Rishi Sunak should stay as Tory leader until November, says senior Tory – UK politics live

Shadow foreign secretary says Conservatives should hold the leadership election after the party conference

Good morning. This is one of those days when the main focus of the news industry is definitely not on Westminster but on the US, where people are still trying to assess the consequences of the attempted assassination of Donald Trump. But the shooting at the Trump rally may have an impact on the UK, partly because it may affect who wins the presidential election in November but also because it has revived interest in what can be done to reduce the polarisation, aggression and violence that has marred politics on both sides of the Atlantic in recent years.

Last week Lisa Nandy, the culture secretary, said that new Labour government wanted to end the era of culture wars. This morning she has been on the media, in interviews that were lined up when it was expected that the football would be the top story of the day, and, in the light of the attempt to kill Trump, her call for a calmer form of political debate has added resonance. As Peter Walker reports, she had a vivid way of expressing this on Sky News where she said:

When kids were turning on their TV sets last night across England, every single one of them will have been able to see themselves reflected in that team. And in doing so he’s told an inclusive story about the country that we can be.

It has felt very difficult for people to feel part of our national story, and it’s firmly my intention that this government will be different, will be far more Gareth Southgate, and far less Michael Gove.

An interim leader is not, in my view, the best option. The best option is to seek to persuade Rishi to remain. It’s not an enormously long time in the scope of things. It’s probably till mid to end November …

I think his instinct is almost certainly to go. I hope that he won’t. I hope he will stay till November for the reasons that I have described. And at the 1922 Committee meeting last week, there was a widespread feeling of sympathy and respect for Rishi Sunak. And I’m sure that if he does stay, that will be the overwhelming feeling of the party.

I think we should play it long. I think the example of Michael Howard in 2005 is a good example, allow members of the Conservative party, the country, to see what is on offer from the talented group of people who will no doubt put their names forward …

I very much hope that what the party will decide to do is to mirror what Michael Howard did in 2005 and allow the party conference the space for candidates who are offering themselves to say what they would do for their party, say what they would do for their country, and that members of the party, members of parliament, can then take a view as a result of that showcasing.