Rishi Sunak was deemed to have won Sky News’ Battle for Number 10 after the majority of audience members voted for him over rival Liz Truss.
Ms Truss and Mr Sunak faced tough challenges from Conservative members who are mostly undecided, followed by questions from Sky News’ Kay Burley.
After the pair put forward their arguments for why they should replace Boris Johnson as leader of the Tory party, and therefore prime minister, the audience members were asked who they thought had won the argument.
The audience, made up of Conservative Party members, convincingly backed Mr Sunak in a show of hands, rather than Ms Truss – who has been winning polls since the battle was whittled down to two.
Live updates: Truss says recession ‘not inevitable’; Sunak told he ‘knifed’ Johnson
Read more:Truss refuses request to apologise over public sector pay policy U-turn
Ms Truss put herself forward as the candidate of integrity, repeatedly saying she will always listen to people and will do something different if a policy is not working.
She said a recession is “not inevitable”, hours after interest rates were hiked, and promised “bold” action compared with Mr Sunak’s caution.
However, former chancellor Mr Sunak said Ms Truss’ vision “will make the situation worse” as he reminded audience members of his financial actions to help people during the COVID pandemic.
He stressed a need to get a grip on runaway inflation before cutting taxes, adding: “But it all starts with not making the situation worse.
“Because if we just put fuel on the fire of this inflation spiral, all of us, all of you, are just going to end up with higher mortgage rates, savings and pensions that are eaten away, and misery for millions.”
A fourth man has been arrested in connection with the disappearance of student nurse Owami Davies.
The 24-year-old went missing after leaving her home in Grays, Essex, on 4 July.
She was last seen just after midnight on 7 July in Derby Road, West Croydon, south London.
On Wednesday, her mother made a “desperate” plea to the public to help find her daughter, whom she said was months away from finishing her nursing course and starting a job at Guy’s and St Thomas’ hospital.
“I am begging, I am asking for the public’s help, from the people, to say if you know, if you have heard or seen her, or she passed you, please speak up,” Ms Davies’s mother, Nicol Davies, said.
On Thursday, the Metropolitan Police arrested a 22-year-old man at an address in Croydon on suspicion of murder.
He is the fourth person to be arrested, after police had previously detained three men, aged 23, 27 and 32.
Police also released new CCTV images of Ms Davies, from the night she was last seen in a shop and on Derby Road.
Image: CCTV released by police show Ms Davies in a shop in Croydon
Investigators are looking to speak to the driver of a white van, that was parked on the road.
Ms Davies was with a man and crossed the road just as the van pulled out, police said, adding the driver would have had a “good opportunity” to see both of them.
The Met Police said this remains a missing person enquiry.
Diversity training across government departments is “riddled with left-wing views”, claims Suella Braverman.
The attorney general says she is “all for a diverse workforce… meritocracy [and] inclusion”, but tells Sky News there has been a “takeover by HR teams [and] campaign groups” in the civil service, which has “propagated a political ideology when it comes to identity politics”.
She is backing plans from Conservative leadership contender Liz Truss to scrap the diversity and inclusion roles in Whitehall, which the foreign secretary claims will save £12m a year.
The policy was part of the candidate’s plan to “wage war on Whitehall waste” announced earlier this week, which led to a huge U-turn on how to save £8.8bn on public sector pay.
Politics Hub: Sunak and Truss prepare for Sky News Battle for Number 10 leadership special
Ms Truss had wanted to introduce regional pay boards to set salaries dependent on where people lived, but it sparked fury from Tory MPs worried it could hit the likes of nurses, teachers and police officers in less affluent areas.
Less than 24 hours after the plan was announced, Team Truss scrapped the regional element, but indicated they would be sticking with other parts, including the removal of these Civil Service roles.
Ms Braverman – who ran for the leadership herself, but got behind Ms Truss after she was knocked out – says there has been “thousands of hours” of diversity and inclusion training within government departments at “a huge cost to the tax payer”.
“It’s been divisive, not inclusive,” she told Sky News. “It’s been patronising, not empowering.
“It’s based on an assumption that me as an ethnic Asian woman from working class roots must be a victim, necessarily oppressed. That’s a misassumption. And I think it creates division.
“It’s tearing up society, breaking down the fabric of our country. And I think it’s a waste of money.”
‘Divisive nature’
The attorney general also claimed the way it is taught is “indoctrinating”, adding: “The training materials that I’ve seen used in the civil service is riddled with left-wing views on race and gender, things like white privilege.
“Civil servants are taught about micro-aggressions. They’re taught about white fragility. They’re taught about how to be a straight ally. I don’t think those are objectively impartial when it comes to politics.
“And I don’t think they are good value for money. And I don’t think ultimately that’s what taxpayers want their civil servants or their government lawyers to be spending their time on.”
Ms Braverman denied her views – and Ms Truss’s policy – were “anti-woke”, instead saying they were “against identity politics and the divisive nature of all of this”.
But she also admitted it was not the “biggest issue of the day”.
“It comes to civil service efficiency, it comes to government delivery,” she says.
“And if we can reduce the cost of civil service to reduce the cost of government, that’s only not only good for the economy and public spending, it’s also really good for efficiency and public service delivery for individuals.”
The issue may well arise at Sky News’ Battle for Number 10 programme at 8pm tonight.
Ms Truss and Mr Sunak will take part in back-to-back questioning from a live studio audience at Sky Studios in west London – made up of undecided Conservative Party members – before facing an in-depth interview with Kay Burley.
‘The Battle for Number 10′ will be broadcast live for 90 minutes and for free on Sky News channel 501, on Freeview 233, on Sky Showcase channel 106, and across Sky News’ digital channels.
Campaigners have said there is still a long way to go to support young people and prevent suicides after the government announced further funding for student mental health services.
The Student Minds mental healthy charity has received a three-year funding commitment of £262,500 annually from the Office for Students and the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales, to extend the provision of Student Space.
The platform offers students one-to-one mental health support as well as services via web, call and text.
The funding comes after the government allocated £3m to help the NHS work more closely with universities when providing students with mental health support.
However, campaigners have said there is a long way to go when it comes to providing students with the best possible mental health provisions.
Mental health activist Ben West told Sky News: “So many students I talk to don’t know what’s available, and even if they know what’s available they’re so mysteriously presented that, that there’s so much anxiety about going.
“That is such a barrier to receiving that help.”
He added that discrepancies between universities are also rife.
Mr West said: “It varies massively from university to university.
“Some universities I’ve seen and heard about are great, they’re very proactive in terms of the support they offer, and some universities are incredibly unproductive.
“We need so much more regulation and guidance from government.”
In 2018, Natasha Abrahart took her own life while in her second year at the University of Bristol.
Struggling with social anxiety, her well-being deteriorated as she faced increasing pressure around oral university assessments.
Her department was made aware of her situation.
Robert Abrahart, her father, told Sky News about how Natasha’s flatmate had written to staff about the fact the student had been having suicidal thoughts “and to some degree attempted it”.
He said: “At that point, you’d think people would pick up on it and do something.
“In fact, yes, they helped her to get to the GP service, but did nothing else in the department.”
Image: Natasha Abrahart took her own life in her second year of university
Her mother Margaret Abrahart added: “I think they were quite frightened to talk to her in case it was upsetting.
“But then at the same time, they seem OK with putting her into a situation that would be really upsetting.”
Her parents later learned of more attempts their daughter had made to get help.
Mr Abrahart said: “There’s records of her searching the internet for ways of solving her own problems.”
Her mother added: “It’s very tragic to see the attempts she made to sort out her own problems.
“It was just one of those problems that was just too difficult, and she needed help”.
Image: Natasha Abrahart with parents Robert and Margaret
Ultimately, a landmark court ruling found the university’s failures contributed to Natasha’s death.
At the time, the University of Bristol said staff worked hard and diligently to support her and it is committed to providing the best possible support for students.
The university has also applied to appeal the court’s decision.
The case sparked conversations around student mental health, and her parents continue to campaign so other students don’t experience the distress Natasha did.
There are also concerns about the training around mental health provided to student-facing staff.
Read more: COVID and social media pressures driving surge in mental health problems, say doctors One in six young people in England has a diagnosable mental health condition Third of young men trying to conform to social media’s ‘picture perfect culture’, survey says
Sky News obtained data from 109 universities through Freedom of Information requests.
It showed that 98% offer student-facing staff mental health training.
However, it isn’t mandatory in 67 out of 107 institutions – that’s 63%.
And while 37%, 40 out of 107, have some form of mandate – in most cases, this doesn’t cover all staff.
Clinical psychologist Peter Kinderman told Sky News understanding of mental health must be widespread.
He said: “It should be part of the duty of care that all university staff – and that includes cleaning staff as well as lecturing staff – should have towards their students.
“It should be inherent in what universities do.
“If universities are ducking their responsibilities to understand and then support student mental health, then I think they’re at fault.”
Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org in the UK. In the US, call the Samaritans branch in your area or 1 (800) 273-TALK
The mother of a missing student nurse has made an emotional plea for information, as the police release CCTV images.
Owami Davies, 24, has been missing since 4 July after she left her family home in Grays, Essex.
She was last seen on Derby Road in West Croydon, South London on 7 July and almost a month after her disappearance, her mother, Nicol Davies, said “it is obvious that someone out there has seen something”.
“I am begging, I am asking for the public’s help, from the people, to say if you know, if you have heard or seen her, or she passed you, please speak up,” she said.
“All we really want is to find her, all we really need is for her to come home or to know her whereabouts.
“I sit here as a desperate mother at the mercy of anyone that knows or heard something to help me find my baby, that’s all I’m asking, just help to find her.
“Or her, if she’s somewhere and hears this, to please come home. We miss her so much, her brothers and myself miss her, need her.
“We are not complete, we just want her to come home and, again, if she is listening she should know she’s not in trouble.”
Ms Davies, who is a mother of three, added that her daughter was “really happy” and had about two months left of her nursing course, with a job secured at Guy’s and St Thomas’ hospital.
Image: Police have released CCTV images of Ms Davies
She added that Ms Davies worked in A&E during the pandemic and that the family had planned to go to Spain and Disneyland Paris on holiday.
She said: “We had so many things on our calendar that we still needed to do.”
She added: “She’s a lovely person. Owami’s caring, she likes to help. She doesn’t hold grudges. She loves her brothers, she dotes on her brothers. She loves me. As much as we love her.”
The Metropolitan Police has released new images of the night Ms Davies was last seen in a shop and CCTV of her in Derby Road.
Image: The inquiry is still being treated as missing persons investigation
Investigators are looking to speak to the driver of a white van, that was parked on the road.
Ms Davies was with a man and crossed the road just as the van pulled out, police said, adding the driver would have had a “good opportunity” to see both of them.
The Met Police said this remains a missing person enquiry.
A 32-year-old man arrested on suspicion of murder at an address in South Croydon remains in custody and two other men, aged 27 and 23, were arrested in the Croydon area for the same offence.
A “beautiful” 16-year-old boy who was stabbed to death in Somerset has been named as Charley Bates as his family has paid tribute.
Charley died in The Street in the town of Radstock on Sunday evening.
Emergency services had been called to a car park there around 6.40pm following reports of disorder involving a number of people.
Charley, who lived in the area, was found critically injured and, despite the efforts of paramedics, he was pronounced dead at the scene.
The teenager’s family said: “Our beautiful Charley Boy. We are all so very proud of you. You are desperately missed by so many.”
Police charged 18-year-old Joshua Delbono, of Frome, with murder on Tuesday.
He was due to appear at Bath Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday.
Three other people have been arrested by officers investigating Charley’s death.
A 20-year-old woman and an 18-year-old man were detained on suspicion of murder, while another man, also 18, was held on suspicion of conspiracy to murder.
The woman has since been released under investigation, while the two men remain in custody for further questioning.
Avon and Somerset Police said Year 11 pupils in the area are being offered support by school staff.
And any young people affected by the incident can talk to youth workers who have set up a drop-in.
Detectives are appealing for anyone with information to call 101 and give the reference 5222182800.
South East Water has announced a ban on hosepipe and sprinkler use for its customers in Kent and Sussex.
The ban will start on 12 August, with an end date that has yet to be decided.
It comes just days after Southern Water announced the first hosepipe ban of the year for customers in Hampshire and Isle of Wight. That ban starts on Friday.
South East Water said its ban is necessary to make sure there is enough water for essential use and to protect the environment, adding that the ban would reduce the amount of water taken from “already stressed local water sources”.
It said: “This has been a time of extreme weather conditions across the UK.
“Official figures show this is the driest July on record since 1935 and the period between November 2021 and July 2022 has been the driest eight-month stint since 1976.
“During July in the South East, we have only seen 8% of average rainfall for the month, and the long term forecast for August and September is for similar weather.”
It added: “The demand for water this summer has broken all previous records, including the COVID lockdown heatwave.
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“We have been producing an additional 120 million litres of water a day to supply our customers, which is the equivalent of supplying a further four towns the size of Maidstone or Eastbourne, daily.”
South East Water supplies 520 million litres of water every day to 2.2 million customers.
The water is drawn from more than 250 boreholes, six rivers, and six reservoirs.
The company’s website said that all customers in Kent and Sussex will be affected by the ban except those on the priority service register.
Read more: England experiences driest July for more than a century while UK driest since 1984 Where does our water come from, where do we use it most and what happens during a drought?
Customers in Berkshire and Hampshire will not be affected, it said, adding: “Whilst demand in our supply areas in Berkshire and Hampshire has also increased considerably, we have not suffered from the same water supply issues as experienced in Kent and Sussex.
“For the time being, we are in a position that we can continue to ask our customers to apply voluntary restraint on the amount of water they use at home.
“We are continuing to monitor the situation, and will advise customers if circumstances change.”
The ban means it is forbidden to use a hosepipe that is connected to a mains water supply, including garden sprinklers.
Breaking the rules could result in a fine of up to £1,000.
Shuja Khan, chief executive of data company Arqiva, said having a water smart meter can help people control their use.
He said: “Most people have no idea how much water they use every day because it can be really hard to conceptualise.
“For example, for every 10 minutes of use, the average hosepipe uses 170 litres of water, or almost 19 flushes of a toilet in the same timeframe.
“If people knew that just one hour of hosepipe use was equivalent to the same amount of water that the average family of four consumes over two days, they might reconsider their gardening patterns.”
Conservative members are facing delays in receiving their postal ballots to vote for who they want to be the party’s next leader due to security fears.
In a letter sent to Tory members seen by Sky News, the Conservative Party’s head of membership confirmed postal ballots will arrive “a little later than we originally said” as “we have taken some time to add some additional security” to the process.
Members were previously due to receive their postal votes this week.
However, the email sent to members says they should receive their ballot by Thursday 11 August.
Politics Hub: Sunak allies attack Truss public sector pay plan
The correspondence adds that voting more than once in the ongoing leadership contest will be treated as “an offence” and warns that any member who is found to have voted multiple times will “have their party membership withdrawn”.
It adds that Tory members can either vote by post or online.
But the Conservative Party has confirmed that the security fears have forced it to abandon plans to allow members to change their vote for the next leader later in the contest.
Allies of leadership hopeful Liz Truss were believed to have been concerned the original rule allowing Tory members to change their vote in the contest would work to her rival Rishi Sunak’s advantage.
The rules of the leadership contest, set by the 1922 Committee of backbench MPs and the Conservative Party board, state members should only vote once but if a “duplicate” vote is recorded, the second one will be counted.
CCHQ described it as a slight delay and were unable to give any further guidance.
A Tory Party spokesperson said: “We have consulted with the NCSC throughout this process and have decided to enhance security around the ballot process. Eligible members will start receiving ballot packs this week.”
Earlier on Tuesday, a new poll suggested Ms Truss has extended her lead over Mr Sunak in the leadership race.
It comes as Mr Sunak battles to make up ground during what is a key week in the contest for the keys to Number 10.
The latest YouGov poll of Conservative members for The Times newspaper shows Ms Truss’s lead has stretched to 34 points in the Tory leadership race, with 60% of party members now saying they will vote for the foreign secretary to succeed Boris Johnson as prime minister.
This is compared to just 26% for former chancellor Mr Sunak.
The poll, carried out over the last five days, shows Ms Truss is now ahead of Mr Sunak among all age groups, across different parts of the country and with men and women.
The only category where he beats Ms Truss is among Tory Remain supporters.
The YouGov survey published on Tuesday also found almost nine in 10 Conservative members have now made up their minds how they will vote ahead of ballot papers going out this week.
But it will concern both potential leaders that more than 50% of party members believed whoever was elected to succeed Mr Johnson would lose the party its majority at the next election.
Just 19% of members thought Mr Sunak could lead the Tories to victory, while 39% thought Ms Truss could see off a challenge from Labour.
Voting will close on 2 September with the winner expected to be announced on 5 September.
As the leadership race continues to heat up, Mr Sunak and Ms Truss will once again face the cameras this week on Sky News.
Taking place on Thursday 4 August at 8pm at Sky Studios in west London, The Battle for Number 10 will see the candidates take part in back-to-back questioning from the live studio audience made up of Conservative Party members who remain largely undecided on who to vote for.
This will then be followed by an in-depth interview with Kay Burley.
The programme will be broadcast live for 90 minutes and for free on Sky News channel 501, on Freeview 233, on Sky Showcase channel 106, and across Sky News’ digital channels.
Liz Truss has extended her lead over Rishi Sunak among Tory members, according to a new poll, after the foreign secretary U-turned on a plan to link public sector pay to regional living costs.
On Monday night, the leadership race frontrunner said she would save £8.8bn by introducing regional pay boards instead of national ones to set salaries for civil servants, reflecting where they lived.
But experts warned that to reach the sum, the plan would have to branch out further than government departments, with the likes of teachers, nurses, and police officers also receiving lower pay than workers in the South.
It led to outrage from Conservative MPs, and by lunchtime today – less than 24 hours later – Ms Truss’ team had released a statement saying the policy would not be taken forward.
Politics Hub: Sunak allies attack Truss public sector pay plan
A statement insisted “current levels of public sector pay will absolutely be maintained”, adding: “Our hard-working frontline staff are the bedrock of society and there will be no proposal taken forward on regional pay boards for civil servants or public sector workers.”
Team Truss also claimed there had been a “wilful misrepresentation” of the policy, but former Tory whip Mark Harper said they should “stop blaming journalists” for reporting on the details in her own press release.
A Team Sunak source pointed to comparisons made between Ms Truss and former PM Margaret Thatcher, twisting her famous phrase for today’s events: “The lady is for turning.”
While the influential Tory mayor of the Tees Valley, Ben Houchen, told reporters the policy would be “a sure-fire way to lose the next general election”.
The first major error from Ms Truss’s campaign came as Mr Sunak battles to make up ground during what is a key week in the contest for the keys to No 10.
But the day ended on a high for Ms Truss following the publication of the latest YouGov poll of Conservative members, which shows she has extended her lead over Mr Sunak to 34 points in the Tory leadership race.
The survey, carried out for The Times, finds that 60% of party members are now saying they will vote for the foreign secretary to succeed Boris Johnson as prime minister.
This is compared to just 26% for former chancellor Mr Sunak.
Analysis: Sunak supporters will fear the game is up
After a day in which Liz Truss’ Tory leadership campaign took a battering over her regional pay blunder, suddenly it’s Rishi Sunak who’s on the ropes, according to a shock new poll.
What’s surprising is not just the massive lead the YouGov poll suggests Ms Truss now has over Mr Sunak, but the claim that almost nine in 10 Tory members have already made up their mind.
At 26%, the level of support for the former chancellor is dismal, and the 60% predicted to back the foreign secretary will calm nerves in her camp after her embarrassing public sector pay U-turn.
Although it’s only one poll and opinion polls are just a snapshot, YouGov’s findings suggest Ms Truss could be heading for a victory as decisive as Boris Johnson’s over Jeremy Hunt in 2019.
Then Mr Johnson polled 66.4% of the votes of party members and Mr Hunt 33.6%, a winning margin of nearly 33%, similar to the 34-point lead YouGov now gives Ms Truss over Mr Sunak.
The YouGov poll also suggests only 14% of party members are undecided or say they won’t vote, and it fiercely contradicts an earlier private poll suggesting the gap had narrowed to just five points.
YouGov’s last poll before this one was carried after the five rounds of voting by MPs, when Penny Mordaunt was eliminated, and suggested a 24-point lead for Ms Truss over Mr Sunak, by 62%-38%.
The apparent widening of the gap, in the week party members receive their ballot papers, will delight Truss supporters – and, no doubt, those of the ousted Mr Johnson who want to see Mr Sunak crushed.
But it is likely to plunge the Sunak camp into gloom, panic and despair and spread fears in his team that the game is up for the former chancellor, even before most Tory members cast their vote.
The poll, carried out over the last five days, shows that Ms Truss is now ahead of Mr Sunak among all age groups, across different parts of the country and with men and women.
The only category where he beats Ms Truss is among Tory Remain supporters.
The YouGov survey published today also found that almost nine in 10 Conservative members have now made up their minds how they will vote ahead of ballot papers going out this week.
But it will concern both potential next leaders that more than 50% of party members believed that whoever was elected to succeed Mr Johnson would lose the party its majority at the next election.
Just 19% of members thought Mr Sunak could lead the Tories to victory, while 39% thought Ms Truss could see off a challenge from Labour.
As the leadership race continues to heat up, candidates Mr Sunak and Ms Truss will once again face the cameras this week on Sky News.
Taking place on Thursday 4 August at 8pm at Sky Studios in west London, The Battle for Number 10, will see the candidates take part in back-to-back questioning from the live studio audience made up of Conservative Party members who remain largely undecided on who to vote for.
This will then be followed by an in-depth interview with Kay Burley.
The programme will be broadcast live for 90 minutes and for free on Sky News channel 501, on Freeview 233, on Sky Showcase channel 106, and across Sky News’ digital channels.
“Urgent action” is still needed to improve child care services in a part of Wales where a five-year-old boy was murdered by his family, inspectors have said.
There remain “serious concerns” with the children’s service department which had oversight of Logan Mwangi, the Care Inspectorate Wales (CIW) said as it published its report into Bridgend County Borough Council.
The inspection in May 2022 came nearly a year after Logan was murdered by his mother, step-father, and a teenage boy – who were all given life sentences.
The young boy suffered “catastrophic” internal injuries consistent with a “brutal and sustained assault” likened to a car crash.
The CIW found that the local authority had taken action to instigate “immediate learning” following recent critical incidents.
But it said that there was still a “variation” in the quality of services and social work practice provided to children and families.
Specifically, inspectors found “missed opportunities” to record and capture children’s views, with an overreliance on parents’ views, in some cases.
It also raised issues about staff absence and recruitment and an overdependence on newly qualified and agency social workers.
CIW chief inspector, Gillian Baranski, said she was pleased to acknowledge some improvement since the last inspection in April 2021 but added that: “Further urgent action must be taken to secure and sustain improvement in the care and support for children and families in Bridgend. This work must be prioritised to ensure the best possible outcomes for children.”
Image: John Cole and Angharad Williamson will both serve a minimum of more than 20 years behind bars
Image: Craig Mulligan will serve at least 15 years in prison
Bridgend County Borough Council cabinet member for social services and early help, Councillor Jane Gebbie, welcomed the report.
She said: “A great deal of work has already taken place to improve the overall quality of our services for children and their families, and much of this has been highlighted by the report.
“For example, we have commissioned a programme of independent quality assurance to assess the strengths and areas for development in children’s services, are actively recruiting new employees, and are carefully redeploying existing staff to provide additional support in areas experiencing the most pressure.
“The council also remains committed towards strengthening the overall effectiveness and resilience of its services for children, and we will continue to liaise closely with the inspectors as we seek to deliver further improvements.”
Read more: Logan ‘treated like disposable rubbish in life and in death’ Boy, 14, who murdered five-year-old Logan Mwangi named Mum lied about stepdad beating five-year-old son
Image: Logan suffered ‘catastrophic’ internal injuries before his death
Separate to CIW’s report, a Child Practice Review is under way, led by Cwm Taf Morgannwg Safeguarding Board, which is looking into agencies’ involvement with Logan and his family to identify what lessons can be learnt for the future.
