The Catch-up: Who will be the next Prime Minister?

The Catch-up 10 June
The Catch-up 10 June

What happened?

The contenders in the running to be the next leader of the Conservative Party and therefore the next Prime Minister have been announced. 10 candidates will battle it out for the keys to Number 10 and the UK will have a new PM by mid-July. The candidates are: Boris Johnson, Jeremy Hunt, Michael Gove, Sajid Javid, Rory Stewart, Dominic Raab, Matt Hancock, Andrea Leadsom, Esther McVey and Mark Harper.

Who’s going to win?

Boris Johnson is currently the runaway favourite. The bookies give him by far the shortest odds and he is popular with Conservative Party members. But before that happens Mr Johnson must win the backing of his fellow Tory MPs. There will be several rounds of voting until two candidates remain. Then party members will vote for their preferred candidate.

He may be ahead now, but historically the favourites don’t tend to win Conservative leadership elections. Mr Johnson is keeping a relatively low profile so far - presumably to avoid any scandals that could hinder his chances.

The first round of voting by Tory MPs, eliminating one candidate, takes place on Thursday. Contenders are expected to drop out as the competition progresses and it becomes clear they have no chance of winning.

Read more:

Everything you need to know about the candidates to be Prime Minister (Yahoo News UK)

Tory leadership race narrows to 10 candidates as Sam Gymiah drops out (HuffPost)

Boris Johnson plans tax cut for higher earners as Conservative leadership race officially begins (Sky News)

A free TV Licence will only be available to households with someone aged over 75 who receives Pension Credit from June 2020, the BBC has announced. The broadcaster had come under criticism over plans to scrap the free licences for the over-75s. Do you agree with the BBC’s decision? Read the full story and have your say below:

Met Office issues amber ‘danger to life’ warning

The Met Office has issued an amber weather warning for rain for parts of the UK, meaning there is a danger to life due to expected flooding. There are four straight days of weather warnings in place starting on Monday, and some places in Britain will be battered by 20 straight hours of rainfall today. The warning for residents in London, Sussex, Kent, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Essex is in place from 3pm to 11pm on Monday. Read the full story here (Telegraph)

Nurse re-arrested over multiple baby deaths

A nurse has been re-arrested on suspicion of the murders of eight babies at a hospital neo-natal unit. Lucy Letby, 28, was initially arrested last as part of a police inquiry into the deaths of 17 babies at the Countess of Chester Hospital. It is understood she was re-arrested on Monday based on new evidence. Letby has also been arrested in connection with the attempted murder of three more babies. Read the full story here (HuffPost)

Tory leadership contender Esther McVey’s speech to the Bruges Group was interrupted by a man shouting “you are fake news! Fake Tories”. The protester, who was eventually removed from the building was reportedly angry that MPs hadn’t delivered Brexit. (ITN)

7km (4.4 miles)

Officials have warned of more potential eruptions from an active volcano in Indonesia after a huge ash cloud sparked panic among residents. Mount Sinabung on the island of Sumatra erupted for around nine minutes on Sunday, sending volcanic ash kilometres into the sky. Mount Sinabung, which is more than 8,000ft high, is among Indonesia's most active volcanoes but had been inactive for four centuries before erupting in 2010. (Sky News) (Evening Standard)