”.

He said that we “must have a renewed determination to end this”.

He also confirmed that he will be making a statement on the Grenfell Tower Inquiry report after PMQs.

11:59 AM BST

Starmer arrives in Commons ahead of PMQs

Sir Keir Starmer has just arrived in the House of Commons chamber ahead of PMQs.

The Prime Minister was given a warm welcome by Labour MPs as he took his seat on the frontbench.

11:46 AM BST

Sir Keir Starmer to deliver statement on Grenfell Tower Inquiry report

Sir Keir Starmer will deliver a statement in the House of Commons this afternoon responding to the publication of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry report.

The Prime Minister will set out his response to the report immediately after PMQs, so from about 12.40pm.

You will be able to follow all of the key developments in our dedicated Grenfell live blog here.

You can also read the full story on the inquiry’s findings here.

11:35 AM BST

‘Retirement tax’ to hit 300,000 more pensioners

Hundreds of thousands more retirees risk being dragged into paying tax as the state pension is expected to rise by more than £400 next year.

Rachel Reeves is poised to raise the state pension by more than £400 a year in line with the triple lock amid ongoing criticism over a £300-a-year winter fuel raid.

Treasury documents, seen by the BBC, reveal officials expect the full new state pension to rise to around £12,000 in 2025/26, after the £900 increase in 2023.

However, increasing the state pension will hit at least 300,000 pensioners with a “retirement tax” as a result of the frozen personal allowance, according to former pensions minister Steve Webb.

You can read the full story here. 

11:14 AM BST

How this afternoon’s Tory leadership vote will work

The Conservative Party’s 121 MPs will vote for the first time in the leadership contest between 1.30pm and 3pm.

Bob Blackman, the chairman of the 1922 Committee of backbench Tory MPs, will then announce the result at 3.30pm.

The vote is secret which means we will not find out who voted for who but we should get the overall vote totals for each candidate.

The candidate with the fewest number of votes will be eliminated from the leadership race. It is possible that a second candidate could also be eliminated today if they are far behind the top four.

Failing that, a second vote to eliminate a second candidate will take place on Monday.

10:56 AM BST

‘Five out of six’ pensioners below the poverty line set to lose winter fuel payments

Rachel Reeves will strip most pensioners who live in poverty of their winter fuel payments, analysis of official figures suggests.

Experts warned Labour has taken a “sledgehammer” approach to its winter fuel raid that will leave the country’s poorest retirees worse off.

The Government is facing a growing rebellion against the policy, which goes against repeated assurances made by the party while it was in opposition.

Around 1.6 million people living below the poverty line are likely to lose their £300 winter fuel payments, research by consultants LCP based on the latest available Department for Work and Pensions figures suggests.

You can read the full story here. 

10:35 AM BST

Amber Rudd endorses Tom Tugendhat

Amber Rudd, the former home secretary, has endorsed Tom Tugendhat to be the next leader of the Conservative Party.

Ms Rudd, who left the House of Commons in 2019, said that Mr Tugendhat “shows courage and integrity in all that he did and does”.

10:33 AM BST

Sir Tony Blair admits influx of migrants under his premiership placed ‘strain’ on communities

Sir Tony Blair has admitted that the influx of immigrants in Britain during his premiership caused “strain” on communities.

Net migration increased fivefold during the Labour administration and his decade in power has been shown to be almost directly aligned with the start of modern mass immigration to the UK.

Sir Tony, in an interview with BBC’s Amol Rajan on Tuesday, addressed his record on immigration which has come under scrutiny since his departure from No10 in 2007.

You can read the full story here. 

10:20 AM BST

Badenoch welcomes Tory leadership poll boost

Kemi Badenoch has welcomed a poll of Tory members which again placed her in pole position in the leadership race.

The shadow housing secretary said she was “very grateful” as she responded to the survey published by the Conservative Home website (see the post below at 09.34).

She has been in first place in all three of the website’s surveys.

She tweeted:

09:59 AM BST

Poll: Nation split on banning smoking in pub gardens

The nation is split on Labour’s plan to ban smoking in pub gardens, according to a new YouGov poll.

Some 51 per cent of people said they would support such a ban but 43 per cent said they would oppose it in a survey conducted between Aug 29-30.

Sir Keir Starmer has confirmed the Government is considering banning smoking in pub gardens, as well as in a selection of other outdoor spaces, in order to reduce the burden on the NHS.

The measure is going to be consulted on.

09:48 AM BST

Conservative leadership election: Who is backing whom?

Support from fellow Tory MPs is what matters in the first three rounds of the Conservative leadership race, and all six candidates are vying to win over their colleagues.

Kemi Badenoch, James Cleverly, Robert Jenrick, Dame Priti Patel, Tom Tugendhat and Mel Stride have thrown their hats into the ring and have all had MPs declare their support over the course of their campaigns.

The Telegraph is keeping track of who is supporting who and you can find the up to date lists here.

09:34 AM BST

Survey: Badenoch would beat all five Tory leadership rivals in head-to-head contest

Kemi Badenoch continues to lead the race to be the next Tory leader and would beat all of her rivals in head-to-head contests, according to a new survey of Conservative Party members.

A survey of more than 800 members, conducted by the Conservative Home website between Sept 2-3 and published today, put Mrs Badenoch on 34 per cent support after people were asked who should replace Rishi Sunak.

Robert Jenrick was in second place on 18 per cent, Tom Tugendhat was in third place on 13 per cent, James Cleverly was in fourth place on 11 per cent, Dame Priti Patel was in fifth place on 7 per cent and Mel Stride was in sixth place on 2 per cent. Some 15 per cent were undecided.

The survey suggested Mrs Badenoch would beat all of her rivals if she makes it to the final two in the contest.

In head-to-head battles, she was backed over Mr Jenrick by 51 per cent to 34 per cent, over Mr Tugendhat by 61 per cent to 28 per cent, over Mr Cleverly by 57 per cent to 27 per cent, over Dame Priti by 65 per cent to 21 per cent, and over Mr Stride by 69 per cent to 16 per cent.

The candidate with the second best head-to-head record was Mr Jenrick who only lost to Mrs Badenoch.

09:28 AM BST

PMQs returns for first time since July 24

Sir Keir Starmer and Rishi Sunak will resume their head-to-head battle in the House of Commons at lunchtime today as Prime Minister’s Questions returns for the first time since July 24.

Mr Sunak has plenty of options to choose from when selecting the subject or subjects he will grill Sir Keir on.

Two of the most obvious choices would be the Government’s decision to suspend some arms sales to Israel and the growing row over the decision to scrap winter fuel payments for 10 million pensioners.

Both are politically tricky for Labour and Mr Sunak could well score some points by focusing on them.

PMQs will get underway just after noon and you will be able to watch live at the top of the page and I will post updates on the key exchanges.

09:08 AM BST

Jenrick can unite Tories, insists shadow minister

A shadow Treasury minister said he was backing Robert Jenrick in the Tory leadership race because he believed he can “unite the party”.

Gareth Davies said Mr Jenrick would also be best placed to hold the Government to account.

He told Sky News: “He is a very strong performer. I think he will hold this Labour Government to account very effectively and I think he will unite the party.”

08:45 AM BST

Cleverly promises ‘Conservative solutions’

James Cleverly promised to provide “Conservative solutions to Britain’s problems” as Tory MPs prepare to vote for the first time in the leadership contest.

The former home secretary said that Left-wing solutions “won’t, and will never work”.

08:35 AM BST

Stride vows to give Tories ‘strong leadership we need’

08:14 AM BST

Labour MP says she ‘couldn’t vote for’ scrapping winter fuel payments

A Labour MP said she could not vote for the Government’s decision to scrap winter fuel payments for 10 million pensioners as Sir Keir Starmer faces another potential rebellion.

Rachael Maskell urged the Government to rethink the policy and to bring forward mitigating measures to help protect vulnerable elderly people who currently will be just above the threshold for support.

Downing Street is set to call a vote on the controversial policy for next Tuesday after Sir Keir bowed to pressure to give MPs a say.

Asked if she could vote for the policy in its current form, Ms Maskell told BBC Newsnight: “I couldn’t vote for this. But I think what we are saying is this is bigger than a vote because this is about protecting people’s lives.

“And ultimately that is our responsibility as MPs, to speak truth to power, and that is all we are doing is to say ‘actually there is some people in danger here that are at risk and we need a government to step in’.”

Given it is a piece of official Government policy the expectation is that Labour MPs will be told to vote for it, raising the question of disciplinary action if any do choose to rebel.

Asked if that was a consideration, Ms Maskell said: “This doesn’t come into it for me and many of my colleagues. We are just so concerned, I will do anything to protect life.”

Sir Keir stripped the whip from seven Labour MPs in July after they rebelled over the two-child benefit cap.

Winter fuel payments will now be a means-tested benefit rather than universal and only pensioners in receipt of pension credit will be eligible to receive it. Rachel Reeves, the Chancellor, scrapped the payments to save money, blaming the state of the public finances.

07:59 AM BST

What happens next in the Tory leadership race?

Tory MPs will vote for the first time in the Conservative Party leadership contest this afternoon.

They will vote in secret from 1.30pm until 3pm, with the result announced by Bob Blackman, the chairman of the 1922 Committee of backbench Tory MPs, at 3.30pm.

Today’s task is to reduce the field of six candidates down to five but if there are two candidates who are miles behind the other four then it is possible that two people could be eliminated this afternoon.

Failing that, there will be a second vote on Monday next week to reduce the field from five to four.

The four remaining candidates will then make their case to members at the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham between Sept 29 and Oct 2.

Tory MPs will then vote between Oct 9-10 to eliminate two more candidates, leaving a final duo who will face a ballot of Conservative Party members.

Member voting will close at 5pm on Oct 31 and Rishi Sunak’s replacement will then be announced on Nov 2.

07:38 AM BST

Israel is ‘running out of friends’, says Farage

Nigel Farage said Israel is “running out of friends” after the Government announced on Monday that it was suspending some arms sales to the country.

Mr Farage also questioned whether Israel was “still really an ally” of the UK.

The Reform UK leader told GB News: “There’s no doubt that since the 7th October and the barbarity that took place on that day, in terms of Israel’s response, yes, there are up to 40,000 people that have died.

“However, Israel will tell us again and again and again, this is because Hamas effectively use human shields.

“But I feel all over the world that Israel is running out of friends. And I wonder right now, is Israel still really an ally of this country?”

07:25 AM BST

Tory leadership candidates yet to identify Reform ‘cure’, says Rees-Mogg

Tory leadership candidates are yet to spell out how they would see off the threat posed to the Conservative Party by Reform UK, according to Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg.

The ex-Cabinet minister said Kemi Badenoch, Robert Jenrick, Tom Tugendhat, Dame Priti Patel, Mel Stride and James Cleverly had all successfully identified many of the Tories’ recent mistakes.

But he said they now must set out the “cure” for winning back voters and a plan for dealing with a party which has “pinched our finest clothes”.

He told GB News: “We clearly have some of the six most brilliant, genius people in the world running for the leadership who have said these amazingly true and thoughtful things.

“The candidates have been good at identifying the problem. But what is the cure when the party is untrusted and Reform has pinched our finest clothes?”