Liz Truss criticised for claiming public sector pay pledge was misrepresented – UK politics live

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Ben Houchen, the Conservative mayor of Tees Valley who earlier said he was “speechless” at Liz Truss’s plan to cut public sector pay in less expensive parts of the country, has described the Tory leadership hopeful’s proposal as “horrifically bad”.

Houchen, who is backing Rishi Sunak in the leadership contest, told BBC Radio 4’s World At One programme:

It is just a huge misstep and I’m just pleased that she’s realised it and has back-tracked and has decided that this isn’t going to happen moving forward.

He added:

Is it a moment – I’m not entirely sure, it might be – we might look back in four or five weeks’ time and this could be Liz’s ‘dementia tax’ moment. It very easily could be, but it’s to be seen.

Updated at 09.26 EDT

Jeremy Corbyn has urged western countries to stop arming Ukraine, and claimed he was criticised over antisemitism because of his stance on Palestine, in a TV interview likely to underscore Keir Starmer’s determination not to readmit him to the Labour party.

Corbyn said:

Pouring arms in isn’t going to bring about a solution, it’s only going to prolong and exaggerate this war. We might be in for years and years of a war in Ukraine.

Corbyn gave the interview on Al Mayadeen, a Beirut-based TV channel that has carried pro-Russia reporting since Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.

Read the full article by my colleague, Heather Stewart:

Mike Clancy, the general secretary of the Prospect union, has responded to Liz Truss’s backtracking on her flagship policy to introduce regional pay boards for public sector workers.

If Liz Truss believes public sector workers are at the bedrock of society, she needs to call off the attack dogs from her own side and start working with unions and others to give the public the support and services we need.

The British public are in a fragile place trying to cope with endless waves of rising prices and falling wages.

It is time ministers put the national interest before that of their own leadership ambition.

Updated at 09.08 EDT

The numbers crossing the Channel to seek refuge in the UK hit a record for the year so far on Monday, as Border Force staff braced themselves for thousands more arrivals this summer.

The Ministry of Defence said that 696 made the journey in 14 small boats on Monday. It followed 460 arrivals on Saturday and 247 on Friday, with more than 1,000 people crossing last week.

In July, 3,683 people crossed from France. The total for this year is believed to be more than 17,000.

The figures came amid reports of growing concern over plans to stem the number of boats carrying asylum seekers across the Channel.

Updated at 08.54 EDT

A source has told Jessica Elgot, the Guardian’s chief politics reporter, that Liz Truss has previously called for lower pay outside of the south-east.

More Labour frontbenchers are ridiculing Liz Truss’s now abandoned policy to cut public sector pay outside London.

Anneliese Dodds MP has tweeted the following:

Updated at 08.35 EDT

Labour’s Shadow Attorney General Emily Thornberry has tweeted this regarding Liz Truss’s U-turn on her flagship policy of cutting public sector pay outside London.

Updated at 08.49 EDT

Liz Truss criticised by former Tory chief whip for claiming public sector pay pledge was misrepresented

The Conservative former chief whip, Mark Harper, a supporter of Rishi Sunak, said Liz Truss should “stop blaming journalists” after a spokesperson for the Tory leadership hopeful said there had been a “wilful misrepresentation of our campaign”.

Updated at 08.42 EDT

The Lib Dem leader, Ed Davey, has accused Liz Truss of running her leadership campaign with “incompetence” after the Tory leadership hopeful was forced to U-turn on plans to cut civil service pay outside London.

Davey said:

U-turning on a multibillion-pound policy five weeks before even taking office must be a new record.

We can’t let Liz Truss run the country with the same incompetence she’s running her leadership campaign. The British people must have their say in a general election.

Earlier today, Davey described Truss’s plan for regional pay boards as “callous, incompetent and ridiculous”.

Updated at 08.11 EDT

Sources in Rishi Sunak’s leadership camp say Liz Truss has been pushing for a public sector pay cut since 2018, following her decision to abandon the policy after a furious outcry from Conservative MPs and the Tees Valley mayor.

Truss has suggested in the past that public sector workers outside London and the south-east should receive lower pay rises.

From my colleague Aubrey Allegretti:

Updated at 08.12 EDT