Top story: Johnson calls rival a ‘defeatist’ over Brexit policy

Good morning briefers. I’m Martin Farrer and here are the top stories you need to know about today.

Jeremy Hunt has accused Boris Johnson of putting personal ambition before the national interest as the two candidates for the Tory leadership clashed in a live television debate last night. The foreign secretary stressed Johnson’s refusal to answer questions on whether he would resign if he failed to deliver Brexit by 31 October and said his rival’s threat to shut down parliament to force through no deal could lead to civil unrest. Johnson in turn called Hunt a “defeatist” and bemoaned his opponent’s “managerial style” and love of detail. The pair also clashed over tax policy, while Johnson gave equivocal answers on issues including HS2, Heathrow’s third runway, and abortion and LGBT rights in Northern Ireland. Martin Kettle writes that Johnson “played the Oxford Union smart arse” and in the process showed why he would be “the most ill-qualified prime minister of modern times”.

In a related opinion piece, an exasperated David Conn asks why the Brexit debate has consistently failed to acknowledge the large financial contribution the EU has made to deprived areas of the UK. He cites the imperious Angel of the North as a typically unheralded example; the famous sculpture might never have been erected had it not been for money from Brussels. But, as he notes, a worker at nearby Nissan once told him he voted leave because the north-east got “bugger all” from the EU.

Leak row worsens – The growing tension between London and Washington over our ambassador’s leaked emails provided another flashpoint for Hunt and Johnson in the Tory debate. The former has defended Kim Darroch in the face of personal attacks from Donald Trump, and also pledged to keep the diplomat in place if he becomes PM. In contrast, Johnson refused to condemn the US president. Darroch pulled out of a meeting with trade secretary Liam Fox and Trump’s daughter Ivanka in Washington yesterday and his future looks uncertain after the president’s refusal to deal with him.

‘Don’t panic!’ – Britain’s approach to climate change is like “Dad’s Army” and action to slash greenhouse gas emissions is lagging far behind what is needed, according to the government’s own advisers. In its annual report to parliament, the Committee on Climate Change said the government had to show it was serious about tackling the problem in the next 12 to 18 months. It warned that efforts to prepare homes, businesses and the countryside for higher temperatures were “less ambitious” than they were a decade ago. Chairman Lord Deben said: “We can’t go on with this ramshackle system … and doesn’t begin to face the issues.”

‘A day for history’ – MPs have voted to bring Northern Ireland into line with the rest of the UK by voting in favour of same-sex marriage rights and access to abortion. Labour backbenchers took advantage of the ongoing suspension of the Northern Irish assembly to stage the votes through amendments to an otherwise technical bill on budgets. The Commons voted 383 to 73 to extend marriage equality and abortion rights were granted in a vote by 332 to 99. Supporters greeted the outcome as a “day for the history books”. Activists will also be pleased that Nicki Minaj has pulled out of a concert in Saudi Arabia next week over the kingdom’s lack of support for women and LGBT people.

PNG massacre – At least 15 women and children have been killed in Papua New Guinea in one of the country’s worst outbreaks of tribal violence for years. Attackers armed with guns and long knives descended on the highland village of Karida in Hela province on Monday morning and began slaughtering people at random. One villager who managed to escape said he returned to the village to find some victims so badly dismembered that they could not be identified.

Jewish ‘injustice’ – Descendants of Jews who fled the Nazis are challenging the German government’s decision to reject their applications for citizenship. The group of more than 100 people have the theoretical constitutional right to become German. But many applicants, some of whom submitted claims from the UK after the EU referendum, have been turned down on the basis that applications are only valid if citizenship has been passed through the father. Barbara Hanely is one of them. Her German-Jewish grandfather fled to the UK in 1938 but her application was turned down because her mother married an Englishman. She said Germany had to act swiftly to correct the “injustice”.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Rip Torn, who has died aged 88. Photograph: Alamy Stock Photo

Rip Torn, RIP – The cult actor and celebrated wild man Rip Torn has died aged 88. He starred in a number of Hollywood classics in the 1960s but fell foul of the industry because of his fierce temper and unpredictability. Most infamously, a row with Dennis Hopper during the pre-production of Easy Rider, the 1969 counterculture biker movie, led to Torn being replaced by Jack Nicholson before shooting began. However, he found redemption when cast as the foulmouthed talk-show producer Artie in The Larry Sanders Show for which he won an Emmy in 1996.

Today in Focus podcast: Is Jeremy Hunt fit to be PM?

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Protests against Jeremy Hunt during his time as health secretary. Photograph: Daniel Leal-Olivas/AFP/Getty Images

Our health policy editor, Denis Campbell, talks about what Jeremy Hunt’s record-breaking stint as health secretary tells us about his suitability to be the next prime minister. Some say he was a success because he secured more funding for the NHS while others argue his treatment of junior doctors was shameful.

Lunchtime read: Lie me to the moon – the rise of Apollo conspiracy theories

There’s a scene in the Bond film Diamonds Are Forever where 007 stumbles across what appears to be the staging of a hoax moon landing. While it always seemed to be a knowing joke about the fringe dwellers who thought Apollo 11’s astonishing triumph 50 years ago was faked, the idea that it really was a conspiracy has slowly taken hold. As Richard Godwin writes today, the internet age has fanned the conspiracy theories first formulated in a 1976 pamphlet by a man called Bill Kaysing. Apparently, one in six British people think the landings were staged. Roger Launius, former chief historian at Nasa, says at first the agency didn’t bother to counter the claims but has been forced to do so. It’s “one of the things that happens as time recedes and these events are lost”, he says.

Sport

New Zealand will resume their World Cup semi-final innings against India at Old Trafford today after rain-enforced delays. The Black Caps are struggling on 211-5 with three overs left after having first dig on a tricky pitch that has ignited a row about the quality of surfaces at the tournament. Andy Murray and Serena Williams have advanced in the mixed doubles at Wimbledon but face the number one seeds today. The Spurs midfielder Christian Eriksen has returned to training despite making it clear that he didn’t want to stay in north London. The 19-year-old driver Lando Norris has had his contract extended by McLaren after a good showing in his first F1 season.

Business

Grant Thornton, the firm that audited fraud-linked Patisserie Valerie, has been placed under increased scrutiny after the industry watchdog called the quality of its work “unacceptable”. The pound has continued its slide amid Brexit uncertainty, sinking ever lower to $1.245 and €1.11 overnight. The FTSE100 is set to open flat.

The papers

Many of the papers lead with the worsening tensions between the UK and the US over Kim Darroch’s leaked memos. The Times says “Johnson raises pressure on besieged ambassador”, the FT leads with “Hunt hits back after Trump calls envoy pompous and May foolish”, and the Mirror has “Traitor Boris backs Trump not Britain”. The Telegraph goes for: “Hunt: Boris cares about No 10 more than Brexit”.

Photograph: The Guardian

The Guardian goes with the Northern Ireland rights vote – “Rights to same-sex marriage and abortion for whole of UK” – while the Express says “Finally, Corbyn reveals Brexit betrayal”. The Sun opts for a story on royal decorum with “This is how one does it, Meg”.

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