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No. 10 has announced new government appointments.
Heather Wheeler is now Parliamentary Secretary to the Cabinet Office.
Guy Opperman has been appointed parliamentary undersecretary of state for the Department of Labor and Pensions.
Julie Marson has been appointed parliamentary undersecretary of state for the Department of Labor and Pensions and a government assistant.
Updated at 18.16 BST
An Opinium poll for Channel 4 News shows that Rishi Sunak is the most popular choice to be the next leader among Conservative party members.
The poll puts Sunak at 25%, just ahead of Secretary of State Liz Truss at 21%, and Secretary of Defense Ben Wallace at 12%.
Updated at 18.05 BST
Some reaction to the appointment of Peter Bone as deputy leader.
There have been no deputies from the Commons throughout Boris Johnson’s term as prime minister. He literally does it for laughter. https://t.co/IyKe29T7a3
– Patrick Maguire (@patrickkmaguire) July 8, 2022
Peter Bone appointed Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons
The Queen has had the pleasure of approving the following appointments:
- Andrew Griffith, MP, will be parliamentary undersecretary of state in the Department of International Trade;
- Jane Hunt, deputy, will be parliamentary undersecretary of state in the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy;
- Karl McCartney MP will be parliamentary undersecretary of state in the Department of Transportation;
- James Morris, MP, will be parliamentary undersecretary of state in the Department of Health and Social Care;
- Andrea Jenkyns MP will be parliamentary undersecretary of state in the Department of Education;
- Deputy Simon Baynes will be a parliamentary undersecretary of state jointly in the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of the Interior;
- Steve Double MP will be a parliamentary undersecretary of the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs;
- Deputy Amanda Solloway will be Parliamentary Undersecretary of State in the Ministry of the Interior and Parliamentary Undersecretary of State (Minister for Equality) in the Office of Foreign Affairs, Commonwealth and Development;
- Deputy Peter Bone will be the deputy leader of the House of Commons.
Richard Partington
Boris Johnson entered Downing Street in July 2019 with a promise. Those who doubted, dumped and clumsy would be wrong again: their leadership would make Brexit a success, reviving a stagnant economy by divisions over Europe.
Three years later, almost to the day, he prepares to leave the country faltering with a self-made political implosion and an economy on the brink of recession.
The cost of living is accelerating at the fastest annual rate in four decades, while households are facing the hardest hit for real disposable income.
This was not in the reinforcement script. To be fair, it was also not the biggest global health emergency in a century and the war on European soil.
Updated at 17.36 BST
Rishi Sunak release video: quick verdict
Andrew Sparrow
Rishi Sunak’s release video is sleek and extremely professional. (Nor is it the kind of thing that has been achieved quickly, since Sunak resigned Tuesday night.) The former chancellor has spent a lot of time in the U.S., where the political consulting industry is much more advanced than in the UK, and the video has all the hallmarks of a top-notch production based on the best tips money can get.
The technical quality is very good. It starts with Sunak telling a story, and it’s a story about his immigrant family background, hard work, success, and family. “Family is everything to me, and my family gave me opportunities they could only dream of,” he says, in a formula that frames his privileged education (he went to Winchester, one of the country’s most elitist private schools). ) in the context of upward mobility. From there he moves on to the love of the country and the values Sunak says are “non-negotiable” for him: “patriotism, justice and hard work.” He ends with Sunak saying, “We’ve had enough of division,” and talking about how he wants to bring people together because “it’s the only way to succeed.” You could post an ad like this for almost any centrist candidate in a Western democracy and it would probably work. These are messages with great appeal.
There is no policy in the video, and little is specific. But not surprisingly, Sunak focuses on his track record as chancellor, saying he “headed the toughest department in government during the toughest times when we faced Covid’s nightmare.” It’s hard to argue with, and that will be at the heart of the campaign.
More intriguingly, Sunak also hints at the approach he will take to spend arguments in the contest.
The decisions we make today will decide whether the next generation of Britons will also have the opportunity for a better future.
Do we face this moment with honesty, seriousness and determination? Or do we tell ourselves comforting fairy tales that can make us feel better right now, but that will leave our children worse tomorrow? Someone has to take that moment and make the right decisions.
While some might see a “pretty comforting story” as a good description of Brexit (which Sunak backed), here he is talking about public debt, his belief that over-indebtedness is irresponsible, which should be pay tax cuts and that some of this Tory colleague are mistaken in believing that tax cuts will be paid for on their own (a point he made explicitly in his Mais conference).
A curious feature of the video is that it is aimed at the general public. But the general public will not get a vote on who will become the next Conservative leader. It is a decision of the Conservative MPs and about 100,000 party members.
That’s all about me for today. My partner Nadeem Badshah is taking over now.
Rishi Sunak Photography: Rishi Sunak
Updated at 17.39 BST
Mark Spencer, the leader of the Commons, and another ex-foot in no Conservative, also supports Rishi Sunak.
Mark Spencer:
Rishi is the leader who can unite the Party, unite the whole country and win us the fifth victory of the general election. In severe times we need a person with a proven track record. Rishi gets my full support.
– Mark Spencer (@Mark_Spencer) July 8, 2022
Rishi Sunak has some Conservative MPs already declaring their support.
This is from Mark Harper, the former whip in head.
And that’s from Jacob Young. He is a deputy for Redcar and Cleveland.
Lord Greenhalgh has resigned as Minister of Building Security. In his resignation letter, he says he has been saddened by the events that led Boris Johnson to decide, and that he has decided it is also time to go. Greenhalgh worked with Johnson in City Hall when Johnson was mayor. He was deputy mayor of police.
Rishi Sunak launches his campaign for conservative leadership
Rishi Sunak, the former chancellor, has launched his campaign for conservative leadership with an elegant video. In it he stresses his immigration heritage, declares that “for me family is everything” and insists that he will not be a candidate who offers “comforting fairy tales”.