Two very different women battling to be our second female Prime Minister
“Britain is to have a second woman Prime Minister, with Theresa May the overwhelming favourite to fill Margaret Thatcher’s shoes. On a historic day at Westminster, Tory MPs whittled down the list of contenders to just Mrs May and junior energy minister Andrea Leadsom. It means Britain will have a woman Prime Minister for the first time since Lady Thatcher left office 26 years ago.” – Daily Mail
- ‘The Iron MAYden’: how newspapers reacted – Daily Telegraph
- May claims rival would let criminals remain – The Times (£)
- Home Secretary is a pragmatic reformer but tough on migration – FT
- Final two begin the battle to succeed Cameron – Daily Telegraph
- Ten reasons it must be Theresa – The Sun
Leadsom:
- Leadsom steps from the shadows to take on May – The Times (£)
- How she can beat the Home Secretary – The Guardian
- Underdog’s supporters confident she can win grassroots – FT
- Leave campaigner feels ‘responsibility’ to lead Britain out – Daily Express
- New doubts over Energy Minister’s career claims – Daily Mail
- Contender’s bank claims ‘ludicrous’ – The Times (£)
- Has Leadsom’s blueprint for power leaked in Twitter? – Daily Mail
- Challenger pledges jobs… and foxhunting – The Times (£)
- Leadsom forced to deny God would drive her policies – The Sun
Gove:
- Gove pays the price for knifing Johnson – Daily Mail
- Justice Secretary out but not down – The Times (£)
- Gove tipped for one of the great offices of state – The Sun
- Leading Leaver faces uncertain future – The Guardian
- Backers blaim Boris betrayal for third-place finish – Daily Telegraph
- In the end, too few MPs were willing to trust him – Andrew Pierce, Daily Mail
- The spectacular self-destruction of Michael Gove – James Kirkup, Daily Telegraph
>Yesterday:
Ruth Davidson: May is the woman to go toe-to-toe with Merkel… and Sturgeon
“…it is no surprise that those in leadership positions in the Conservative party in Scotland – myself in Holyrood, Annabel Goldie in the House of Lords, David Mundell in the Commons and our MEP Ian Duncan – are all agreed that the person most able to protect Scotland’s place in the United Kingdom is Theresa May.” – Daily Telegraph
- The Home Secretary is just what Britain needs: hard as nails – Nusrat Ghani, Daily Telegraph
- May helped divide Britain, she won’t heal it – Yvette Cooper, The Guardian
Leadsom:
- Leadsom gives right-wing Tories a chance to take their party back – Tim Stanley, Daily Telegraph
- The glitter of novelty, but what’s underneath it? – Matthew d’Ancona, The Guardian
Comment:
- At last, Tory members turn the spotlight on women – Patrick Kidd, The Times (£)
- Break out the stiletto-shaped bunting for a female Prime Minister! – Claire Cohen, Daily Telegraph
Sketches:
- Cancel Tuscany! Tory MPs prepare for a summer campaign – Quentin Letts, Daily Mail
- Calming words set tone for the Pleasant’s Revolt – Patrick Kidd, The Times (£)
- The day MPs marched for Leadsom – Michael Deacon, Daily Telegraph
Editorial:
- Only Mrs May has the stature to be Prime Minister – Daily Mail
- Conservatives must put pragmatism over ideology – The Times (£)
>Today:
>Yesterday:
Cameron commits 650 more troops to Eastern Europe
“David Cameron will tell world leaders Britain remains a global force despite voting for Brexit at a Nato summit today. The Prime Minister will pledge 650 more British troops to support Nato missions in Eastern Europe in a bid to help thwart Russian aggression. He will also confirm that the UK’s commitment to spending 2 per cent of its national income on defence at today’s Warsaw summit.” – Daily Mail
- Prime Minister reassures NATO over UK’s defence spending – The Guardian
- Up to 4,000 British soldiers could be deployed to deter Russian aggression – The Sun
- Why this might be the most significant NATO summit since the Cold War – Daily Telegraph
- Soldiers demand military chiefs apologise for Iraq – The Times (£)
Barack Obama: America’s alliances with Britain and the EU shall endure
“The special relationship between the US and the UK will endure. I have no doubt that the UK will remain one of Nato’s most capable members — a nation that pays its full share for our common security and is a leading contributor to alliance missions. And, given the current threats facing Europe, I fully expect that Britain will continue to be a major contributor to European security. Likewise, the US will continue to have an indispensable partner in the EU.” – FT
- Britain must push European allies to spend more on defence – The Times (£)
Ministers 1) Osborne bullish about the City despite Brexit warnings
“George Osborne and the Wall Street banking giants which helped bankroll the Remain campaign yesterday issued a resounding vote of confidence in the City of London. In a joint statement with the Chancellor, investment banks including Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and JP Morgan pledged to ensure the City of London remains the world’s dominant financial centre when it leaves the EU.” – Daily Mail
- ‘Big Six’ Scottish business groups urge SNP to work with UK on Brexit – Daily Telegraph
- Mortgage rates fall to record low – The Times (£)
- Migrants more picky about British jobs – FT
Overseas:
- Javid opens preliminary trade talks with India – The Guardian
- Europe won’t help UK out of ‘black hole’ warns Belgian premier – FT
- Manufacturing booms as China eyes trade deal – Daily Mail
- Rubio urges Senate to help secure special relationship post-Brexit – Daily Telegraph
Comment:
- We can’t leave negotiations with Europe to the Tories – Jeremy Corbyn, The Guardian
- World faces deflation shock as China devalues – Ambrose Evans-Pritchard, Daily Telegraph
- Forget the young who blame the old for Brexit, most didn’t vote – Tom Utley, Daily Mail
- Transatlantic treaties are no quick fix for Brexit – Gillian Tett, FT
Editorial:
- A British model for a post-referendum future – FT
Ministers 2) Hammond blasted for ‘dereliction of duty’ over lack of Brexit planning
“Philip Hammond was blasted today after revealing the Foreign Office made no plans for Brexit – and saying he didn’t “see the need” for any. The Foreign Secretary and other ministers were accused of a “dereliction of duty” for not drawing up any contingency plans.” – The Sun
- New head confirms Treasury made no plans for Brexit – FT
>Yesterday: Mark Florman in Comment: There are much bigger challenges ahead than Brexit
Ministers 3) Morgan snubs Education Committee to drive through Ofsted pick
“She announced yesterday that Amanda Spielman will be appointed schools watchdog even after being rejected by the Commons education committee. The committee had warned they were ‘unconvinced’ and ‘troubled’ by Ms Spielman’ s nomination and said she lacked ‘vision and passion’.” – Daily Mail
>Today: John Bald in Local Government: The real problem with Ofsted is that its role is too wide
Labour MPs insist there’s a ‘slim chance’ Corbyn will quit but fear to strike
“Talks to try and persuade Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn to quit will continue today as his rivals hesitate over a bid to force him out… Talks will continue later today and sources claimed to MailOnline there remained a ‘slim chance’ of success as the party tried to navigate ‘completely uncharted territory’.” – Daily Mail
- Membership rises by 100,000 as loony left ride to Corbyn’s rescue – The Sun
- Corbyn stands defiant after membership surge – The Guardian
- Hint of second challenge as Smith says he’ll do ‘anything’ to save Labour – Daily Telegraph
- Opposition rebels may unite around a single challenger – The Times (£)
- Coup grinds to a halt as key plotter calls for more time – The Sun
- Up to 150 MPs to defy Corbyn on Trident renewal – Daily Telegraph
- Labour peeress accused of patronising voters over Brexit – Daily Express
Philip Collins: Letting party members choose leaders is pure folly
“The fear that Mr Corbyn would win stays the hand of Angela Eagle and Owen Smith, both of whom are ready to challenge. The gap between the parliamentary party, in which 172 MPs have declared no confidence in their nominal leader, and the members at large is breaking Labour apart.” – The Times (£)
- Any functioning party would have kicked Corbyn out long ago – Tom Harris, Daily Telegraph
>Today: Lewis Baston’s column: Half a Government and no real Opposition – the general election of 1922
News in Brief:
- NHS bosses to axe a third of children’s heart units – Daily Mail
- Four officers killed by snipers as black America rages against police violence – The Times (£)
- Five men crushed to death in Birmingham after wall collapse – Daily Telegraph
- US tax authorities probe Facebook’s Irish transfers – FT
- Police lock down parts of Parliament to investigate powder in letter to peer – The Sun