Rolling coverage of all the day’s political developments, including David Cameron’s last PMQs, Theresa May becoming PM and starting her cabinet reshuffle and Owen Smith launching his bid for the Labour leadership
Cameron delivers parting shots at Jeremy Corbyn in final PMQs
Owen Smith’s Today interview – summary and analysis
Lunchtime summary
Cameron’s speech in full as he left No 10
May’s speech in full on becoming PM
6.34pm BST
Here is the full text of Theresa May’s speech outside Number 10.
I have just been to Buckingham Palace where Her Majesty the Queen has asked me to form a new government and I accepted.
In David Cameron I follow in the footsteps of a great modern Prime Minister.
6.27pm BST
Here is the key extract from Theresa May’s speech. She committed herself to leading a one-nation government.
Effectively, she was redefining the name of the Conservative party. Officially it is the Conservative and Unionist party. The “unionist” refers to the UK (normally thought of now primarily in terms of England/Scotland, but originally it referred to the union of Britain and Ireland). But May insisted it should also refer to the union of rich and poor. It was an interesting piece of creative interpretation, because in the past others have not read it like this. She said:
In David Cameron I follow in the footsteps of a great modern prime minister. Under David’s leadership the government stabilised the economy, reduced the budget deficit and helped more people into work than ever before. But David’s true legacy is not about the economy but about social justice. From the introduction of same-sex marriage to taking people on low wages out of income tax altogether, David Cameron has led a one-nation government and it is in that spirit that I also plan to lead.
Because not everybody knows this, but the full title of my party is the Conservative and Unionist party. And that word, unionist, is very important to me. It means we believe in the union, the precious, precious bond between England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. But it means something else that is just as important. It means we believe in a union not just between the nations of the United Kingdom but between all of our citizens – every one of us – whoever we are and wherever we’re from.
6.08pm BST
After posing for photographs with her husband, Philip, on the steps of Downing Street, she heads into No 10, where the staff will be lining up to greet her.
6.07pm BST
Theresa May says the Queen has asked her to form a government and she has accepted.
David Cameron was a great modern prime minister, she says. He stabilised the economy. But his great legacy was social justice. He led a one-nation government. And that is how she intends to lead.
Right now, if you’re born poor, you will die on average nine years earlier than others. If you’re black, you’re treated more harshly by the criminal justice system than if you’re white. If you’re a white, working-class boy, you’re less likely than anybody else to go to university. If you’re at a state school, you’re less likely to reach the top professions than if you’re educated privately. If you’re a woman, you still earn less than a man. If you suffer from mental health problems, there’s too often not enough help to hand. If you’re young, you’ll find it harder than ever before to own your own home.
But, as I have said before, fighting these injustices is not enough. If you’re from a working-class family, life is just much harder than many people in politics realise. You have a job, but you don’t always have job security. You have your own home, but you worry about mortgage rates going up. You can just about manage, but you worry about the cost of living and the quality of the local school, because there’s no other choice for you.
6.01pm BST
Downing streets gates open for new PM pic.twitter.com/r0YJhnxfCY
6.01pm BST
Here is the statement from the Palace.
Buckingham Palace; The Queen received in audience the Right Hon Theresa May MP this evening and requested her to form a new Administration
The Rt Hon Theresa May accepted Her Majesty's offer and Kissed Hands upon her appointment as Prime Minister and First Lord of the Treasury.
5.59pm BST
Theresa May is leaving Buckingham Palace.
5.57pm BST
Crowds waiting for @theresa_may - fever pitch!! pic.twitter.com/5uzCcZa1OG
5.54pm BST
Here is another picture of Theresa May, now the new prime minister, with the Queen.
5.44pm BST
Theresa May is formally appointed Britain’s prime minister at Buckingham Palace by the Queen.
5.35pm BST
Most of us don’t get the chance to write our own obituaries, but in a sense that is what Cameron was doing from the podium outside No 10, in a speech (see 5.08pm) that combined a brief resume of what he considers his achievements with a nice tribute to his staff and his family and a little homily on the “spirit of service”. It was not a particularly remarkable speech, but it was noteworthy what he chose to stress: the economy (employment, lower taxes, the “national living wage” etc) and progressive, social justice measures (like increasing the aid budget, adoption reform and the national citizen service). There was not anything very party political in it (unsurprisingly) and there was only a brief reference to the issue that brought about his resignation, the EU referendum and Brexit.
Cameron fought the 2010 general election committed to creating the Big Society but over the next few years this was abandoned as a priority, partly because of austerity and partly because it turned out to be a vision with little electoral appeal. Cameron, though, never entirely gave up his belief in this vision and, although this speech did not contain what was once his catchphrase, it did end with a passage praising volunteers for “making our society bigger and stronger” and insisting that “the spirit of service is one of this country’s most remarkable qualities”. It sounded like the last gasp of the Big Society.
5.29pm BST
Theresa May is currently in a meeting with The Queen where she'll be asked to form a new government #DavidCameron pic.twitter.com/OzPA88ZS7m
5.22pm BST
Buckingham Palace has announced that David Cameron has resigned.
Theresa May is now leaving the Commons and heading for Buckingham Palace.
5.08pm BST
Here is the full text of David Cameron’s statement outside No 10.
Good afternoon. When I first stood here in Downing Street on that evening in May 2010, I said we would confront our problems as a country and lead people through difficult decisions so that together we could reach better times.
It’s not been an easy journey and of course we have not got every decision right, but I do believe that today our country is much stronger.
5.00pm BST
Sky’s Faisal Islam says David Cameron has now resigned.
So PM has resigned - May not there yet, Her Majesty has briefly "taken back control"
4.57pm BST
Here are some more pictures from Cameron’s speech.
4.55pm BST
4.53pm BST
4.47pm BST
Cameron says he has strengthened the NHS, and the armed forces.
He thanks those who have given him so much support, including the civil servants who have given him impartial advice, and his political staff.
4.42pm BST
David Cameron is coming out now with his wife and children.
He says he promised to lead the country to better times. It is “much stronger”, he says.
4.39pm BST
David Cameron is due to speak outside No 10 shortly.
4.38pm BST
Here is the Labour MP Graham Jones responding to the comments from Labour NEC member Johanna Baxter about how Jeremy Corbyn’s opponents have been subject to intimidation.
Corbyn supporting thugs at it again &putting MPs windows in attempt to control the party. CLPs to stop all meetings. https://t.co/ngMl8DMa1j
CLPs told not to meet for safety. Death & rape threats, windows smashed, staff threatened, MPs briefed agst. Rampant racism. Corbyn's Labour
4.28pm BST
Donald Tusk, the president of the European council, has – somewhat prematurely – congratulated Theresa May on becoming prime minister.
Congratulations to @theresa_may on her appointment as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom: https://t.co/6NmZgsw5LR pic.twitter.com/1Gkx1QtqPK
4.22pm BST
At PMQs David Cameron told a touching story about the gay marriage legislation he introduced.
I’ll never forget the day at No 10 when someone who works very close to the front door said to me, ‘I’m not that interested in politics, Mr Cameron, but because of something your lot have done, I’m able to marry the person I love this week.’ There are many amazing moments in this job, but that was one of my favourites.
A source close to the events told PinkNews that Mr Cameron might have airbrushed one detail from the story; the staffer’s comments actually brought the prime minister to tears as he was heading out to a meeting.
4.19pm BST
This is from the Economist’s Jeremy Cliffe.
From the Notting Hill set to the Maidenhead set? May, Greening, Hammond, Milton all unflashy, state-educated MPs for London suburbs.
4.17pm BST
Jeremy Corbyn has been speaking to the Unite conference in Brighton this afternoon. He’s had three standing ovations. These are from the Morning Star’s Conrad Landin.
Huge standing ovation for Corbyn #upc2016 pic.twitter.com/IoRtYqwVWM
Corbyn: "I’m really sorry I couldn’t be here yesterday, we had a bit of business to attend to in London" #upc2016
Corbyn calls for "maximum unity" of labour movement to defeat Tory government #UPC2016
"It's the same Theresa May who sent that disgraceful van round London telling migrants to go home" #UPC2016
Corbyn: workers' rights "weren’t a gift from above, they were an achievement from below that were endorsed eventually by the EU" #UPC2016
Corbyn condemns "wave of racist attacks" since referendum, suggesting rhetoric of Ukip etc is partially responsible.
Second standing ovation for Corbyn as he says Labour will repeal the Trade Union Act #UPC2016
Third standing ovation and the delegates seem to be chanting: "Jez! Jez! Jez!" #UPC2016
3.57pm BST
Nick Boles, the skills minister, has announced that he is leaving the government.
It has been a privilege to serve under David Cameron. Theresa May will have my full support from the back benches https://t.co/jcBfVfCnXg
3.38pm BST
In more reshuffle speculation, the Telegraph’s Christopher Hope says George Osborne will be replaced as chancellor and will leave the government.
George Osborne is to leave the Government, MPs say. One early backer of Mrs May tells me: "She doesn't need him." https://t.co/OvMgRW4Agn
3.36pm BST
At Westminster the resignations just keep coming. Jim Wallace is stepping down.
Jim who? The Lib Dem leader in the Lords, of course.
3.30pm BST
Former Welsh secretary and party grandee Peter Hain has praised Owen Smith, who is standing for the Labour leadership, saying he has deep roots within the Labour movement in south Wales.
He’s grounded in the Labour valleys, the sense of of the party and the country, which you don’t often find in modern politicians.
He’s fresh, he wasn’t a member of the last Labour government, he offers a credible evidence-based alternative to austerity. He’s radical on equality and social justice issues. He didn’t vote for the Iraq war, he wasn’t in parliament at the time.
Jeremy is not popular on the doorstep, he’s a big negative especially among Labour working class voters. Every day Jeremy remains leaders is a boost for Ukip in Labour working class heartlands.
3.29pm BST
This, from the BBC’s Moscow correspondent Steve Rosenberg, reveals what the Russian papers are saying about Theresa May.
"The woman who talks like a man": what the Russian papers are saying about Theresa May. Video review. pic.twitter.com/RDJHcFZLRk
3.23pm BST
Terry Hoppery, the chair of Pontypridd’s constituency Labour party, received a 7am call from Owen Smith informing him that he would be running for the Labour leadership.
“I’m 100% behind him,” said Hoppery. “I think he’s got the charisma. He is able to come across to people, talk to people. He’s got the same ideas as Jeremy Corbyn, he’s a Corbyn admirer to be honest. But Jeremy doesn’t seem to be able to connect with people. I know he’s got tremendous backing from certain members, but I think Owen would be a far more presentable leader. He is able to put his points over well.”
3.14pm BST
Here is ITV’s Robert Peston with his latest Theresa May reshuffle speculation.
Latest goss: Hammond chancellor, Greening foreign, Rudd home, Milton chief whip, Grayling Brexit. 75% of 4 great offices for women, if true
3.12pm BST
Angela Eagle has pledged that her leadership campaign will “keep it comradely” in her battle to unseat Jeremy Corbyn, calling on the Labour leader to also sign her promise to stop intimidation and abuse on both sides.
The pledge includes a promise to take action against any aggressive behaviour by supporters, end pickets of MPs’ offices or homes, and unite behind whoever wins the ballot “to fight the Tories and the general election”.
We want this to be a discussion we can all be proud of, where there is no space whatsoever for the kind of bullying and intimidation we have seen recently. I hope all of the other candidates in this leadership election and their supporters will sign up to this pledge.
I think uniting means we continue to represent our constituents on behalf of the Labour party. I think it’s right [not to split]. There’s only one Labour party, I’ve been a member since 1985.
I do think it would be better to have one anti-Corbyn candidate, I’ll be very frank about that. I think over the coming days that should be considered very careful.
But Angela’s had the guts and the courage in this leadership contest, she stuck her neck out on Wednesday. We need to have a woman leader and we are prepared to put our money where our mouth is and do it.
3.03pm BST
The “coup” against Jeremy Corbyn was mounted because opponents of the Labour leader cannot tolerate a socialist as the head of the party and as the leader of a socialist administration, according to John McDonnell, the shadow chancellor.
There’s been a lot of interest in what he had to say at the rally where the shadow chancellor – speaking of Corbyn’s opponents in the party – said that “as plotters they’re fucking useless”.
We defeated the first wave of a coup against Jeremy Corbyn. We did it thanks … Because all of you created a climate of opinion which gave courage to our representatives on the NEC who voted 18 to 14 that Jeremy would be on the ballot.
They [Corbyn’s opponents] have been plotting and conniving. The only good thing about it is that as plotters they are fucking useless.
2.51pm BST
It is not quite the Highland Clearances, but the Evening Standard’s Joe Murphy and Nicholas Cecil report that four Welsh MPs have been evicted from St Stephen’s Tower in the House of Commons to make way for David Cameron, who has been given a new office there.
The Evening Standard had a peek into the office in the Palace of Westminster where he will start his new life as a backbench MP and discovered that it boasts a medieval-style stone staircase, oak panelling and painted ceilings.
Staff were sprucing up the hastily emptied suite in St Stephen’s Tower for its new occupant, cleaning a stain from the green carpet, after four Tory MPs were kicked out to make way for him.
2.46pm BST
Buzzfeed’s Emily Ashton has named some of the Labour MPs who joined the Tories in giving David Cameron a standing ovation.
Tory MPs – and some Labour MPs – gave Cameron a standing ovation at his final PMQs https://t.co/UL8z5zmloZ pic.twitter.com/qOGgOpEfkg
2.27pm BST
I genuinely hope we will only have one candidate to campaign against Jeremy.
Today I'm pleased to sign the #KeepItComradely pledge. I hope all candidates and others will do so too pic.twitter.com/o4sdceWnY8
2.11pm BST
The departure of David Cameron has big implications for the Guardian’s cartoonist, Steve Bell. In this video Bell talks about drawing him.
2.07pm BST
Another removal van has been arriving at Downing Street today.
2.01pm BST
At PMQs David Cameron said that, contrary to some claims, he really did like Larry the Downing Street cat. (See 12.17pm.)
He has tweeted this as proof.
Proof... pic.twitter.com/UZVXn6WcUw
1.52pm BST
ITV’s Robert Peston thinks Philip Hammond, the foreign secretary, will be appointed chancellor by Theresa May.
Philip Hammond expected to be named chancellor by #TheresaMayPM, reports @Peston https://t.co/TSSoHKI44p pic.twitter.com/wa7hMEMljU
1.49pm BST
Theresa May spent her final evening before becoming prime minister having dinner with the chief rabbi, the Press Association reports. May and her husband, Philip, joined guests at the north London home of Ephraim Mirvis for the dinner, which had been arranged some time ago. Afterwards, in a statement, Mirvis described May as “a friend and champion of our community and of other faiths”. He said:
Today, Theresa May becomes prime minister at a time of great political, social and economic uncertainty. Few people are more talented or better qualified to tackle these immense challenges.
I recall the speed and the sensitivity with which she reached out to the Jewish community following the terror attacks on Jewish targets in Europe last year. As she made clear then, ‘Without its Jews, Britain would not be Britain.’
1.33pm BST
This picture shows people working in the Commons lining up to applaud David Cameron as he walked to his car after PMQs before being driven away.
1.15pm BST
David Cameron’s final appearance at PMQs was dignified and good-humoured but not charged with the same emotion that Tony Blair’s was nine years ago. Like Blair, Cameron chose to end with a little spiel expressing his faith in the House of Commons and in politics generally. But, whereas Blair’s (see 11.51am) is a lovely piece of writing that stands the test of time, Cameron’s comments (see 12.46pm) were relatively trite. Perhaps he has something a bit more high-powered prepared for the statement he is due to make outside No 10 later. Cameron’s decision to end, self-deprecatingly, with the words he used about Blair at his first PMQs was quite neat. But the line about how “nothing is really impossible if you put your mind to it” sounded somewhat crass given that he is leaving office because he found that winning the EU referendum was impossible. Cameron reportedly has no regrets about holding the referendum because he thinks the Commons must ultimately submit to the will of the public. But given that this belief has ended his career, it would be interesting to hear him elaborate on it.
Today was not a day for aggressive questioning and Jeremy Corbyn struck the right note. He made some pointed remarks about Cameron’s record, but he did so without ratcheting up the political malice and his joke about Cameron’s mum (see 12.17pm) was rather good. Cameron’s jokes were suitably measured too.
12.46pm BST
Here is Cameron’s peroration.
I will watch these exchanges from the backbenches. I will miss the roar of the crowd, I will miss the barbs from the opposition, but I will be willing you on.
And when I say willing you on, I don’t just mean willing on the new prime minister at this dispatch box, or indeed just willing on the frontbench defending the manifesto that I helped put together. But I mean willing all of you on, because people come here with huge passion for the issues they care about. They come here with great love for the constituencies that they represent. And also willing on this place. Because, yes, we can be pretty tough and test and challenge our leaders – perhaps more than some other countries – but that is something we should be proud of and we should keep at it, and I hope you will all keep at it, and I will will you on as you do.
12.38pm BST
The Conservative Ken Clarke thanks Cameron for his leadership, but also for the wit and elegance he has brought to PMQs. He asks if Cameron will remain an active participant in the Commons. As no two people know what Brexit means, we need his advice.
Cameron recalls trying to get Clarke to join the frontbench when he was on a birdwatching holiday in Patagonia. He says Clarke’s first act as chancellor was to sack Cameron as a special adviser. He says he was pleased to bring him into government. Clarke was never easy to get hold of. Tory modernisation never got as far as getting him to have a mobile phone, he says.
12.34pm BST
The SNP’s Carol Monaghan asks about broken promises and the renewal of Trident. Cameron has done more for Scottish independence than many others, she says. So will he join the SNP?
Cameron says Lord Smith himself said the vow to create a powerhouse parliament was kept. He has created a powerhouse parliament. But he has not seen the SNP use those powers.
12.32pm BST
Robin Walker, a Conservative, says he became an MP when Cameron became PM. Since then unemployment in Worcester has halved. He thanks Cameron for his legacy.
Cameron says there are 450,000 fewer children in households where no one works. That is particularly important.
12.31pm BST
Labour’s Adrian Bailey asks Cameron to impress on May the importance of retaining access to the single market.
Cameron says he agrees with this. It is vital to have proper access to the single market, he says.
12.30pm BST
Wendy Morton, a Conservative, praises Cameron for his firm focus on jobs, skills and investment.
Cameron says he wants to improve apprenticeships so people can have a career. And when they get a job, he wants them to pay less tax.
12.28pm BST
Labour’s Graham Stringer thanks Cameron for the courteous way he responds to questions. But until he had an eye operation he could not see him well. Is Cameron concerned that people are jumping the queue for cataract operations?
Cameron says he does not know the details of what Stringer is asking about.
12.27pm BST
Steve Brine, a Conservative, says Cameron once said politicians were a mixture of egotism and altruism. Cameron has stayed on the right side of that divide, he says.
12.26pm BST
Labour’s Jeff Smith says Cameron came into power planning to get rid of the deficit and to stop his party banging on about Europe. How has that gone?
Cameron defends his economic record, and says it was right to have an EU referendum.
12.25pm BST
Cameron says he is able to announce today compensation to victims of the contaminated blood scandal.
12.24pm BST
Angus Robertson, the SNP leader, offers Cameron his best wishes. But he says Cameron’s legacy is to take Scotland to the brink of coming out of the EU. So SNP MPs will not be applauding him. What advice has he given May about this?
Cameron says his advice to May, who is a “brilliant negotiator”, is that we should try to be as close to the EU as we can be.
12.19pm BST
Peter Lilley says Cameron has a mastery of the dispatch box that he has not seen anyone else achieve. People know Cameron is driven by a sense of duty, he says. They know he wants to make the UK more prosperous, more tolerant and more free.
Cameron thanks Lilley. He says PMQs has a purpose. It means he has to find out what is going on around the world. People watch it around the world. He recalls being in New York when someone came up to him and said “Cameron, PMQs – we love your show.”
12.17pm BST
Corbyn says he has a question from Nina. Can an EU citizen who has lived in the UK for 30 years have their right to stay revoked.
Cameron says there is no chance of that happening to someone in those circumstances. He says this might only happen if Britons in other countries did not have their rights respected
12.12pm BST
Corbyn says May said in her speech on Monday that people feel the economy does not work for them. Isn’t she right?
Cameron says, if he wants to talk about the economy, the defict has been cut by two-thirds, there are 2.5 million more people in work, there are almost 1m more businesses and 2.9 million apprentices.
12.08pm BST
Jeremy Corbyn starts by paying tribute to the British Wimbledon winners.
He says it is right to thank Cameron for his service. He has often disagreed with him, but he pays tribute to him for securing the release of Shaker Aamer and for his gay marriage legislation, which was passed with Labour votes.
12.05pm BST
Jack Lopresti, a Conservative, thanks Cameron for his hard work. And he asks about the Peshmerga, the Kurdish troops. Can the government do more to support them?
Cameron says they are doing valuable work. He will look at the suggestion to give them more medical help. Daesh is on the back foot. It has lost 45% of the territory it held in Iraq. 25,000 of its troops have been killed, he says.
12.03pm BST
Danny Kinahan, an Ulster Unionist, thanks Cameron for his contribution to Northern Ireland. And there are other leadership roles out there, he tells Cameron: the England football team, Top Gear, the US presidency. And he asks about Brexit.
Cameron thanks Kinahan for his suggestions. Most of those jobs sound even harder than this one, he says. He says it is important to keep the benefits of the common travel area for Northern Ireland.
12.01pm BST
David Cameron starts by congratulating Andy Murray and the other British Wimbledon winners.
Normally he says at this point he has other meetings later today. But today he says that, other than one meeting with the Queen, his diary for the rest of the day is “remarkably light”.
11.59am BST
Theresa May smiling and laughing as she chats to George Osborne and Philip Hammond on the front bench
11.59am BST
Sam Cam and children in the public gallery for last PMQs, very touching moments
11.58am BST
I normally do a snap Cameron/Corbyn verdict as soon as Corbyn has finished, but I sense that today is not really about the Cameron/Corbyn battle, and so I will post my verdict on PMQs as a whole when it is over.
11.58am BST
The Lib Dem MP Tom Brake is not feeling generous towards David Cameron on the day of his last PMQs.
#pmqs predicted to be a lighthearted affair, PM's last hurrah. Will never forgot he created largest economic self-inflicted risk in UK ever
11.56am BST
David Cameron enters Commons to big cheer. His last PMQs gets under way in a few minutes.
11.55am BST
Theresa May is here. Huge roar. Dark suit, red shoes. Labour MP says: "Mr Speaker i didn't know I was that popular." #PMQs
11.54am BST
Massive cheers from Tory benches as Theresa May comes in to sit next to Cameron ahead of his final PMQs.
11.54am BST
In gallery today is ex Cameron aide Lord Bridges. Wonder if he will get a promotion under May? Baroness Anelay hot tip as new Lords Leader
11.53am BST
Gabby Bertin, one of Cameron's closest aides over past decade in press gallery for his final #PMQs. Surely she's heading to House of Lords?
11.53am BST
Boris Johnson doesn't often come to PMQs. But he's made it along for Cameron's last
11.53am BST
This is from the Tory MP Jesse Norman.
Extraordinarily courteous of the Labour Party to lay on so much extra material for the Prime Minister at his final PMQs.
11.52am BST
Staff who've been with Cameron since long before he became leader in press gallery to see final PMQs.
11.51am BST
Here is footage of the last moment of Tony Blair’s final PMQs.
I have never pretended to be the greatest House of Commons man but I can pay the house the greatest compliment I can by saying that from the first until the last I have never stopped fearing it. The tingling apprehension I felt at three minutes to 12 today I felt as much 10 years ago and every bit as accute. It is in that fear that respect is retained.
Some may belittle politics but we know it is where people stand tall. And although I know it has its many harsh contentions, it is still the arena which sets the heart beating fast. It may sometimes be a place of low skullduggery but it is more often a place for more noble causes. I wish everyone, friend or foe, well and that is that, the end.
11.37am BST
Here is David Cameron’s first PMQs, on 7 December 2005.
11.35am BST
A prime minister’s last day in No 10 is always very unusual. Stewart Wood, who worked for Gordon Brown, has written an interesting blog about what it was like in Downing Street on the day Brown quit.
Here’s an excerpt.
The tenure of our prime ministers is bookended by two letters. The first is one with instructions to those in charge of our nuclear weapons, written as soon as they arrive in Downing Street; the last is one with good wishes for your successor written just as they leave. Gordon wrote three letters in those final hours – two to heroes that inspired him (Aung San Suu Kyi and Nelson Mandela) and one to David Cameron (accompanied by a bottle of something strong, as I remember). For all their rivalry, his letter to Cameron was warm and sincere, encouraging him never to forget what a privilege it is to be our nation’s leader, and full of praise for the extraordinary professionalism of the staff at Downing Street.
11.32am BST
Here is David Cameron leaving No 10 early to drive to the Commons for PMQs.
11.30am BST
Manchester Gorton Labour party has been suspended following allegations relating to the conduct of members, the Press Association reports.
It is understood the complaints centre around jostling within the constituency Labour party (CLP) ahead of Sir Gerald Kaufman’s seat becoming available if the 86-year-old does not stand at the next election. No meetings of the CLP or any of its branches will now take place while an inquiry is undertaken.
The Labour spokeswoman said: “Any complaints of bullying or intimidation and allegations of misconduct are always taken very seriously by the Labour party.”
11.26am BST
This morning, Owen Smith told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that he was opposed to the Iraq war. (See 11.06am.)
Channel 4 News’s Michael Crick has tweeted a link to this article from the WalesOnline in 2006 in which Smith, then a byelection candidate, said he did not know whether he would have voted against the Iraq war.
11.06am BST
Owen Smith, the former shadow work and pensions secretary, announced his bid for the Labour leadership on the Today programme this morning. In theory he is challenging Jeremy Corbyn for the job but much of what he said seemed to be directed at Angela Eagle, the former shadow business secretary who launched her own bid on Sunday. In broad political terms Eagle and Smith are very similar, but Smith is triangulating - trying to differentiate himself from two opponents by placing himself politically in a space in the middle - and in the interview he successfully managed to make himself sound noticeably to the left of Eagle on at least four points (Corbyn, Iraq, leadership election rules, and loyalty.)
Here are the key points.
Whilst Jeremy is a good man with great Labour values who has done a lot for this party and I think changed the debate in this country about our economy - he’s been right about lots of things - but he is not a leader who can lead us into an election and win for Labour.
That’s not language he should be using as shadow chancellor, it’s certainly not language I would be using.
The truth is John McDonnell is part of the problem we have in the Labour party.
I want this to be resolved without a damaging, divisive leadership contest. I wanted Jeremy Corbyn to find a way to heal the Labour party, to bring us back and unite us.
I will stand in this election and I will do the decent thing and fight Jeremy Corbyn on the issues, just as he will do with me, and at the end of that I will stand behind whoever the leader is. But I hope and I expect it will be me.
I refused to have any part in discussions, which have been destructive, from a small group of people on the right who, just like those on the left, it seems to me, are now prepared to let Labour split.
What does Labour hopeful Owen Smith think about Iraq, Trident and a Labour split? https://t.co/BFSn1zPEOv #R4Today pic.twitter.com/NSAf3Go7Ey
10.07am BST
Jean-Claude Juncker, the president of the European commission, is on a visit to China where my colleague Tom Phillips has been speaking to him. Here are the key points.
I have to say that personally and institutionally, I want our relations with Britain to be as close as possible. I will not negotiate with Britain in a hostile mood ... We are partners in the European Union for 40 years now … There is no place for hatred, no place for revenge, no place for the contrary of friendship.
I am not giving public advice to the incoming British prime minister. I don’t want to lecture her, I don’t want to talk about her before having talked with her. I’m envisaging this relationship as having the potential to become a good relationship.
We have made it clear that before notification there will be no negotiation… [so] we are waiting for the notification and then we will engage in negotiations with our British friends.
9.58am BST
After Ruth Davidson’s hugely successful stand-up session at yesterday’s Westminster lobby lunch,today it is Nicola Sturgeon’s turn to visit London. (There are no briefings yet about edgy Boris Johnson gags, but it’s early in the day).
Sturgeon has already had a breakfast meeting with Bank of England governor Mark Carney, where the pair were expected to discuss the economic outlook post-Brexit, and will later meet the chief minister of Gibraltar, Fabian Picardo. Sturgeon said: “ I am looking forward to exploring how we can work together to ensure that our interests are protected in the uncertain period that lies ahead.”
9.54am BST
David Cameron has left Number 10 to go to the Commons for PMQs.
Normally he does not leave Downing Street until about 11.45pm, but today’s PMQs will be a valedictory one and he probably does not need to spend as much time brushing up on all the details of A&E waiting times, or whatever, as usual.
9.47am BST
McDonnell has just told BBC News that he was “disappointed” by the NEC’s decision to insist that Labour members can only vote in the leadership contest as members if they joined at least six months ago. (See 9.10am.)
But he said he would accept the decision. He did not call for it to be reconsidered.
9.42am BST
This is what John McDonnell, the shadow chancellor, said about Jeremy Corbyn’s opponents at a rally last night.
They have been plotting and conniving. The only good thing about it, as plotters they’re fucking useless.
It was a stand-up comedy event. It was a joke. It was taken in a light-hearted way.
'It was a joke' says @johnmcdonnellMP It is you and your clique who have made the entire bloody party a joke. Tories in for a generation. GO
I'm afraid @johnmcdonnellmp doing the soft voiced kinder gentler politics doesn't wash. And if Corbyn was a decent man he'd do decent thing
9.22am BST
In her Today interview, Dame Margaret Hodge also said the parliamentary Labour party should select just one “unity candidate” to take on Jeremy Corbyn.
At the moment there are two candidate vying for this job, Angela Eagle and Owen Smith. Under Hodge’s plan, the PLP would hold a “primary” to select their anti-Corbyn candidate.
9.18am BST
On the Today programme James Schneider, the Momentum spokesman, also insisted that Momentum was not responsible for the intimidation of MPs opposed to Jeremy Corbyn. He said the organisation had not received a single complaint about one of its members being involved in intimidation.
But the Labour MP Dame Margaret Hodge, who tabled the no confidence motion in Jeremy Corbyn, said Corbyn’s supporters were responsible for the bullying of MPs. She saiod said “people around Jeremy” were indulging in “dirty politics”.
This is not the new politics, it’s the old politics I fought in the 1980s, when people like John McDonnell and Ken Livingstone were in leadership roles,” she told Today. “It was a politics of intolerance, bullying and intimidation.
These are people working in Jeremy’s name, they are people around Jeremy. Far too many individuals, Members of Parliament and others are being intimidated, bullied, harassed, physically assaulted.
9.10am BST
Last night Labour’s national executive committee decided that Jeremy Corbyn would be allowed to take part in the Labour leadership contest without having to get nominated by 51 MPs or MEPs, like his opponents. But it also decided that party members will not be able to vote in the contest as party members unless they joined more than six months ago. (Instead they will have to pay £25 to become a registered supporter if they want to have a vote, but there will only be a two-day window during which they can apply.)
Related: Labour executive rules Jeremy Corbyn must be on leadership ballot
We’ve seen since the Brexit vote probably the largest surge in political party membership in this country’s history, with almost 130,000 people joining the Labour party and a great number of those joined on the basis that they would be able to vote in a future leadership election.
The change in membership rules for Labour leadership vote is not fair, says @schneiderhome @PeoplesMomentumhttps://t.co/QbOrkBw9jD
8.55am BST
I’m Andrew Sparrow and I’m blogging today.
Owen Smith, the former shadow work and pensions secretary, has been on the Today programme to announce his bid for the Labour leadership. He told the programme:
I will stand in this election and I will do the decent thing and fight Jeremy Corbyn on the issues, just as he will do with me, and at the end of that I will stand behind whoever the leader is. But I hope and I expect it will be me.
8.54am BST
Good morning and welcome to our daily politics live blog which Andrew Sparrow will be picking up here shortly
Two right-wing papers, the Mail and the Sun not exactly in agreement as Cameron bows out. pic.twitter.com/sdmJfed1wr
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