Sunak says HS2 decision should not be ‘rushed’ as he rejects claim dithering has derailed Tory conference – live

Key events

Nigel Farage says Tory party becoming like Ukip, and GB News will help decide its next leader

Nigel Farage has said that parts of the Conservative party are now like Ukip.

The former leader of Ukip and the Brexit party is attending the conference partly in his capacity as a GB News presenter. But he is also a popular figure with some Tories, and yesterday he was a prominent supporter in the audience as Liz Truss called for tax cuts at a rally.

In an interview with the Today programme broadcast this morning, Farage said the Conservative party was increasingly aligned with his views.

I’ve been very consistent with the things that I’ve said over quite a long time. I’ve never really shifted from those views, whether it’s regards borders, increasing population, attitudes below small business, net zero, taxes. What’s interesting is there’s now a wing of the Conservative party that has woken up to these things and they’re now saying them.

Asked if he could see himself joining the Conservative party, Farage replied:

Well, if you asked the delegates here, you might be surprised by the answer.

Farage also said he thought GB News would be influential in determining who gets to be the next leader of the Conservative party. Asked if the rightwing, populist channel might shape the next leadership contest, he replied: “I think that’s already beginning to happen.”

Last night Priti Patel, the former home secretary, paid lavish tribute to GB News at a party it was hosting. She said the country “needed a new disruptor when it came to the broadcast media, to take on the establishment, the Tory-hating, Brexit-bashing, free speech deniers at the BBC and the so-called mainstream media”.

Patel and Farage were later filmed dancing at the party to the tune of “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” (probably not a sentiment Guardian readers will feel as they ponder the footage).

Nigel Farage says parts of Tory party becoming like Ukip, and GB News will help decide its next leader

Nigel Farage has said that parts of the Conservative party are now like Ukip.

The former leader of Ukip and the Brexit party is attending the conference partly in his capacity as a GB News presenter. But he is also a popular figure with some Tories, and yesterday he was a prominent supporter in the audience as Liz Truss called for tax cuts at a rally.

In an interview with the Today programme broadcast this morning, Farage said the Conservative party was increasingly aligned with his views.

I’ve been very consistent with the things that I’ve said over quite a long time. I’ve never really shifted from those views, whether it’s regards borders, increasing population, attitudes towards below small business, net zero, taxes. What’s interesting is there’s now a wing of the Conservative party that has woken up to these things and they’re now saying them.

Asked if he could see himself joining the Conservative party, Farage replied:

Well, if you asked the delegates here, you might be surprised by the answer.

Farage also said he thought GB News would be influential in determining who gets to be the next leader of the Conservative party. Asked if the rightwing, populist channel might shape the next leadership contest, he replied: “I think that’s already beginning to happen.”

Last night Priti Patel, the former home secretary, paid lavish tribute to GB News at a party it was hosting. She said the country “needed a new disruptor when it came to the broadcast media, to take on the establishment, the Tory-hating, Brexit-bashing, free speech deniers at the BBC and the so-called mainstream media”.

Patel and Farage were later filmed dancing at the party to the tune of “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” (probably not a sentiment Guardian readers will feel as they ponder the footage).

Nigel Farage at the Tory conference yesterday. Photograph: Justin Tallis/AFP/Getty Images

Updated at 05.18 EDT

Sunak claims he is not worried Truss has enough MPs backing her call for tax cuts to threaten his majority

Yesterday Liz Truss, Rishi Sunak’s predecessor, staged a packed rally at the Tory conference, where she and three colleagues – Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg, Dame Priti Patel and Ranil Jayawardena – made the case for immediate tax cuts.

At the event the host, the GB News presenter Liam Halligan, pointed out that there are now 60 Conservative MPs who back these ideas because they are members of her Conservative Growth Group. That was about the size of Rishi Sunak’s majority, he pointed out (the Commons says Sunak currently has a working majority of 60), and it meant that potentially they could vote down budget measures if they allied with the opposition. Aubrey Allegretti writes about that here.

In an interview with Times Radio this morning, Sunak was asked if he was worried about Truss having so much support. He replied:

No, not at all. Lots of Conservatives here. I think the mood is great. People are excited about the things we’re doing.

And then he claimed people were excited about announcements like his net zero changes, the new money for towns, the living wage increase and Jade’s law.

Updated at 04.13 EDT