Tory management – stay: Sunak guarantees ban on ‘down-blousing’ as Truss vows to outlaw catcalling

Rishi Sunak has denied quitting as chancellor with a purpose to power a management contest, insisting that he was “looking forward to a nice holiday” after dramatically resigning earlier this month.

The former chancellor’s bid to succeed Boris Johnson has been undermined by the reluctance of many Tory members to vote for the person they consider “wielded the knife” to oust the prime minister.

Johnson himself has made little secret of his feeling that Sunak’s resignation was a betrayal, and suspicion over his motives have been fuelled by stories that allies had been discussing social media methods for a management bid months in the past.

Our political editor Andrew Woodcock has extra:

An absence of assist for girls going by the menopause within the office is driving feminine employees out of their jobs and prompting the UK financial system to “haemorrhage talent”, MPs warned in a damning new report.

The analysis, carried out by the Women and Equalities Committee within the Commons, recommended employers’ dearth of provision for menopausal girls can have repercussions on the gender pay and pension gaps, in addition to the quantity of ladies taking over senior management roles.

MPs referred to as for a menopause ambassador to be appointed in an try and cease the excessive numbers of #girls leaving the office.

The Independent’s girls’s correspondent Maya Oppenheim stories:

Liz Truss has promised to construct stronger financial and commerce ties with Commonwealth nations to counter China’s “growing malign influence”.

If she succeeds Boris Johnson as prime minister in September, Ms Truss would launch a “new Commonwealth deal”, aimed toward strengthening financial ties throughout the Commonwealth.

Her plan would expedite bilateral commerce agreements with Commonwealth companions, which her marketing campaign crew argues would supercharge the Commonwealth commerce price benefit, which is already 21 per cent decrease on common for commerce between Commonwealth international locations versus non-members.

The contenders for the Conservative management had been at this time competing to point out they’re powerful on violence in opposition to girls and ladies, with Rishi Sunak proposing a brand new “down-blousing” offence and Liz Truss providing a regulation in opposition to misogynistic road harassment.

Mr Sunak stated that as prime minister he would create a brand new emergency taskforce to seek out grooming gangs, in addition to tightening the regulation to make sure perpetrators stay behind bars for longer.

And Ms Truss stated she would quickly introduce a National Domestic Abuse Register to interrupt the cycle of repeat offending by abusive males.

Our political editor Andrew Woodcock stories:

Boris Johnson loyalists are reportedly plotting to discover a secure Conservative seat for the outgoing prime minister over fears he may lose his Uxbridge constiuency.

The Mirror claims that Mr Johnson was “testing the waters” to discover a keen ally who may step down from a seat with a bigger Tory majority in seeking to a possible return to No 10.

One supply advised the newspaper: “Boris thinks the Tory party has made a huge mistake getting rid of him and, with time, will come to regret it.

“It might sound deluded but his team thinks he can have another go at prime minister if he holds on.

“But sticking with Uxbridge would be risky. So they’re looking at options”.

The Labour management is on a “direct collision course” with commerce union chiefs who’ve been left “absolutely fuming” by the sacking of Sam Tarry from the get together frontbench for becoming a member of a rail strike picket line.

Junior shadow transport minister Sam Tarry attended an illustration at Euston Station in London – defying the Labour chief Sir Keir Starmer’s order to keep away from rail employee demonstrations.

“The Labour party is born out of the trade union movement, and if we’re not able to show solidarity and have a constructive dialogue with trade unions, then I think we have a real problem,” Mr Tarry advised LBC.

“I think it’s wrong to say that any Labour poltician – if it be a councillor, if it be an MP, if it be a shadow minister – shouldn’t be showing solidarity, and I think that we are going to see that hit breaking point over the next few months.”

He continued “I have just fielded phone calls from seven different general secretaries – all Labour affiliated, one not Labour affiliated.

“Those general secretaries are absolutely fuming about what’s happened today. They now are on a direct collision course with the Labour party leadership, and that was totally avoidable.”