Politics LIVE: Leaderless Tories OVERTAKE Labour in poll - with Sunak's replacement to be confirmed in hours
Jacob Rees-Mogg reveals who he is backing for Tory leadership
GB NEWS
Labour has dropped behind the Conservatives in a new voting intention poll - despite the Opposition yet to have even selected its new leader.
Downing Street was last night rocked as a new survey by BMG Research found that if a general election was held today, 29 per cent of the country would vote for the Tories, while 28 per cent would back Sir Keir Starmer's party.
It is the first time in three years that the Conservatives have been ahead of Labour in a national poll, with the fallout of Rachel Reeves's Budget seeing Labour's popularity drop.
The Conservatives have been without a full time leader since losing the General Election in July, with Rishi Sunak staying on in the role on an interim basis while party members voted on who should replace him.
It is likely that the Tories will see a further boost to their popularity, at least in the short term, when the new leader is announced later today.
Robert Jenrick and Kemi Badenoch will find out at 11am this morning who has won the Conservative leadership race to take on the role of Leader of the Opposition.
After the close of polls on Thursday, both candidates thanked their backers for their support through the contest.
Badenoch described the party as a “family” and said that it is “much more to me than a membership organisation”, while Jenrick called for the party to “move past the drama” of recent years and “unite”.
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One hour to go until new Tory leader unveiled
There is just one hour to go until Conservative Party members find out who their new leader is.
The bookies have suggested that Kemi Badenoch is favourite to take over from Rishi Sunak, although GB News understands that the vote was very close when ballots were being counted yesterday.
Robert Jenrick undertook a media blitz in the last few days of the campaign in a bid to bolster his chances of
Starmer says UK cannot 'tax and spend' its way to prosperity
Sir Keir Starmer says he wants to reform the UK economy
PA
Just days after Labour announced the biggest tax raising Budget in modern history, Sir Keir Starmer has today warned that the Government "cannot tax and spend our way to prosperity".
Writing about his vision to reform the UK's economy in the Financial Times, the Prime Minister said: "While we have always said economic stability is the first step on our mission for growth, the Budget also opened the door on the next stage of our plan: reform.
"Just as we cannot tax and spend our way to prosperity, nor can we simply spend our way to better public services. That is why reform is an essential pillar of this Government’s agenda.
"Reform of our creaking central state. Reform of our public services. And reform of our economy, with a modern supply-side agenda ready to take advantage of our new climate for investment."
Elon Musk takes furious swipe at Rachel Reeves over Inheritance Tax
for changes to Inheritance Tax which will impact family farmers.
Speaking on social media, the world’s richest man said: "we should leave the farmers alone."
"We [owe] farmers immense gratitude for making the food on our tables!”
Changes to how the tax applies to agricultural land announced in the Commons on Wednesday mean that from April 2026, only assets up to £1million can be passed on tax-free. Those with assets worth more than that face effective 20 per cent tax charge.
Starmer's new sparring partner announced at 11am
There are just hours to go until a new face represents the Conservative Party at the dispatch box in the House of Commons when going toe to toe with Sir Keir Starmer.
Since the General Election in July, Rishi Sunak has sought to take a rather backseat role in his job as interim party leader, giving space for leadership candidates to make their pitches to the country.
It means clashes at PMQs have often been slightly underwhelming, with Sunak unwilling to bind himself party to any one policy position in case his successor holds a different view.
Immigration, the economy, and how the Conservatives can rebuild trust with the electorate and win back voters they lost at the election have all been discussed at length through the campaign.
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