Politics latest: Mel Stride joins Tory leadership race; chancellor expected to unveil £20bn black hole (2024)

Labour grandee Harriet Harmen is back on the podcast and joins Beth and Ruth to unpick Keir Starmer's first PMQs as Prime Minister.

The ladies look ahead to what chancellor Rachel Reeves is going to say about the state of the country’s finances after 14 years of Conservative rule, and Harriet gives her take on the seven Labour rebels on the two-child benefit cap.

Plus, what impact will Kamala Harris have on the Democrats' chances of beating Trump's Republicans?

Many will be wondering what Labour know now that they didn't know a month ago,political correspondent Rob Powellsays.

He says the narrative we are hearing at the moment is "how bad everything is".

Rob says when it came to the expected £20bn black hole figure, we "needed to be a bit cautious" with that figure before we know what makes it up.

"It's likely a big chunk of that might be for instance public sector pay and that is a decision the government takes about where they put in public sector pay," he says.

"Whether they want to bring it in at 5.5% for NHS workers and teachers after inflation or whether they want to go lower."

Also, "many will be wondering what Labour know now that they didn't know a month ago during the election campaign", Rob adds.

Asked if he is in a weak position after retaining his seat by just 61 votes at the General Election, Mel Stride says: "I don't think so.

"I won my seat against the odds and I won it because I fought, and fought and fought really hard to preserve that.

"We've got to be focused on winning back the seats we lost.

"We've got to have much bigger aspirations than worrying about my seat and my small majority."

Mel Stride is currently speaking to Sky News after throwing his name into the Tory leadership race.

On his candidacy, he says he is "putting himself forward" because he thinks "we've got a huge job to do".

"I think I am the right person to put myself forward to do that " he says.

Mr Stride says during his time in parliament what he focused on was "winning for my party".

He says the Tories have a "huge amount of ground to make up" both in terms of "trust" with the British public and "competence" and he is the right person to do that.

"I am going to be a driver of chance," he adds.

Earlier, Wes Streeting used the phrase a "total work of fiction" when referring to some of the information he said the previous health minister had put out.

Asked if the Tories were selective with the truth on the finances in the last few months of their leadership, Mr Stride says: "Not at all.

"We were very clear about what was going on."

Chancellor Rachel Reeves is expected to unveil a £20bn black hole that needs to be filled, Sky News understands.

Ms Reeves will on Monday set out the results of the spending audit she ordered Treasury officials to produce.

But the figure could still shift as each department's spending commitments are assessed before her Commons statement.

Any tax hikes to plug the shortfall in spending for essential public services are not expected before the autumn budget, the date of which Ms Reeves is also set to announce on Monday.

Labour has ruled out lifting income tax, VAT, national insurance and corporation tax, but changes to capital gains or inheritance levies may be on the table.

Asked about the black hole at a meeting of G20 finance ministers in Brazil, Ms Reeves said: "I'll give a statement to parliament on Monday, but I have always been honest about the scale of the challenge we face as an incoming government, and let me be crystal clear: we will fix the mess we have inherited."

A review into the Care Quality Commission (CQC) "represent a stunning failure" in the body, Wes Streeting has told Sky News.

The health secretary said the CQC was "meant to be able to give us a true and accurate reflection of care and patient safety".

"That's how serious this is and the reason I have chosen to publish the interim report today is because this is urgent," he said.

"I want to be honest with people as quickly as possible."

He said when it came to the future of the CQC the government needed to find the right leadership.

"We are going to be honest about the scale of the challenge," he added.

The minister said it was a "difficult challenge" but there was something that gave him confidence about the future.

Mr Streeting said: "When I said the NHS was broken but not beaten there was a sight of relief throughout the NHS.

"A lot of them have been living in these intolerable conditions and are relieved someone is being honest about the scale of the challenge.

"If you get the diagnosis right you are more likely to get the right prescription."

The health secretary said this was a "central test" for the government.

At 7.15am, we will be hearing from Health Secretary Wes Streeting.

Mr Streeting said yesterday that England's health and social care watchdog was "not fit for purpose" as he reacted to an independent review into the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

The report identified "significant internal failings" affecting its ability to identify poor performance at hospitals, care homes and GP practices.

Mr Streeting said he was "stunned by the extent of the failings" revealed in the report.

And then at 8.15am, Mel Stride will speak to Sky News about his decision to join the Tory leadership race.

Tom Tugendhat, James Cleverly and Robert Jenrick have also confirmed they are running for leader.

Mel Stride has become the fourth Conservative MP to join the race for the party's leadership.

The former work and pensions secretary has now officially joined ex-home secretary James Cleverly, former security minister Tom Tugendhat, and the last immigration minister Robert Jenrick in the contest to replace Rishi Sunak.

He announced his candidacy on BBC Breakfast, saying: "I'm fully nominated. I was nominated yesterday morning and my candidacy has gone forward."

Mr Stride, the MP for Central Devon, retained his seat by just 61 votes at the general election.

Shadow communities secretary Kemi Badenoch, the bookmakers' favourite to succeed Mr Sunak, and former home secretaries Suella Braverman and Dame Priti Patel are expected to put themselves forward before nominations close at 2.30pm on Monday.

Nominees must have 10 backers to submit their papers to enter the race.

The parliamentary party will narrow the field down to four candidates and they will then need to make their case at the Conservative Party Conference, which runs from 29 September to 2 October.

The final two, picked by the parliamentary party, will then go to a vote of party members in an online ballot that will close on 31 October, with the result announced on 2 November.

Welcome back to the Politics Hub.

The Tory leadership race is continuing to heat up, with Tom Tugendhat, James Cleverly and Robert Jenrick throwing their hats into the ring to replace Rishi Sunak.

Meanwhile, the Care Quality Commission has been found to have "significant internal failings".

And Harriet Harman has criticised the former Labour MPs who rebelled against the party over the two-child benefit cap.

Coming up this morning on the Politics Hub:

• We will hear about the independent review of the Care Quality Commission (CQC), with Wes Streeting due to speak on Sky News this morning;
• The PM will be in Paris for the Olympic opening ceremony;
• The chancellor will be in Rio de Janeiro for the G20
• The nominations for the Tory leadership race are under way.