Tory leadership hopefuls ‘scratching each other’s eyes out’ in race to No 10, says Labour– UK politics live

Good morning.

Last night, the five remaining candidates to become the next Conservative leader, and therefore prime minister, went head-to-head in a live TV debate.

The debate saw open arguments over tax and identity politics – and none of the five candidates was willing to say that Boris Johnson is honest.

Coming hours after Liz Truss sought to reinvigorate her faltering campaign with a sudden announcement of new tax cuts costing more than £20bn a year, Rishi Sunak the ex-chancellor, openly ridiculed his former colleague’s plans during the Channel 4 broadcast.

You can read my colleague Peter Walker’s full report of the debate here.

Meanwhile, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has dismissed the acrimonious Conservative leadership race as a “travelling circus”, in which the candidates have demolished their party’s economic credibility by promising billions of pounds of unfunded tax cuts.

He tells the Guardian’s political editor the party “has got no sense any more of what it stands for”.

“That’s why you have all these candidates scratching each other’s eyes out, taking lumps out of each other,” he said.

We’ll bring you all the latest UK political developments throughout the day, as they happen.