Tory MP says Badenoch too ‘preoccupied with her children’ to lead party

A veteran Conservative MP has sparked outrage after saying he would not support Kemi Badenoch to be the Tory party leader because she is “preoccupied with her own children”.Sir Christopher Chope told ITV News that the frontrunner in his party’s leadership race would be unable to commit to the role of leader of the opposition as she has young children.Chope said he would support Badenoch’s opponent, the former immigration minister Robert Jenrick, adding: “I myself am supporting Robert Jenrick because I think he’s brought more energy and commitment to the campaign, and being leader of the opposition is a really demanding job.“Much as I like Kemi, I think she’s preoccupied with her own children, quite understandably. I think Robert’s children are a bit older, and I think that it’s important that whoever leads the opposition has got an immense amount of time and energy

Akshata Murty could receive up to £7.5m after Infosys increases dividend

Infosys, one of India’s largest software companies, has reported an increase in its dividend, with a significant payout for the leader of the opposition, Rishi Sunak, and his wife, Akshata Murty.The IT outsourcing company has increased its interim dividend by 16.7% this year, according to its latest results, meaning Murty could receive a payout of up to £7.5m on her holding, which is now worth around £703m.The businesswoman may have to pay as much as £3m to the Treasury for this year’s dividend alone after she said she would pay UK tax on her worldwide income in 2022

Farage given free team of US PR advisers by former Bannon aide’s firm

Nigel Farage has used a team of three US advisers to help him with “perception management” and public relations in America, as well as with settling a $3,500 hotel bill this summer, new documents show.The official filings, made in the US, reveal that the leader of Reform UK and MP for Clacton has been assisted at least 15 times by CapitalHQ, a firm led by Alexandra Preate, who is a former press spokesperson for the controversial former Donald Trump strategist Steve Bannon.Its work for Farage has become public because CapitalHQ had to register with the government under “foreign agent” laws in the US. Preate and two of her employees have declared they were paid salaries by CapitalHQ while carrying out activities on behalf of a “foreign principal” after Farage became an MP in July.According to the documents, CapitalHQ was hired to take on activities for Farage including “promotion, perception management, public relations, speeches, appearances, communications, travel, accommodation and logistics and other political activities in furtherance of political interests of the foreign principal”

Sir Tom Hunter confirms he paid for Alex Salmond’s body to be flown home

Sir Tom Hunter, one of Scotland’s wealthiest men, has confirmed he has paid for Alex Salmond’s body to be flown home from the Balkans.Hunter, a multimillionaire investor and philanthropist, was ambivalent about Scottish independence and was often critical of Scottish government policy but said Salmond had “devoted his life to Scotland”.Speculation was rife about who had privately funded the charter flight due to bring Salmond’s body home from North Macedonia on Friday, after he died suddenly at a lunch on Saturday.Officials in the former first minister’s party, Alba, believed the donor wanted to remain anonymous until Salmond’s funeral, which is expected to take place in private in his home village of Strichen, Aberdeenshire.Hunter, who donated £100,000 to the Labour party in 2001, said he wanted to end the speculation after significant media inquiries

Half of Tory councillors do not believe Jenrick or Badenoch can win next election

Almost half of Conservative councillors polled this week believe that neither Robert Jenrick nor Kemi Badenoch will be able to win the next election, and a significant minority said they did not plan to vote in the leadership contest.Pollsters at Savanta said they detected a small boycott movement among councillors dissatisfied with the choice between the two candidates, who both come from the party’s right.James Cleverly, who went out in the final round of MPs’ votes, was the most popular among the 379 councillors who were polled. Badenoch came third and Jenrick fourth.The poll comes ahead of the first head-to-head televised interviews between the final two candidates, and as ballots arrive with party members

Bridget Phillipson unaware of any cabinet minister who declined free Taylor Swift tickets

Bridget Phillipson has said she does not know of any cabinet minister who turned down free Taylor Swift tickets amid a row about freebies and the pop star’s security arrangements.The education secretary said she would not accept more free tickets after the controversy, which has dogged Labour’s first few months in government.Asked whether she knew of any colleagues who declined free tickets to see Swift, the education secretary told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme: “I don’t. I know many of us were very lucky to receive those tickets, it’s a real privilege and I completely recognise how fortunate I’ve been in doing so.”She told ITV’s Good Morning Britain that while she would not repay the £522