Liz Truss news – live: PM will admit plan to boost economy will cause ‘disruption’

Liz Truss will admit that her economic plans, which she claims will boost Britain’s growth, will cause “disruption”.

On Wednesday, in her first Conservative Party conference speech as leader of the party, the prime minister will insist that there can be no more “drift and delay” in her attempt to “break us out of this high-tax, low-growth cycle”.

She will defend her “new approach” by saying it will “grow the pie so that everyone gets a bigger slice” and “unleash the full potential of our great country”.

It will be seen as her attempt to boost the Tories’ ailing morale, after chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng was forced to make a U-turn on axing the 45p rate of tax for the highest earners – a key policy in his mini-Budget that spooked the markets.

The fall-out over the tax plans has caused a split within the party, and more infighting could erupt over whether to increase benefits in line with inflation.

Ms Truss’ speech will follow former minister Nadine Dorries’s warning that the Tories could “absolutely lose” an early general election after a new poll shows Labour with a 38-point lead in “red wall” constituencies.

Key Points

• Tory conference on Wednesday newspapers' front pages

• Labour has 61 per cent approval rating in ‘red wall’ seats - poll

• Flip-flopping Dorries: Tories would ‘absolutely lose’ election

• MPs call for inquiry amid claims of mini-Budget insider trading

• Braverman’s plans ‘inhumane’, refugee rights groups say

• Delegates ‘dozing’ as Coffey says ill should return to work

Truss more unpopular than Boris Johnson ever was, poll finds

10:05 , Andy Gregory

Our political correspondent Adam Forrest reports:

Liz Truss is more unpopular with the public that Boris Johnson ever was, even at the height of anger over Partygate, a new YouGov poll has found.

Just 14 per cent of the public have a favourable impression of the prime minister, while 73 per cent now see her in an unfavourable light.

Ms Truss’s net favourability score has fallen by a remarkable 28 points to -59 in less than a fortnight. In comparison, Mr Johnson’s net favourability was -53 when it dropped to its very lowest in July.

It gets worse. 2019 Conservative voters are now twice as likely to have an unfavourable view of the new prime minister (60 per cent) as a positive one (30 per cent).

The poll is not good for Kwasi Kwarteng either. The chancellor is liked by just 11 per cent of the public, while 65 per cent have an unfavourable view.

Cleverly plays down Tory infighting, insists conference atmosphere is ‘fantastic'

09:49 , Andy Gregory

Despite an extraordinary series of Cabinet rifts, jibes and contradictory remarks, the foreign secretary has insisted that the atmosphere at the Conservative Party conference is “fantastic”.

Asked how conference is going, James Cleverly said: “Brilliant, the atmosphere is fantastic”.

Insisting that the government “really haven’t” been arguing, Mr Cleverly said: “The vibe that I’ve picked up is a party that is really, really keen to get to work to get the country moving forward and get the economy growing”.

Addressing the issue of Cabinet colleagues “freelancing” at fringe events with their versions of what is going on in the party, the foreign secretary said: “Party conference is where ideas get kicked around ... But ultimately, when the decisions are made, we have collective responsibility to work to deliver those decisions.”

Liz Truss ‘to appear onstage to 90s classic' ahead of conference speech

09:37 , Andy Gregory

Liz Truss will appear onstage to a “90s classic” as she gives her Conservative Party conference speech, journalists have been briefed.

Voters must take Liz Truss’s ‘bitter-tasting medicine’ on economy, says foreign secretary

09:26 , Andy Gregory

Voters who have deserted the Tories will return to the party after taking the “bitter-tasting medicine” of Liz Truss’s economic plan, the foreign secretary has said.

James Cleverly said the huge poll leads enjoyed by Labour were only a “blip” sparked by the radical nature of the prime minister’s borrowing-fuelling tax cut spree.

Our political correspondent Adam Forrest has more on the foreign secretary’s comments here:

Voters must take Liz Truss’s ‘bitter-tasting medicine’ on economy, says Cleverly

‘That’s their problem’ if people weren’t listening to Truss during leadership race, says minister

09:22 , Andy Gregory

Liz Truss made her pro-growth agenda clear during her leadership campaign and that if people were not listening “that’s more their problem than hers”, foreign secretary James Cleverly has claimed.

Asked on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme how the prime minister can regain authority, he said: “Well, look, I don’t agree with your assessment.

“I mean, the prime minister made it really clear what her philosophy was when she was running for the leadership. If people weren’t listening properly, I mean that’s more their problem than hers. She said that she was going to go for growth. She said she wanted to increase investment.”

He added: “When you are changing the way government has behaved for quite a long time, it will inevitably be a bit unsettling”, insisting it was “deeply unfair” to suggest ministers were not taking matters such as rising mortgage costs seriously.

Cleverly appears to blame media for Truss U-turn on tax cuts for highest earners

09:02 , Andy Gregory

James Cleverly has sought to blame the media for Liz Truss’s U-turn on cutting the top rate of income tax, accusing journalists of “constantly talking about” the surprise final flourish in chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng’s mini-Budget – the policy widely credited with sparking last week’s economic turmoil.

Bank of England intervention does not mean ‘crisis is over’, warns Gordon Brown

08:52 , Andy Gregory

Gordon Brown has said he fears there could be “further crises to come” in the economy, warning that the Bank of England’s dramatic intervention in the gilt market to save pension funds from collapse does not mean “this crisis is over”.

“You’ve got problems with inflation, potentially problems with liquidity and solvency amongst companies. And you’ve got the potential for markets to be dysfunctional,” the former prime minister, who led the way through the 2008 financial crisis, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

“And I would be worried about the shadow banking – that’s the non-bank financial sector in this country.

“I would be very careful if I was the Bank of England and make sure that the supervision of that part of the economy is tightened up, because I do fear that, as inflation hits and interest rates rise, there will be a number of companies and a number of organisations that will be in grave difficulty.

“So I don’t think this crisis is over because the pension funds have been rescued last week. I do think there’s got to be eternal vigilance about what has happened to what is called the shadow banking sector, and I do fear that there could be further crises to come.”

The former Labour leader also criticised Liz Truss’s growth plans, saying: “In the long run, what you cannot do is build a growth strategy either around penalising the poor, or around simply giving tax cuts to those who are richest,” he said.

Speaking of chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng’s mini-Budget, he said: “Irrespective of removing the top rate tax cut from 45p to 40p, there are billions of pounds that were given away to those who are already wealthy that could be used to pay for the benefits and to stop the health service being starved of resources that it needs.”

Gordon Brown warns of ‘national uprising’ if Truss cuts benefits

08:46 , Andy Gregory

Gordon Brown has warned there will be a “national uprising” if Liz Truss rows back on her predecessor’s pledge to raise benefits in line with inflation, as some ministers have suggested.

“It’s divisive because we’re not in this together any more,” said the Labour former prime minister. “It’s anti-work because 40 per cent of those who would suffer are people on low pay in work. It’s anti-family because five million children would be in poverty.

“And I think most of all it’s immoral. It’s asking the poor to bear the burden for the crisis that we face in this country and for mistakes that other people have made, and it’s a scar on the soul of our country, it’s a stain on our conscience.”

Mr Brown said the majority of the public would be against it and outlined organisations against the idea as he warned: “There will be a national uprising if this goes ahead because it is nothing to do with making the growth policies of the government work, it is simply making the poor pay the price.”

Braverman sparks new government row after calling for UK to quit ECHR

08:40 , Andy Gregory

Home secretary Suella Braverman has sparked yet another row after suggesting the UK should “ultimately” leave the European Convention on Human Rights – despite admitting doing so is not government policy.

A senior government source poured scorn on her freelancing efforts at the Spectator event, saying: “As Suella acknowledged, her personal views are contrary to government policy and if she wishes to make those views known within government she should do so in a more appropriate setting.”

The home secretary also sowed discord at a Telegraph event, accusing colleagues of launching a “coup” against the prime minister.

Our political correspondent Adam Forrest has the full report:

Suella Braverman sparks new government row after calling for UK to quit ECHR

Cleverly hits out at colleague's ‘ridiculous’ claim Truss had 10 days to save premiership

08:08 , Andy Gregory

Tory infighting shows no sign of slowing up after a remarkable day at the party’s conference yesterday, with James Cleverly denouncing his former Cabinet colleague Grant Shapps’ claim that Liz Truss as 10 days to save her leadership as “ridiculous”.

Insisting that Ms Truss will lead the Tory Party into the next election, the foreign secretary told BBC Breakfast: “I like the fact that she says what she’s going to do and then does what she says.”

“She is delivering from day one on the things she said she would do because, as I say, she recognises that if you don’t go for growth you end up with either stagnation or recession and that is not what we want to do,” Mr Cleverly added.

Asked about Mr Shapps’ remarks, Mr Cleverly said: “If people are saying, ‘oh hang on a second, we need to see the fruits of that in 10 days’, that is ridiculous.”

Gove denies leading ‘coup’ against Truss

08:04 , Andy Gregory

As newly-minted prime minister Liz Truss gears up for a make-or-break speech at the climax of Tory conference, Michael Gove has been forced to deny leading a coup against her.

In a dramatic and unusually combative outburst from a home secretary, Suella Braverman told Tory conference delegates yesterday that she was “disappointed” by the U-turn on the top rate of tax, and accused Tory rebels like Mr Gove of staging a “coup”.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, in a clip record on Tuesday, Mr Gove was asked if he was a coup leader, to which he replied: “No.”

Cleverly hits out at colleagues ‘pre-announcing’ policy on universal credit

08:00 , Andy Gregory

James Cleverly has appeared to hit out at colleagues for trying to “pre-announce” the government’s policy on uprating benefits in line with inflation, after contradictory comments on the subject from ministers yesterday threatened to tear open a fresh rift in Liz Truss’s newly-appointed Cabinet.

“What we have got to do is look at the inflation figures that have come out recently,” the foreign secretary told Times Radio. “Obviously, the chancellor and his Treasury team, in conjunction with the prime minister and ultimately through the Cabinet, will look at what the package of support is needed and then what we will do is we will announce that in the early part of next year, as we always do.

“What I’m not going to do, and what I don’t think colleagues should do, is try and pre-announce what the chancellor is going to do here at party conference”.

Asked about government colleagues including Penny Mordaunt expressing their view on the matter, he said: “Ultimately, we are all going to be bound by collective decision making and collective agreement.

“So once that decision is made, that’s what we are going to deploy and my view is it’s better and easier, more appropriate, to feed your views and ideas in in the normal way, which is through Cabinet through Cabinet committees”.

Thatcher wouldn’t have cut benefits as it is ‘not a real option’, says Tory former minister

07:47 , Andy Gregory

Cutting benefits at a time such as this is “not a real option” and Margaret Thatcher “would never have tried that” under the current circumstances, David Davis has claimed.

Liz Truss “models herself on Thatcher”, the Tory former minister told BBC Radio 4’s Today show, adding: “She should actually model herself really on Thatcher. Thatcher was strategically terribly bold, but actually tactically incredibly careful. And [Ms Truss] should do the same.

“All this stuff about, let’s say one of the controversies, cutting benefits. Well, that’s not a real option. Margaret Thatcher would never have tried that and under these circumstances with the winter coming up that we have.”

Asked what he would say to those in his party who want to change leader, Mr Davis said: “Well, firstly, you haven’t got time for that. It takes a year, more than a year, to replace a leader in the Tory Party. Sometimes it takes two or three years.”

But addressing Liz Truss’s start as prime minister, he said: “It would be a very, very unwise person who tried to make a judgment over two years on what’s happened in four weeks.”

Mr Davis said that while he supports Ms Truss’s aims to grow the economy, “the mini-budget ... was a very poor start, and what she’s got to do is recover from that”, adding: “Her speech today is incredibly important.”

US trade deal was ‘always going to be complicated’, says Cleverly

07:37 , Andy Gregory

A trade deal with the US “was always going to be complicated”, the foreign secretary has said, as he insisted there was “a real appetite” globally to “work with the UK”.

“I was [just] in Japan, I was in Republic of Korea, I was in Singapore. They are really desperate to do business with us. They want to invest with us in things like green energy generation, in helping countries skip coal power and move straight to renewables, defence and security cooperation,” James Cleverly told Sky News.

“There’s a real appetite to work with the UK and these are countries right on the other side of the planet. And I tell you the same is true in the Americas, in Africa, across Europe. In the ASEAN region, south-east Asia. The US are very, very keen to continue working with us”.

Asked about a trade deal with the US, he said: “You’ve got to remember that America is a big and very complex political environment, that individual states have a lot of autonomy. So doing an overall federal-level trade deal with America was always going to be complicated”.

‘She chose the words she chose’: Cleverly distances himself from Braverman ‘coup’ claim

07:30 , Andy Gregory

After an extraordinary day of Cabinet discord at Tory conference, James Cleverly has now sought to distance himself from home secretary Suella Braverman’s controversial remarks yesterday, in which she accused Tory MPs of staging a “coup” against Liz Truss over her now-abandoned plan to abolish the top rate of income tax.

“She chose the words that she chose,” the foreign secretary told Sky News. “But when you’re in government, you have the opportunity to feed your ideas straight to the top machine. It’s always best done around the Cabinet table or in the Cabinet committee meetings.”

“My view is anything to do with policy or the relationship with other ministers – always better to feed straight into the boss,” Mr Cleverly added.

We would lose election if held now, says Nadine Dorries

07:15 , Adam Forrest

Removing Boris Johnson and his policies was “a recipe for disaster”, former culture secretary Nadine Dorries has said, telling LBC: “Conservative MPs in the future may have a lot to answer for”.

Despite her attacks on Ms Truss’s “mandate” in recent days, Ms Dorries said she was not calling for a general election “because the poll ratings at the moment, we’d absolutely lose it”.

Liz Truss fights for political life amid chaos, confusion and plotting

07:00 , Maroosha Muzaffar

Liz Truss is fighting for her political life after less than a month as prime minister, as a chaotic Conservative conference witnessed a breakdown of cabinet discipline and the first signs of organised opposition to her agenda.

Read the full analysis by Andrew Woodcock, Andy Grice and Adam Forrest here:

Liz Truss fights for political life amid chaos, confusion and plotting

What do government’s tax changes mean for me?

06:45 , Maroosha Muzaffar

From income tax to national insurance, here’s how Kwasi Kwarteng’s mini-budget could affect you:

What do government’s tax changes mean for me?

UK economic policies likely to cause many more deaths than Covid – academic

06:30 , Maroosha Muzaffar

The UK Government’s economic policies are “likely” to have caused a “great many more deaths” than the Covid-19 pandemic, an academic has claimed.

Researchers said their “not only shocking but shameful” statistics showed that almost 335,000 more deaths than expected were recorded across Scotland, England and Wales over an eight-year period.

Read the full story here:

UK economic policies likely to cause many more deaths than Covid – academic

Trump says Truss’s tax-cutting agenda ‘might be right’ for her

06:15 , Maroosha Muzaffar

Donald Trump believes Liz Truss will do “very well” as Prime Minister. The former US president praised Ms Truss for following a tax-cutting agenda.

In an interview, he said: “I cut taxes very substantially and we did much more business and she’s done that. And I know she’s taken some hits for it, which surprises me actually, but it could be at the end of the day you do bigger revenues, it’s going to be very interesting.”

Read the full story here:

Trump says Truss’s tax-cutting agenda ‘might be right’ for her

Liz Truss to admit economic plans will cause ‘disruption’ but insists ‘everyone will benefit’

06:00 , Maroosha Muzaffar

Liz Truss is set to admit her drive for economic growth will cause “disruption” though she will warn that continuing to “drift and delay” would be worse.

In her first Tory conference speech as leader, she will defend her “new approach” which she says will “unleash the full potential of our great country”.

Read the full story here:

Liz Truss to admit her plans to boost economy will cause some ‘disruption’

Liz Truss wants more Rwanda-style deals to deter immigration

05:41 , Maroosha Muzaffar

During an interview yesterday, Liz Truss said that she wanted to see more Rwanda-style deals to deter people from crossing the Channel on small boats.

She said that she will consider “all options” to deter people from doing that. She said: “I don’t want to see numbers going up, what I want to see is the right people coming in with the right skills that can contribute to Britain.

In the UK 'we need to do things differently', Truss will say

05:35 , Maroosha Muzaffar

Liz Truss is set to try and convince the British people that she will support them through the current cost-of-living crisis, when she addresses the Conservative Party Conference later today.

“The scale of the challenge is immense,” she will say. “War in Europe for the first time in a generation. A more uncertain world in the aftermath of Covid. And a global economic crisis. That is why in Britain we need to do things differently.”

She will continue: “Everyone will benefit from the result - a growing economy and a better future. That is what we have a clear plan to deliver.”

UK still backs Rwanda deportations despite legal challenge

05:26 , Maroosha Muzaffar

Britain’s immigration minister said on Tuesday that people who arrive by unauthorised means should not be allowed to claim asylum in the UK.

Home secretary Suella Braverman vowed to press on with a contentious plan to send some arriving asylum-seekers on a one-way trip to Rwanda.

She, however, acknowledged that a legal challenge to the policy means it is unlikely anyone would be deported to Rwanda this year.

The UK government believes that this policy would deter human traffickers but human rights activists claim that it is inhumane.

PM to pledge a ‘new Britain for the new era’

04:55 , Maroosha Muzaffar

Liz Truss is expected to wrap up the Conservative Party conference by pledging a “new Britain for the new era” after a turbulent week.

In her conference speech, she will defend her approach and reiterate chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng’s plan to boost growth.

Ms Truss will tell the audience: “Whenever there is change, there is disruption. Not everyone will be in favour.”

Liz Truss refuses to apologise for economic turmoil caused by mini-budget

04:27 , Maroosha Muzaffar

Liz Truss has refused to apologise to people who lost their mortgage deals, or those who are paying higher mortgages as a result of the turmoil triggered by the mini-budget.

In an interview with Sky News, she said: “I think there’s absolutely no shame in a leader listening to people and responding and that’s the kind of person I am. I’ve been totally honest and upfront with people that everything I have done as prime minister is focused on helping people get through what is a very difficult winter.”

Scottish Bill to freeze rents over winter passes first stage

03:00 , Lamiat Sabin

Legislation that would temporarily freeze rents and ban evictions in Scotland has passed its first stage.

MSPs backed the general principles of the Cost of Living (Tenant Protection) (Scotland) Bill by 88 votes to 29 on Tuesday.

Stage two amendments will be taken on Wednesday and a final vote will happen on Thursday.

Under the legislation, rent increases will be frozen at 0% until 31 March, backdated to 6 September, with ministers having powers to extend this for two further six-month periods if necessary.

Patrick Harvie, the Scottish Government’s tenants’ rights minister, said: “The legislation we’re proposing will help keep people in their homes and help stabilise their housing costs during this extraordinary costs crisis.

“We believe the package of measures strikes the right balance between this aim and ensuring landlords can continue to offer properties for rent and manage tenancies sustainably.”

The Bill will cover the private and social rented sector, as well as student accommodation.

Tory conference fall-out ‘very damaging’, Villiers says

02:00 , Lamiat Sabin

Arguments at the Conservative Party conference have been “very damaging”, a former minister has said.

Theresa Villiers told a PoliticsHome event at the conference in Birmingham: “Sadly, I think it has been very damaging, the events of today and the past few days, and I hope we can have a bit of a reset moment.”

Fellow Conservative MP Alicia Kearns added that politics “doesn’t feel much different” from the past year.

Braverman’s immigration and policing proposals – in brief

01:00 , Lamiat Sabin

Home secretary Suella Braverman has made a number of proposals in her speech at the Tory conference, on the main stage and in fringe meetings, on Tuesday.

She said that:

• Migrants crossing the Channel will face a blanket ban from claiming asylum in Britain

• “Illegal” asylum seekers will be deported or “relocated to Rwanda” while their claim is considered

• She has an “aspiration” of bringing the number of migrants and international students below 100,000

• There has been a 450 per cent increase in modern slavery claims since 2014

• Modern slavery laws to protect vulnerable people are being “abused” by many illegal migrants

‘Compassionate’ Kwarteng brushes off talk about benefits

Wednesday 5 October 2022 00:00 , Lamiat Sabin

Kwasi Kwarteng has insisted that he follows “compassionate conservatism” but refused to comment on whether the government will increase benefits in line with inflation.

The chancellor also told a Conservative Party conference fringe event that things were going “very well” since he took on the job, and suggested his party could win the next general election despite Labour’s massive lead in the polls.

This goes against warnings from former ministers – such as Grant Shapps and Nadine Dorries – who have warned that the Tories would be in trouble if there was an early general election.

Amid bitter infighting at the annual gathering, Cabinet ministers were publicly urging prime minister Liz Truss to raise benefits in line with inflation rather than the lower measure of wages.

Mr Kwarteng said: “Compassionate conservatism I thought was a good phrase and it’s something that I always think about in terms of policy and I think we do have a duty to look after very vulnerable people.”

But asked whether he would support uprating benefits in line with inflation, he replied: “I’m not going to get drawn into a debate about what we’re going to do on benefits.”

Tory conference on Wednesday newspapers' front pages

Tuesday 4 October 2022 23:00 , Lamiat Sabin

The Sun and Daily Mail were the only two national papers to not feature news stories about the Conservative Party conference on their front pages.

Independent: PM fights to keep party line as splits deepen

i: Tory open warfare

Financial Times: Truss strives to rally MPs after Tories renew infighting over benefits threat

City A.M.: Boom

Daily Telegraph: Disruption is the price of success, PM insists

Metro: Can she fix it?

Guardian: Tory turmoil amid claims of ‘coup’ to oust Truss

Times: Brace for more change, says Truss the disruptor

Morning Star: Tories in chaos over threat to cut benefits

Mirror: NOW Tories blame Queen’s death for the budget fiasco

Daily Star: Kwasi: It’s All The Queen’s Fault!

Daily Express: PM: My Changes Will Disrupt… But Build Better Future

Sun: Married BBC star's secret love child with stripper

Daily Mail: Official: Police To Attend EVERY Burglary

ICYMI: Labour support in ‘red wall’ seats soars to 61%

Tuesday 4 October 2022 22:31 , Lamiat Sabin

In case you missed it...

Support for Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour party has soared to 61 per cent in the north of England and Midlands constituencies, while Liz Truss’s Conservatives have slumped to just 23 per cent.

You can read the full details here by Adam Forrest

Labour support in ‘red wall’ seats soars to 61%

Donald Trump: ‘Liz Truss will do very well as prime minister'

Tuesday 4 October 2022 22:00 , Lamiat Sabin

Liz Truss has been given a glowing endorsement by Donald Trump.

The former Republican president of the US praised the recently-appointed Tory leader for her tax-cutting agenda.

Mr Trump said he believes that she will do “very well” as prime minister.

In an interview with GB News, he said: “I cut taxes very substantially and we did much more business and she’s done that.

“And I know she’s taken some hits for it, which surprises me actually, but it could be at the end of the day you do bigger revenues, it’s going to be very interesting.

“What she did is very inverse to what some people thought. But that doesn’t mean they were right. I have a feeling she might be right.”

Braverman berated for saying she wants UK to leave ECHR

Tuesday 4 October 2022 21:30 , Lamiat Sabin

A senior government source has criticised home secretary Suella Braverman for saying she wanted the UK to leave the European Convention on Human Rights, contrary to the government’s policy.

When Ms Braverman stood against prime minister Liz Truss for Tory leadership, she campaigned in favour of such a move.

She returned to the topic today at a fringe event hosted by Spectator magazine at the Tory conference in Birmingham.

Ms Braverman said: “I was pretty blunt about this issue in my leadership campaign.

“My position personally is that ultimately we do need to leave the European Convention on Human Rights.

“That is not government policy, I should say, government policy is to do everything we can within the convention, within the boundaries of the convention.

“But if that doesn’t work, then we will have to consider all options.”

But a senior government told the PA news agency: “As Suella acknowledged, her personal views are contrary to government policy and if she wishes to make those views known within government she should do so in a more appropriate setting.”

Dorries: ‘Removing Boris and his policies recipe for disaster’

Tuesday 4 October 2022 21:15 , Lamiat Sabin

Removing Boris Johnson and his policies “is a recipe for disaster,” former culture secretary Nadine Dorries has said.

Speaking to LBC Radio’s Iain Dale, she said: “I think what Liz (Truss) needs to do is stop right now and take stock of where she is, to learn from the mistakes of the past few weeks, to look at the manifesto that people elected us on.”

She added: “Because for me removing Boris and removing the policies is a recipe for disaster.”

Flip-flopping Dorries: Tories would ‘absolutely lose’ election

Tuesday 4 October 2022 21:02 , Lamiat Sabin

Nadine Dorries appears to be flip-flopping over whether the Tory government should call an early general election.

The former culture secretary has – at least two times – said that PM Liz Truss should trigger an election before 2024.

But now she’s saying that she’s not calling for a general election, as polls show that Labour would win by a landslide.

Ms Dorries, a loyalist of Ms Truss’s predecessor Boris Johnson, told LBC Radio’s Iain Dale: “There are a number of issues, but I just want to make clear I’m not calling for a general election, because the poll ratings at the moment, we’d absolutely lose it.”

She added: “I back Liz but what I want Liz to do is to – I’d just like everyone to calm down slightly and to not just throw the baby out with the bath water, which is what’s happening now and to think a bit more carefully about what it was people voted for in 2019.

“How they voted about our manifesto, about the deal that we have with the British public and the promises we made to them, and to think a little bit more about that before we go too gung-ho with policies that people are not going to vote for and not going to like in the future.”

‘Altercation’ as security guard ‘stops journalist asking question’

Tuesday 4 October 2022 20:45 , Lamiat Sabin

A journalist attending the Conservative conference said there was an “altercation” when the BBC’s Nick Robinson attempted to ask home secretary Suella Braverman a question.

Adam Bienkov, the political editor of Byline Times, said: “Altercation just now at Conservative conference between the BBC’s Nick Robinson and a security guard who was very heavy-handedly trying to physically prevent him from politely asking a question of the Home Secretary Suella Braverman.”

Badenoch slams Braverman’s ‘inflammatory’ attack on rebels

Tuesday 4 October 2022 20:30 , Adam Forrest

In another Cabinet row, Kemi Badenoch has criticised Suella Braverman for her “inflammatory” suggestion that rebel Tory MPs including Michael Gove had staged a “coup” over the top rate of income tax.

She told a ConservativeHome event: “I don’t think we should be talking about coups. I think that sort of language is just too inflammatory. People should be able to change their minds without the world coming to an end.”

But Ms Badenoch said she has been shouting at Mr Gove over his rebellion on the axing of the 45p top tax rate, which helped force the U-turn. “I’ve been shouting at him a lot since Sunday morning.”

MPs call for inquiry amid claims of mini-Budget insider trading

Tuesday 4 October 2022 20:15 , Lamiat Sabin

Dozens of MPs have called for a parliamentary inquiry into claims of insider trading around Kwasi Kwarteng’s budget.

In a letter to Mel Stride, the chair of the Treasury select committee, 31 MPs say the chancellor’s contact with financial traders in the run-up to the policy change should be scrutinised “without delay”.

Mr Kwarteng was reported to have privately met with at least one trader who profited from the fall in the value of the Pound sterling in the weeks ahead of his mini-Budget.

You can read the full story here by Jon Stone

Kwasi Kwarteng budget: MPs demand inquiry into ‘insider trading’ claims

Braverman: Police need to ‘stop pandering to identity politics’

Tuesday 4 October 2022 20:00 , Lamiat Sabin

Police need to stop spending time “pandering to identity politics”, home secretary Suella Braverman said in her wide-ranging speech about immigration and law and order.

At the Conservative conference, she accused the left of wanting to replace “profound, elemental values” with “the poison of identity politics” that she said “distracts our public servants from doing their real job”.

Ms Braverman also warned that protesters using “guerilla tactics” and engaging in vandalism during demos could be jailed – namechecking Just Stop Oil, Insulate Britain and Extinction Rebellion.

She also said: “It is not just that pandering to identity politics is a huge waste of time. [Police] need to stick to catching the bad guys ... More Pcs, less PC.”

Recently, she took aim at Sussex Police for “playing identity politics and denying biology”, after it said it would not tolerate critical comments about the identity of a transgender woman who sexually abused children years before transitioning.

The police force had said: “This is irrelevant to the crime that has been committed and investigated.”

Braverman’s plans ‘inhumane’, refugee rights groups say

Tuesday 4 October 2022 19:45 , Lamiat Sabin

Suella Braverman announced that migrants crossing the Channel will face a blanket ban from claiming asylum in Britain.

She set out the rules at the Conservative Party conference in her first major speech as home secretary.

Ms Braverman said: “If you deliberately enter the United Kingdom illegally from a safe country, you should be swiftly returned to your home country or relocated to Rwanda. That is where your asylum claim will be considered.”

She said legislation was being “abused” by people smugglers and she also took aim at lawyers at “specialist small boat-chasing law firms”, adding: “This cannot continue.”

Clare Mosley, founder of refugee charity Care4Calais, described the proposal as “barbaric” and that there is a “mountain of evidence that the vast majority are genuine refugees”.

Refugee Action chief executive Tim Naor Hilton said: “Banning those crossing the Channel from claiming asylum is a blatant breach of the international refugee laws that the UK proudly helped create in the first place.”

Steve Valdez-Symonds, Amnesty International UK’s refugee and migrant rights director, warned that the government’s behaviour was “doing serious damage to the UK’s international reputation”.

Steve Crawshaw, director of policy and advocacy at Freedom from Torture, said the “inhumane plans clearly undermine international rules introduced after the Holocaust that ensure no-one fleeing persecution is refused protection because of how they arrive in a country.”

Enver Solomon, chief executive of the Refugee Council, branded the proposals “deeply worrying and out of step with the majority of the public who support giving refugees protection.”

Lewis: ‘Court backlogs can only be cleared by ending strikes'

Tuesday 4 October 2022 19:30 , Lamiat Sabin

The ending of barristers’ strikes over legal aid fees is the “key to unlocking” the country’s “clogged-up courts”, justice secretary Brandon Lewis has said.

He told Conservative Party members at Birmingham’s ICC: “Our justice system should never be, we will not let it be, a lottery and that’s why I’ve already taken action to address those backlogs.”

He continued: “Now while there are many challenges that have contributed to that backlog, the key to unlocking our clogged-up courts will be ending the barristers’ strike over legal aid fees.

“That strike action has had a devastating impact on victims and justice has been delayed in too many cases.

“That’s why in my first few days as Lord Chancellor, I met the Criminal Bar Association (CBA) and last week we proposed a comprehensive new package, one that I hope will bring a swift end to the strike.

“We have to end revolving door industrial action, ending a cycle of brinkmanship.”

Truss could be replaced bad polls continue, says Shapps

Tuesday 4 October 2022 19:15 , Adam Forrest

Grant Shapps told Times Radio that MPs will not “sit on their hands” when it comes to ousting Ms Truss as leader should “the polls continue as they are”.

The former transport secretary said there was a “window of opportunity” to turn things around, but warned that “a way would be found” to change the leader again if needed.

“It’s important, not for members of parliament, but for the country, still two years to go to another election, that we have good, stable, sensible, smart government in place doing things that are required for the people in this country.”

Meanwhile, senior Tory MP Mark Harper pleaded for “discipline” from the government after another chaotic day of rows and confusion.

“We cannot have a situation like we’ve seen today,” the former chief whip told a fringe event.

Mr Harper said: “[We’ve seen] various cabinet ministers challenging the authority of the prime minister, government policy changing several times, and cabinet ministers … then criticising backbenchers for having the temerity to have an opinion.”

He added: “If that’s how we’re going to carry on, it isn’t going to work.”

Modern slavery laws ‘abused by illegal migrants gaming system’

Tuesday 4 October 2022 19:00 , Lamiat Sabin

Home secretary Suella Braverman said that “many” migrants crossing the English Channel to reach Britain are making false claims of being victims of modern slavery.

Speaking to the Conservative conference, she insisted that she would “not give up” on stopping small boats of migrants crossing the Channel.

She said there has been a 450 per cent increase in modern slavery claims since 2014.

Ms Braverman, who received two standing ovations during her speech, said: “Today, the largest group of small boats migrants are from Albania, a safe country. Many of them claim to be trafficked as modern slaves.

“That’s despite them having paid thousands of pounds to come here or having willingly taken a dangerous journey on the Channel.

“The truth is many of them are not modern slaves and their claims of being trafficked are lies.”

Ms Braverman continued: “We need to make sure our system strikes the right balance. Our laws need to be resilient against abuse whilst at the same time ensuring we help those in genuine need.”

Braverman: Lib Dems ‘will go bananas’ over immigration plans

Tuesday 4 October 2022 18:45 , Lamiat Sabin

Tory delegates gave home secretary Suella Braverman two standing ovations in response to her speech in which she reiterated pledges to cut immigration.

She told the main conference hall in Birmingham that she would “not give up” on stopping small boats of migrants crossing the English channel.

During her speech, she said that the Labour Party “will try to stop” her immigration plans and that the Liberal Democrats “will go bananas”.

“The Guardian will have a meltdown,” she added.

The second standing ovation was after she finished her speech, in which she also said she would “always back our policemen and women” against activists’ demands to defund them.

Kwarteng: ‘Mini-Budget got everyone talking about growth'

Tuesday 4 October 2022 18:30 , Lamiat Sabin

Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng has said that his catastrophic mini-Budget has succeeded in getting “everyone to talk about growth” – despite that it tanked the pound and spooked the markets.

At a fringe event at Tory conference, he was asked what could be done to shift the mindset to a more pro-growth agenda.

He said: “I think we already have. Not everyone agrees with some of the elements of the plan but everyone’s talking about growth.”

When asked about his mini-budget, he said: “I’m very proud of it.”

Labour has 61 per cent approval rating in ‘red wall’ seats - poll

Tuesday 4 October 2022 18:17 , Lamiat Sabin

The Labour Party has a 38-point lead over the Conservatives in the north of England’s “red wall” seats, a new poll suggests.

Sir Keir Starmer’s party has an approval rating of 61 per cent while the Tories under prime minister Liz Truss have 23 per cent.

Labour’s lead had increased by 12 per cent while the Conservatives’ rating dropped by 11 per cent compared to last month.

The poll by Redfield & Wilton was conducted on 3 and 4 October, and its results were compared to a previous survey on 19 and 20 September, indicating that the changes are mainly down to Ms Truss becoming prime minister.

Delegates ‘dozing’ as Coffey says ill should return to work

Tuesday 4 October 2022 18:00 , Lamiat Sabin

The Tory government said it’s aiming to get more people who are deemed too ill to work back into employment.

But, during Therese Coffey’s speech, several Conservative Party conference delegates were seen appearing to have a kip.

The camera panned to show four delegates appearing to be taking a nap while the health secretary spoke standing under a sign that reads: “Getting Britain Moving”.

On the main stage of the conference, Ms Coffey said: “We know work is good for you, both physically and for mental wellbeing, as well as putting more pounds in your pocket.

“That is why I will strive to support those not working now due to ill health, to help them to start, stay, and succeed in work; building on the Prime Minister’s pledge to have more mental health support in communities.

“Because together we can deliver a healthier, more productive society, all the stronger, to help grow our economy.”

Tories pledge to replace ‘dental deserts’ with ‘oral care oases’

Tuesday 4 October 2022 17:45 , Lamiat Sabin

The government will aim to create “oases of oral care rather than dental deserts” with regulatory reforms it plans to bring forward next week.

This was announced by health secretary Therese Coffey at the Conservative Party conference.

Some parts of the country have just one dentist per 16,000 people, The Telegraph reported last week.

On average, there is now one NHS dentist per 6,849 people in England – down from one per 6,667 in 2019.

Ms Coffey said: “It is frankly bonkers that we have restrictions on the recognition of doctors, dentists and nurses within the UK itself.

“That is why I am laying regulations next week which will allow the General Dental Council to get on with accrediting dentists to work right across our United Kingdom, so we can have oases of oral care, rather than dental deserts.”

Braverman’s views on international students ‘disappointing’

Tuesday 4 October 2022 17:30 , Lamiat Sabin

Jo Johnson, a former Conservative universities minister, criticised home secretary Suella Braverman for her “disappointing” comments about the number of international students coming to the UK.

The brother of former prime minister Boris Johnson told Times Radio: “Our higher education sector is one of very few globally competitive industries that we have as a country.

“If we want to be a science superpower, which is one of the government’s objectives, you can kiss goodbye to that completely if we don’t have international students.”

He also criticised comments made by education minister Andrea Jenkyns about so-called “Harry Potter degrees” at a fringe event at the Conservative Party conference.

Mr Johnson said: “It’s a bit of an old cliche. It used to be that ‘Mickey Mouse studies’ was the favourite sort of target for attack and now it’s become Harry Potter studies. The reality is these courses are few and far between relative to the numbers of really valuable courses that our higher education system is providing.

“Our universities are a really great national asset for the UK and this relentless uni-bashing is a bit wearisome, so I would urge ministers to go easy on the sort of relentless negativity about a sector which is really one of our great strengths as a country.”

Nadine Dorries repeats demand for Truss to call early election

Tuesday 4 October 2022 17:15 , Lamiat Sabin

Nadine Dorries has repeated her call for a general election, saying that Liz Truss needs a “fresh mandate”.

The former culture secretary, who was a staunch ally of Ms Truss’ predecessor Boris Johnson, said that Tory voters in 2019 had backed the manifesto on which he stood for.

It comes after Ms Truss suggested that her government – only formed a month ago following Mr Johnson’s departure from Downing Street – would have to “look at things differently as we move forward”.

Meanwhile, a petition that is set to be debated in Parliament has received more than 500,000 signatures.

The Cabinet Office responded to the petition, saying that whether a general election is held earlier than 2024 is up to Ms Truss, adding: “A change in the leader of the governing party does not trigger a general election – this has been the case under governments of successive political colours.”

Liz Truss ‘sorry’ for not being ‘specific’ about energy costs

Tuesday 4 October 2022 17:00 , Lamiat Sabin

PM Liz Truss has apologised for not being “more specific” about how much households would pay for their gas and electricity.

Last week, she said in radio interviews that “nobody” would be paying more than £2,500 for their energy bills per year.

But today she was told to correct her statements amid concerns they could lead people to wrongly believe they would pay a maximum of £2,500 regardless of how much energy they used.

The average annual household energy bill rose from £1,971 to a frozen £2,500 from 1 October under the government's recently-announced energy price guarantee.

But the plan only caps the cost per unit that households pay, with actual bills still determined by how much energy is consumed.

Asked about her comments by LBC’s Nick Ferrari At Breakfast, Ms Truss said: “I was talking about the typical bill, and what we’re actually doing is capping it per unit of energy, and the number I gave was for the typical household.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t more specific.”

Mr Ferrari replied: “But you accept that you got that wrong?”

Ms Truss said: “I agree. I should have been more specific.”

Welsh secretary signals opposition to real-terms benefits cut

Tuesday 4 October 2022 16:45 , Lamiat Sabin

Sir Robert Buckland, Liz Truss’s Welsh secretary has joined fellow cabinet minister Penny Mordaunt in making clear his desire for benefits to be uprated with inflation, writes Adam Forrest.

“I’m a one nation compassionate conservative … I believe in the safety net as well,” the cabinet minister told BBC’s Newsnight.

Asked if he wanted to see benefits rise in line with inflation, Sir Robert replied: “Every Conservative government that I’ve been part of has maintained the safety net, and I’m sure this one will do the same.”

Meanwhile, Tory peer Eric Pickles said it was “almost certain” that Tory MPs would rebel if Ms Truss attempted to uprate benefits in line with earnings rather than inflation.

He told the BBC that colleagues had told him “the numbers against not uprating were greater than those that were against the 45% income tax [cut]”.

Minister mocks Truss over trade record and names Badenoch ‘the future’

Tuesday 4 October 2022 16:30 , Aisha Rimi

A government minister has mocked Liz Truss over her record on post-Brexit trade deals and anointed a rival as “the future of our party”.

In fresh evidence of Tory unity breaking down after the botched budget, Conor Burns suggested the prime minister’s time as trade secretary was a tale of style over substance.

The trade minister praised Kemi Badenoch, who now holds the trade brief, contrasting her approach with the way Ms Truss became notorious for her social media output in the job, reports Rob Merrick.

Minister mocks Liz Truss over trade record and calls rival ‘the future’