End of day summary
Here’s a roundup of the key developments from the day:
Liz Truss is set to win the Tory leadership contest by a decisive margin next month, according to an exclusive Sky News poll. The foreign secretary has a 32-point lead over her rival, Rishi Sunak, in the poll, which was published today. The gap between the two candidates to replace Boris Johnson has narrowed – Truss had a 38-point lead in the last poll – but the foreign secretary is still set to win by large margin.
Future Tory leadership contests should be run faster, a cabinet minister has said, saying he would have been “happy if this whole process was over more quickly”. James Cleverly, a backer of Truss, said it would be right if the two-month process were curtailed in future.
Britain’s first double-digit inflation in more than four decades has cast doubts on the plausibility of the tax cuts being promised by Truss and Sunak during their leadership battle, one of the UK’s leading thinktanks has said. Following news that the government’s preferred measure of the cost of living rose by 10.1% in the year to July, the Institute for Fiscal Studies said higher inflation would mean extra spending on welfare benefits, state pensions and on debt interest.
Two-thirds of all UK households will be trapped in fuel poverty by January with planned government support leaving even middle-income households struggling to pay their bills, according to research. It shows 18 million families, the equivalent of 45 million people, will be left trying to make ends meet after further predicted rises in the energy price cap in October and January.
The leader of the RMT union, Mick Lynch, has suggested unions are on the brink of calling for “synchronised” strikes over widespread anger at how much soaring inflation is outpacing wages. Speaking from a picket line in Euston as railway workers staged another strike in their dispute over pay and conditions, Lynch predicted “a massive response coming from working people”.
Margaret Ferrier has pleaded guilty to breaching Covid rules by travelling on a train between Scotland and London after being told to self-isolate in September 2020. In a hearing at Glasgow sheriff court on Thursday, the MP for Rutherglen and Hamilton West admitted that she culpably and recklessly exposed the public to risk of Covid-19 infection.
Truss is to be “empty chaired” by farmers after snubbing the rural hustings scheduled for tomorrow. Sunak is due to address members of the National Farmers’ Union tomorrow, but despite pleas from the president of the NFU, Truss has refused to attend.
Keir Starmer is facing a potential revolt from union leaders and party members over banning his shadow cabinet from joining picket lines at the Labour party conference next month. Momentum has launched a campaign aimed at persuading Labour’s MPs and leadership into backing striking workers in the run-up to the conference in Liverpool at the end of September.
We’ll be closing this liveblog shortly. Thanks so much for joining me. I’ll be back again tomorrow.
Updated
Momentum tries to get Labour MPs to back strikers in revolt against Starmer's stance
Keir Starmer is facing a potential revolt from union leaders and party members over banning his shadow cabinet from joining picket lines at the Labour party conference next month.
Momentum has launched a campaign aimed at persuading Labour’s MPs and leadership into backing striking workers in the run-up to the conference in Liverpool at the end of September.
Launched two days before the next set of rail strikes called by the RMT, the campaign comes amid a backlash within Labour to Starmer’s ban on shadow ministers attending picket lines. Trade union leaders, including those usually loyal to the Labour leader, have reacted with fury to the picket line ban.
The campaign, Labour for labour, has been launched with Sam Tarry, who was sacked as shadow transport minister for attending a picket line with striking rail workers. Other MPs supporting it include Zarah Sultana, Jon Trickett and Dawn Butler.
Tarry said that by firing shadow ministers such as himself for standing on picket lines, Starmer was “in danger of driving a wedge between Labour and the millions of working people desperate for real relief” in the cost of living crisis.
He added:
There are seven million trades unionists in Britain - we need their votes to win power.
Momentum wants members to pass motions in their constituency Labour party (CLPs) to send to Labour conference at the end of September, with the aim of forcing the party’s leadership to instruct shadow ministers to attend picket lines.
The left-wing campaign organisation also said it was confident that the conference would see trade unions and party member delegates unite against Starmer’s position, in a major blow to his authority.
The series of ongoing strikes in response to the cost of living crisis have posed a headache for Starmer, who has seen his instruction not to attend picket lines ignored by multiple shadow ministers, including Lisa Nandy, a Labour whip, Nav Mishra, and shadow employment rights minister Imran Hussain.
Zarah Sultana MP said the cost of living crisis was getting worse while the Tory government “sits on their hands”.
She continued:
As a party, Labour should stand with workers standing up for their jobs and livelihoods, by backing an inflation-proof pay rise and getting down to picket lines. Whether it’s rail workers or posties or firefighters, these workers – and the trade unions that represent them – are the beating heart, not just of the labour movement, but of the country.
Hilary Schan, Momentum co-chair agreed:
Britain is on the brink – with the Tories missing in action, now is the time for Labour to champion real relief for the millions of people suffering in this cost of living crisis.
Keir Starmer needs to get off the fence and stand on the picket lines with working people fighting for their livelihoods, whether it’s rail workers or posties. What’s more, he should come out for the inflation-proof pay rise the people of this country deserve.
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