Politics latest: Culture secretary calls for Huw Edwards to return BBC salary; poll reveals potential frontrunners for Tory leadership (2024)

Former Home Office minister Robert Jenrick is hosting a leadership event at 3pm today.

The Newark MP is one of six candidates hoping to succeed Rishi Sunak as the head of the Conservative Party.

We know now that he will be introduced by Esther McVey at the event.

Ms McVey, the MP for Tatton, was most recently a minister without portfolio in Mr Sunak's government.

She had previously worked as a housing minister under Boris Johnson, and as work and pensions secretary under Theresa May.

Foreign Secretary David Lammy and Defence Secretary John Healey have been on a visit to the Middle East - including Lebanon.

As part of this visit, both cabinet ministers have called for de-escalation of tensions on the Blue Line - the demarcation line separating Israel and Lebanon.

Mr Lammy said: "This is a worrying time for people in Lebanon: they have been through a lot in the past five years, including the terrible port explosion that claimed so many lives.

"I'm here on the ground meeting with influential figures to call for immediate de-escalation in the region.

"I've raised my concerns about the ongoing tensions between Lebanon and Israel and have highlighted the UK's determination to avoid miscalculation.

Mr Healey said: "De-escalation must be our primary focus as this region stands at a crossroads. The loss of innocent life in recent weeks and months is unbearable. This has to end.

"All sides must step back from conflict and step up diplomacy. We will work with important partners like Qatar as our government leads a renewed push for peace."

You can read more about the situation in the Middle East here:

A judge has made the "exceptional" decision to name the17-year-old suspect charged with the murder of three girls in the Southportstabbing attack,in an attempt toprevent further misinformation about himbeingspreading online.

Reporting restrictions around the identification of a minor left an information vacuum into which disinformationspread, fuelling violence in towns across the country in recent days.

On the Sky News Daily, Liz Bates speaks to our data and forensics correspondent Tom Cheshire to explore how disinformation is spread onlineand Joe Mulhall from Hope Not Hate explains the challenges of tackling the far-rightideology when it'snot identified with a specific group.

👉Click to subscribe to the Sky News Daily wherever you get your podcasts👈

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has been asked about her feelings on the one of the most controversial parts of the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Yesterday, Italy's Angela Carini quit her boxing match against Algeria's Imane Khelif after just 46 seconds.

Khelif's inclusion was controversial due to a previous failed gender eligibility test - you can read more about what happened here.

Speaking to Sky News, Ms Nandy said: "It was a very uncomfortable watch.

"It was an incredibly short watch, but incredibly uncomfortable to see.

"And I know from being here in Paris that there are a lot of women competitors who are very concerned, not just about whether we're getting the balance right between inclusion, fairness and safety in boxing, but in other sports as well."

She added that the situation was more complex than what was being portrayed on social media.

In terms of the government's role, Ms Nandy said it was to make sure the right guidelines were in place for the bodies which operate sporting competitions.

She was not able to confirm if the bout would have gone ahead in the UK.

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has called for Huw Edwards to return the money he made from the BBC after being arrested.

Speaking to Sky News, the Labour frontbencher said Edwards "ought" to hand back the cash he earned since November last year, when he was arrested over serious indecent images of children.

The disgraced broadcaster has since stopped working for the publicly funded broadcaster, and admitted his guilt earlier this week.

She said it was "wrong" for Edwards to keep taking the salary until he resigned.

The Welsh newsreader was one of the BBC's most highly paid stars.

"It's not a good use of taxpayer's money," Ms Nandy added.

"I think most people in the country would agree with that."

However, she says it is "up to him" on whether he does hand back the cash.

Pollsters at YouGov have done some research on how people feel about the various Tory party leadership contenders.

While the opinion of the general public is interesting - it is not necessarily informative about the way the race could go.

Tory MPs will whittle down the contest to a final two by October, and then paid-up members will get to vote on who they want.

For this reason, the polling on how 2024 Tory voters feel gives greater insight into how the race may go.

Looking at the figures, James Cleverly appears to be the favourite - with a net rating of +16.

He is followed by Tom Tugendhat, just behind on +15.

The order then goes: Robert Jenrick (+8), Kemi Badenoch (+4), Mel Stride (-8) and Priti Patel (-11).

Ms Patel is also the most well-known among the general public - but also has a massive number of people that do not like her, the poll suggests.

Sky News' hugely popular politics podcast Electoral Dysfunction will go on tour in September after a busy summer covering the general election.

A series of live shows around the UK will be hosted by Sky's political editorBeth Rigby.

She will be joined by regular panellistRuth Davidson, who is a Conservative peer, and a number of special guests at the events in London, Salford, Liverpool and Glasgow.

During the shows, audiences will get their chance to ask questions and get the panel's thoughts on the world of politics and podcasting.

👉For more information on dates and tickets for Electoral Dysfunction LIVE click here👈

The podcast has reached over two million downloads since it was launched earlier this year - and it regularly features at the top of the charts.

Founding contributor and Labour MPJess Phillipsrecorded herfinal episodeearlier this month after being appointed a government minister.

Electoral Dysfunction Live, September dates:

• London - Thursday 12th, Bloomsbury Theatre (SOLD OUT)
• Salford - Monday 16th, Lowry Quays
• Liverpool - Sunday 22nd, St George's Hall
• Glasgow - Thursday 26th, The Glee Club

Audiences can expect sharp dissection of the latest spin from Westminster and beyond, combined with plenty of lively discussion.

During what will be a significant time in global politics - with the UK a few months into a new government and the US election fast approaching - the team will discuss which politicians are succeeding, and who risks having a so-called "electoral dysfunction".

Click here to follow Electoral Dysfunction wherever you get your podcasts

One of the areas Labour has wielded the axe to reduce what it claims is £22bn of unfunded spending by the last government is technology and artificial intelligence.

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) said no new funding for the programmes had been allocated in the previous government's spending plans, and therefore will not be taken forward.

This means an £800m project for a new supercomputer at the University of Edinburgh has had its plug pulled, and £500m of AI research funding has also been cancelled.

Another pool of £300m for AI research will go ahead.

A DSIT spokesperson said they were "absolutely committed to building technology infrastructure that delivers growth and opportunity for people across the UK".

The government says it is looking at ways to invest in computer infrastructure.

Andrew Griffiths, the Tory shadow science secretary, accused Labour of having "lower ambitions" for the UK's tech sector.

Home Office minister Lord David Hanson has said there is a "potential" for more violence this weekend.

Speaking to LBC, he was asked how concerned he was about further unrest.

Lord Hanson said: "There is that potential.

"But I always say to anybody who's organising this, we will be watching you. If you are organising this now, we will be watching you.

"We have powers under existing legislation to stop you organising this now and to take action accordingly, and if you do take action and are not part of any organised group, be prepared to face the full force of the law on this criminal activity."

Asked whether those involved are from the far right, he said: "Some individuals will have far-right opinions, in my view, some might be caught up in the summer madness. Some might be people who've got genuine concerns.

"Whatever those concerns are, there are mechanisms where they can raise them with their member of parliament, they can peacefully protest and they can take those issues forward."

You can follow the latest on the situation in the wake of the Southport stabbings on our live blog below.