Today’s political headlines includes Johnson vows to leave the EU, Labour fails to block no-deal, Tory candidates campaigning for the top job and Sedwill criticised for online talking to leadership front runners.\u00a0\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n
Johnson vows to leave EU on 31 October but faces criticism for dodging questions Labour attempt to block no-deal Brexit blocked Stewart appeals for votes, Javid is the \u2018change candidate\u2019 and Hancock can beat Corbyn Sedwill criticised for only talking to leadership frontrunners Mail hails victory in Post Office campaign NAO issues warning about Help to Buy Channel 4 may \u2018empty chair\u2019 Johnson if he refuses debate invite Cabinet note warns UK not ready for no-deal in October
\n<\/strong>The Daily Telegraph<\/em>\u00a0says<\/a>\u00a0that Boris Johnson has said he has the ‘guts and the courage\u2019 to ensure that the UK leaves the EU by 31 October, warning of \u2018mortal retribution\u2019 from voters if MPs stopped Brexit. He now has 81 declared supporters, more than twice as many as any other candidate.\u00a0The Times<\/em>\u00a0claims<\/a>\u00a0that Johnson has assured senior Brexiteers that he will not rule out suspending Parliament to stop it from blocking a no-deal Brexit, while the\u00a0Daily Mirror<\/em>\u00a0reports<\/a>\u00a0that he ducked questions about his past use of cocaine and other issues.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>The Guardian<\/em>\u00a0reports<\/a>\u00a0that a Labour-led cross-party move to prevent a no-deal Brexit was blocked by 11 votes yesterday. Labour\u2019s Shadow Brexit Secretary Keir Starmer warned Conservative leadership candidates that his party would \u2018use whatever mechanism it can\u2019 to prevent such an outcome, though former Conservative MP Nick Boles cautioned that \u2018it is very hard to see where any further legislative opportunities will come from\u2019.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>The Sun<\/em>\u00a0says<\/a>\u00a0that Rory Stewart is appealing for votes so that he can get through the first round of the leadership contest, telling the paper he is \u2018one or two votes short\u2019 and MPs should \u2018give me a chance\u2019.\u00a0The Times<\/em>\u00a0reports<\/a>\u00a0that Sajid Javid used his campaign launch yesterday to claim that he was the \u2018change candidate\u2019 and criticised \u2018the same old insiders with the same old school ties\u2019, while\u00a0The Guardian<\/em>\u00a0says<\/a>\u00a0Matt Hancock claimed he could beat Jeremy Corbyn by \u2018turning the page\u2019 on Brexit and \u2018putting pounds in people\u2019s pockets\u2019.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>According<\/a>\u00a0to\u00a0The Times<\/em>, Cabinet Secretary Mark Sedwill is being criticised for only having held talks with the two frontrunners in the Conservative leadership contest, Boris Johnson and Jeremy Hunt. A spokesman for Dominic Raab described the news as \u2018disappointing\u2019 while another campaign said \u2018the civil service should be treating all candidates equally\u2019.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>The\u00a0Daily Mail<\/em>\u00a0is\u00a0hailing<\/a>\u00a0a victory in its campaign against Post Office closures after business minister Kelly Tolhurst announced a new review of the pay of postmasters, which she wants to \u2018be concluded as soon as possible to ensure postmasters receive a fair wage\u2019, starting with a summit today.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>The\u00a0Financial Times<\/em>\u00a0reports<\/a>\u00a0that the National Audit Office has warned that the Government\u2019s Help to Buy scheme has exposed the Government to \u2018significant market risk\u2019 and that some buyers who have made use of it are at risk of entering negative equity. The scheme was introduced in 2013 in a bid to help more people buy homes for the first time.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>The Sun<\/em>\u00a0claims<\/a>\u00a0that Channel 4 may \u2018empty chair\u2019 Boris Johnson in its planned televised leadership debate on Sunday. Johnson is apparently the only one of the candidates not to have agreed to appear. His campaign insists that it is in talks with all broadcasters, with the BBC planning a debate on Tuesday and ITV a head-to-head between the last two candidates.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>The\u00a0Financial Times<\/em>\u00a0has seen<\/a>\u00a0a confidential Cabinet note which warns the UK is not prepared for a no-deal Brexit on 31 October, especially with regard to medicines and border control. The note, prepared for a meeting on 21 May but not circulated, claims many plans in place have only \u2018a minimum viable level of capability\u2019, while others had \u2018material\u2019 shortcomings.<\/p>\n