Rishi Sunak news - live: Boris Johnson had support to challenge PM in leadership race

‘Two candidates’ hit threshold needed to get onto ballot and ‘one of them decided not to submit his nomination’, MP says

Suella Braverman: Senior MPs put further pressure on home secretary to fix migrant crisis

Boris Johnson’s claim to have had enough support to challenge Rishi Sunak in the Conservative leadership contest was true, a senior Tory who organised the race has suggested.

The new prime minister was elected leader of his party unopposed after Mr Johnson and Penny Mordaunt, now the Commons leader, dropped out of the contest.

Sir Graham Brady, chair of the powerful 1922 Committee which organises leadership contests, said “two candidates” had reached the threshold of 100 nominations needed to get onto the ballot of Tory members, and “one of them decided not to then submit his nomination”.

Earlier, a Home Office minister was branded “callous” after saying it is “a bit of a cheek” for migrants to complain about conditions at the overcrowded processing centre at Manston in Kent.

“If people choose to enter a country illegally and unnecessarily, it is a bit of a cheek to then start complaining about the conditions,” Chris Philp said in an interview yesterday.

“They don’t even have to come here, they were in France already and previously often passed through Belgium, Germany, and many other countries on the way,” he added.

Key Points

• Manston migrant centre is ‘legally compliant’, Philip insists
• London council leader cites ‘breakdown in communication’ over Manston migrants

[4 November 2022 09:05 · Emily Atkinson]

Watch: Sir Graham Brady retells of his conversation when Liz Truss realised she had to resign as PM

[4 November 2022 08:45 · Emily Atkinson]

‘Bit of a cheek’ for migrants to complain about conditions at overcrowded Manston, says minister

A Home Office minister has said it is “a bit of a cheek” for migrants to complain about conditions at the overcrowded processing centre at Manston in Kent.

Chris Philp was speaking as a hurried operation continued to reduce numbers held at the centre, where 4,000 people were crammed for as long as a month in a facility intended to house 1,600 for no more than 48 hours during initial assessments.

Manston was described as a “pressure cooker”, with individuals and families sleeping in tents amid reports of disease outbreaks and simmering tension.

Our political editor Andrew Woodcock reports:

[4 November 2022 08:25 · Emily Atkinson]

London council leader cites ‘breakdown in communication’ over Manston migrants who slept in street

Clearly there has been a breakdown in communication”after 11 asylum seekers were reportedly left “abandoned” in central London without accommodation, Westminster city council Labour leader Adam Hug has said. Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme about the group of migrants who the Home Office believed had somewhere to stay, he said: “So, the picture is still confused even two days later.”

Mr Hug said a large number of people came into Westminster on Wednesday from Manston with wristbands and Home Office paperwork, but who “were not being dealt with properly.”

“Some of them got put on a coach to Norwich 12 hours later, so they arrived during the middle of the day and then were taken out at 1am overnight - very early on Thursday morning then another group of 11 presented at our homelessness services yesterday, working with local charities to get them off the streets.

“So, 11 people have turned up, seven of whom are keen to be housed by the Home Office, so clearly there has been a breakdown in communication here.

“We believe those people slept rough overnight and ultimately the chaos in Manston and the pressures to get that situation sorted is having a ripple effect with people being left to sleep rough on our streets in London.”

[4 November 2022 08:20 · Emily Atkinson]

Manston migrant centre is ‘legally compliant’, Philip insists

Policing minister Chris Philp has insisted Manston migrant centre is legally compliant just days after immigration minister Robert Jenrick suggested the opposite.

“I don’t accept the premise that it is not legally compliant today, a lot of change has been made even in the last few days since you spoke to Robert,” he told Sky News, contending that “significant improvements” have been set in motion.

It comes after two groups of asylum seekers were reportedly left “abandoned” in central London without accommodation or warm clothing after being taken from the Manston processing centre.

Mr Philip told the broadcaster that the Home Office had assured him that both groups of people told immigration officials at Manston they had the addresses of “friends and family” to go to.

“Clearly that understanding was not accurate, quite how that misunderstanding arose, maybe it was lost in translation, I don’t know, but clearly they have now all been looked after,” he said.