Brexit LIVE: Not fit for purpose! Voters furious at Brexit chaos and demand strong new PM
THREE QUARTERS of the British public believe the country’s political system is not fit for purpose as the Brexit deadlock grinds on and the people await a new prime minister, according to a new poll.
Tory leadership: 'BritainThinks' founder reveals findings of report
The shocking findings were revealed in survey by BritianThinks which showed less than six percent of Britons believe their politicians understand them and 83 percent feel let down by the political establishment. The poll conducted for the Observer also suggested the public do not believe Britain is respected on the international stage, with 73 percent saying it had become a laughing stock. More than half of respondents think ex-Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson will replace Theresa May, but just 21 percent said the next prime minister, regardless of who is chosen, will not be up to the task of leading the UK.
Eighty-six percent said the current political climate meant the UK needs a strong leader now more than ever.
The survey also showed polarising opinions among different age groups, with more than half of over 65s feeling optimistic about Britain’s future - but less than a quarter of under 34s felt the same.
Deborah Mattinson, founding director of research and strategy consultancy at BritainThinks, told the Observer: “I have been listening to people in focus groups since the late 1980s and I cannot recall a time when the national mood was more despairing.
“‘Broken’, ‘sad’, ‘worried’, ‘angry’ - the negatives tumble out, as does the long list of grievances.”
Tory leadership: Sky host and Raab make JIBE about Johnson
More than 2,000 adults took part in the poll between June 7-9 and focus groups were also held in London and Leicester.
One Remain voter in Leicester said: "The people we elected think we’re too stupid to understand what’s going on, there’s condescension and no respect for us."
Three in four respondents expect Brexit divisions between Leave and Remain supporters to escalate over the next 12 months, while less than 60 percent believe the country will actually leave the EU.
The results come as the candidates in the race for Number 10 prepare for the first live TV debate tonight, which everyone except Mr Johnson has vowed to take part in.
See below for live updates.
3.29 update: Hunt unveils social care plans as last-ditch attempt to beat Johnson
Jeremy Hunt plans to introduces tax breaks for families to make it easier for them to care for their elderly relatives at home.
Mr Hunt announced his social care proposals in a last-ditch attempt to beat frontrunner Boris Johnson to the Tory crown, after finishing second in the first round of his party’s leadership contest on Thursday, on 43 votes, trailing behind Mr Johnson’s backing of 114 MPs.
The former Health Secretary told The Mail on Sunday: “Part of our Conservative vision must be that every single old person lives out their days with dignity and respect.
“We've got to tackle the problem at its heart and ask ourselves why countries like Italy and Spain spend less on social care than us, yet don't have a social care crisis when we do.”
He suggested tax breaks for those who modify their homes or build new accommodation to for older members of the family.
He said his plans will “send a strong signal that if you want to stick together as a family, the state will support you”.
2.40pm update: Rory Stewart pledges to protect Army verterans
Tory leadership hopeful Rory Stewart has said he believes it is wrong that former soldiers were being pursued for historic allegations, 50 years after they served in Northern Ireland.
The International Development Secretary served as an officer in the Black Watch and later worked with the Army as a senior diplomat in Iraq before he entered the world of politics.
He said: "I saw, particularly in Iraq, some of the soldiers I was with pursued by lawyers through the courts for things they hadn't done.
"I have experienced how unfair that is. We have to find a way of making sure this doesn't happen, and that will have to be a change in the law."
13.58pm update: No need for the Irish backstop says Hunt
Tory leadership contender Jeremy Hunt has said he believes it is possible to negotiate a new deal with the EU that would do away with the need for an Irish border backstop.
"When you talk to European leaders as I do they want to solve this problem," he told BBC1's The Andrew Marr Show.
"They say that if they were approached by a British prime minister, someone they were willing to deal with, who had ideas how to solve the Northern Irish border, they would be willing to re-negotiate the package.
"They are prepared to look at whether you could get much more detail onto the future relationship - potentially that could be legally-binding, let's see - so that you don't need a backstop.
"I would never pretend that this is going to be easy but nor is it impossible."
12.43pm update: Theresa May plans to block Boris Johnson's no-deal efforts
The Prime Minister has indicated privately that she will team up with fellow Remainers to thwart any attempt by Boris Johnson to crash the UK out of the EU without an agreement.
Her allies told The Mail on Sunday she will not stand by and watch the arch-Brexiteer implement a no-deal Brexit, after she spent three years in office working to avoid such an outcome.
And senior party sources said she had voted for International Development Secreatary Rory Stewart in Thursday's ballot.
Mr Stewart has said he will legislate against no-deal.
11.59am update: Tory Brexiteers will defect to Brexit Party if Johnson backtracks on promise
Boris Johnson could have the support of fellow Tory Brexiteers pulled from under his feet if he fails to deliver on his promise to lead the UK out of the EU by the end of October.
The ex-Foreign Secretary has vowed to implement Brexit by the new deadline, with or without a deal.
Mr Johnson’s support surged after he made his intentions clear, but he later clarified he was not aiming for a no deal exit.
A former minister said if Mr Johnson changed course, it would be too much to bear for many Conservative party members, donors and MPs, and the party would be “over”.
They told the Sunday Express: “Boris has been told straight. We have backed him but he has got to keep his word. We have to leave on October 31 or it is over.
“The donors will be gone, the members will be gone and MPs will go. We will have no choice, it will have to be the Brexit Party.
“We have had promises from a Theresa May Government and been let down, we cannot be let down by a Boris Johnson Government. If we are, it is over."
11.24am update: Sky's Sophy Ridge grills Hilary Benn on failure to stop no-deal Brexit
Hilary Benn has struggled to answer how the Remain campaign “will get what it wants” with time to stop a no deal Brexit quickly running out.
During an interview this morning on Sky News, host Sophy Ridge pointed out that Remain-backing MPs in Parliament were likely to fail to stop a no deal Brexit if Boris Johnson gains power.
Pointing to the Brexit timetable, Ridge said: “Will you be able to do what you want to do?
“You don’t have much time left. Parliament breaks over summer, then you come back for a couple weeks, then party conference season starts, and then we leave on October 31st.
“If it’s a choice between not leaving at all and leaving without a deal, people who voted to leave would choose to leave without a deal.”
11.09am update: Jeremy Hunt outlines difference between him and Boris Johnson
Tory leadership hopeful Jeremy Hunt has tried to explain the differences in his approach to Brexit with those of Boris Johnson.
Both MPs have said they are unafraid to leave the EU without a deal at the end of October.
However, speaking to BBC's Andrew Marr, Mr Hunt said: "The difference between me and Boris is I would try for a deal."
The Conservative added he was only proposing walking away from the negotiating table if the trade bloc refused to budge on the current withdrawal agreement.