Tory leadership race - live: Mordaunt criticised for supporting homeopathy on NHS

Foreign secretary vows to axe tax hike and national insurance rise

‘Borrowing your way out of inflation is a fairytale’: Sunak and Truss clash over economy plan

Tory leadership hopeful Penny Mordaunt has been criticised for her support of homeopathy on the NHS.

Homeopathy is a treatment based on using diluted amounts of natural substances, but is not currently funded by the NHS due to its “lack of effectiveness”.

Ms Mordaunt has advocated the practice according to an analysis of her parliamentary record and past comments, and was one of 16 supporters of a motion in the House of Commons criticising the British Medical Association for withdrawing NHS support for homeopathy, in June 2010.

Meanwhile, Liz Truss has pledged that families could receive tax breaks of up to £2,500 to help them take time out of work to look after children or other family members.

Ms Truss has promised a radical overhaul of the taxation system if she gets into Downing Street that would also include ditching green levies on energy bills and reversing an increase to national insurance.

It comes after the five contenders to become the UK’s next prime minister clashed over tax cuts and Boris Johnson’s honesty in a debate on Friday night.

A snap Opinium poll found 36 per cent of viewers believed Tom Tugendhat performed best – while just 10 per cent of Tory voters said the same of Ms Truss.

Key points

• Penny Mordaunt under fire for support of homeopathy
• Truss promises £2,500 tax break for families
• Snap poll puts Tugendhat as clear winner of debate – as Truss stumbles
• Mordaunt says rivals fear her the most and she is not scared of becoming PM
• Truss campaign not involved in ‘black ops’ onslaught against Mordaunt, Shapps insists
• Lord Frost calls on Kemi Badenoch to withdraw and back Truss
• Who is backing whom in race to replace Boris Johnson?

[15 July 2022 20:03 · Jane Dalton]

Applause for a Tugendhat ‘No'

The standout moment of the televised debate so far was when the candidates were asked for a one-word answer as to whether Boris Johnson was honest, and Mr Tugendhat was the only one to give a straight “No”. He received applause as he shook his head.

[15 July 2022 19:55 · Jane Dalton]

Mordaunt: attacks are a big compliment

Penny Mordaunt said she took the attacks on her campaign to be the next prime minister as a “big fat compliment”.

As the candidates were questioned about trust during the Channel 4 debate, Ms Mordaunt was asked about the “hit job” on her in the press.

She said: “We are all responsible for our own campaigns and I take it as a big fat compliment that no-one wants to run against me.

“The campaign that I’m running, people can see, is not doing that. I think it’s incredibly important, if we are going to rebuild trust, to stop that sort of thing.

“I would suggest to candidates that they adopt that model.”

Mr Tugendhat said of course having a prime minister who broke the law during lockdown was a problem.

Mr Sunak admitted it was a mistake, saying he was in Downing Street to work.

[15 July 2022 19:52 · Jane Dalton]

Sunak: I told PM enough is enough

Mr Sunak says he told Boris Johnson ‘enough is enough’ before resigning.

[15 July 2022 19:49 · Jane Dalton]

Awkward moment on: Is PM honest?

Asked whether the prime minister was honest, Ms Badenoch said “Sometimes.”

Ms Truss said Mr Johnson had himself admitted not all his statements were accurate. “He has been very clear himself that he made mistakes in Government” but she had taken his explanation for inaccurate statements over partygate “at face value”.

Ms Mordaunt said he had at least delivered on his promise to get Brexit done. She said: “There have been some really severe issues and I think he has paid a price for that.”

Mr Tugendhat shook his head and said no, receiving applause.

Mr Sunak said: “I tried to give him the benefit of the doubt for as long as possible and ultimately I reached the conclusion that I couldn’t, and that’s why I resigned... There were a number of reasons that I resigned but trust and honesty was part of that.”

[15 July 2022 19:46 · Jane Dalton]

Truss denies ‘dark ops’

Liz Truss said she was running an entirely positive campaign, after claims her team was guilty of “dark ops” - secretly smearing other candidates.

Rishi Sunak said he trusted all the other candidates, who were all on the same team.

Tom Tugendhat said if you want a fresh start, you need a new candidate.

(Channel 4)

[15 July 2022 19:42 · Jane Dalton]

Badenoch: It’s time to tell the truth

Kemi Badenoch says it’s time to stop making promises that cannot be kept.

“One of the things we have done wrong is we keep telling people what they want to hear. We make promises we can’t keep and try to please everyone, and I think that needs to stop. It’s time to tell the truth,” she said.

Penny Mordaunt said she could be trusted as she had spoken truth to power and her answer in office to the PM was longer than traditional ones.

[15 July 2022 19:40 · Jane Dalton]

Truss and Sunak hail own achievements in power

Liz Truss has hailed her record of achievement in government when asked why people could trust each of the candidates.

Speaking in the first live televised debate, she focused on the economy.

Rishi Sunak said he was willing to be honest with voters, even though he was attacked for it.

He said he had had disagreements with Boris Johnson privately but vaunted the government’s achievements.

It got to the point where enough was enough, he said.

[15 July 2022 19:07 · Jane Dalton]

Hancock backs Sunak

Former health secretary Matt Hancock praised Rishi Sunak’s rise from a modest family to MP, as the candidates began arriving at Channel 4 for the live debate.

(PA)

[15 July 2022 18:00 · Joe Middleton]

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[15 July 2022 17:26 · Jane Dalton]

Parliament building to shut in heatwave

Soaring temperatures are expected to make a section of a glass-fronted Parliament building too hot for government staff.

The Home Office helpdesk in Portcullis House will be closed on Monday and Tuesday, peers were told.

London is in the area covered by a Met Office red warning for extreme heat on those two days.

PCH, which was opened in February 200, provides offices for MPs and their staff.

Green Party peer Baroness Bennett said: “If we want a metaphor for the unfitness of our current politics and of everything we have delivered for our society, there, in a nutshell - or in a glass-shelled office - is your metaphor.”