five men, onejob, one hour of your questions from across the uk. how they answer will help to decide who becomes our next prime minister. good evening. one of the men here on stage will become our next prime minister. tonight, for the very first time — we hear from all of them in a live televised debate. dominic raab was eliminated two hours ago. the rest — borisjohnson, jeremy hunt, michael gove, sajid javid and rory stewart are all here. we have questions coming in from around the uk.

myjob will be to seek clarification, and direct answers where none are forthcoming. we'll hear views on their brexit solutions, and on other issues that deeply affect this country. the vast majority of us will not get a vote in this election for the next tory leader. but over the course of this hour we intend to give you the chance to get to know them better — and test their mettle as a prime minister that must speak to and for the country. they have drawn lots for the order of seating and i'm going to nudge them along if their answers are waffling. let's go to our first question. lee ward in norwich. good evening, lee. what's your question? good evening, good evening, gentlemen. as a lifelong conservative voter, i voted for the brexit party in the recent european elections. my question to you all is, can you guarantee that you will be able to get your brexit plan through parliament by the slst of october? can you guarantee, boris

johnson, that you can get your brexit plan through? you are right to a nswer brexit plan through? you are right to answer that —— asked that question because we must come out on the 31st of october otherwise we face a catastrophic loss of confidence in politics. we've already kicked the can down the road twice and i think the british people are getting thoroughly fed up, whether you voted remain or leave, the people were asked a question, they returned a verdict, the politicians said that they would honour the verdict. three years later we have still failed to leave. and unless we do it, unless we get out on october the 31st, i think we all out on october the 31st, i think we a ll start out on october the 31st, i think we all start to pay a really serious price. our party is the plant are used to support and is now on 17 points in the polls —— our party is the party. labour isn't doing much better. we must take responsibility

and act matu rely better. we must take responsibility and act maturely and soberly in the interests of democracy and off the electorate and get this thing done. jeremy hunt. important question. if i got to the slst of october and there was no prospect of a deal that can get us out of the eu, then i would be out, i would leave without a deal. if there was a prospect, if we we re a deal. if there was a prospect, if we were nearly there, then i would ta ke we were nearly there, then i would take longer because the conservative party is the party of business, the party of the union and hope. i would wa nt party of the union and hope. i would want to avoid the disruption of no deal, the risk of a general election that could let injeremy corbyn. we have to resolve this and we must resolve it quickly because this is about the trust of the british people in people like us, the politicians, whether we do what we are told, whether we impose our will, and we mustn't let them down. michael gove, a guarantee by the sist michael gove, a guarantee by the 31st of october? i share your frustration. i was the first person oi'i frustration. i was the first person on the panel to argue that we should leave the eu, i have believed it all

my life. that's why i'm so upset that we haven't left, why i'm angry that we haven't left, why i'm angry that not everyone in the commons has honoured the result and got us to leave. because i started this, i will finish it, i will make sure we will finish it, i will make sure we will leave the eu in good order. jeremy has a fair point, if we almost there on october the 30th and we need an extra couple of days, who could object to taking electra 24 hours, 48—hour is to get it over the line? sometimes you have extra time in football matches to get the winner. the most important thing is to win for britain and that means getting outcome honouring the vote you gave and also making sure that the case i made in the referendum campaign and which you were good enough to support wins. sajid javid, is it fundamental that we leave before the 31st of october? is it fundamental that we leave before the slst of october?m is it fundamental that we leave before the 31st of october? it is fundamental. thank you, lee, for voting conservative in the past. what we must do is win back your vote and millions of others like you. that means as a result of this

historic vote, the biggest turnout we've seen in any referendum, it is essential that we act on those instructions. that's what they were, instructions. that's what they were, instructions from the british people, they are our bosses, to us, the politicians. so far we have failed. we have failed to act on those instructions and it is fundamental that it must be by auto body 31st. i respectfully disagree with jeremy and michael on body 31st. i respectfully disagree withjeremy and michael on this —— by october the 31st. we should learn from our mistakes, one mistake we have had is to have a flexible deadline. if you don't have a deadline. if you don't have a deadline you do not concentrate minds and that includes the minds of oui’ minds and that includes the minds of our european friends. we must set a date. rory stewart. we are your two things, a sense of urgency, you voted to leave the european union and we need to leave as quickly and efficiently and legally as possible but we also owe you something else,

oui’ but we also owe you something else, our trust, we must be honest about two difficulties. unfortunately it isn't going to be possible to negotiate a new deal with the you buy the 315t. that isn'tjust something i feel, it is something nigel farage has said, steve baker, one of borisjohnson's supporters have said the same thing. if you try and negotiate a new deal, we will be stuck there for months and years to come. it wouldn't be that they would bea come. it wouldn't be that they would be a few months away of getting it done on ocotober sist, they would have hardly begun. secondly we live ina have hardly begun. secondly we live in a parliamentary democracy and there is only one door through this, using parliament. iwouldn't there is only one door through this, using parliament. i wouldn't waste time saying i was going to negotiate a new deal. all these people on the platform who voted for the deal, ta ke platform who voted for the deal, take the shock of the european elections, let's get it done and that's the quickest legal way of doing it. we've heard from all of

you about the importance of leaving in good order, taking responsibility seriously. rory stewart, i put it to you that you are offering the same that failed for theresa may not once, but three times. you want mps to approve a deal that has been tested. in the end we are in a room with a door, and the door is called parliament. i'm the only person here trying to find the key to the door. everyone else is staring at the wall shouting" believe in britain." we have run into that door three times already, rory. we have to have a different route out. we can't present the same cold porridge for the fourth time and ask people to say that is what they want. we need a different approach. where i think you are right and realistic is that if you have an arbitrary date and you get so close, emily, to being able to get over the line, i think the view that boris and saj have

articulated, ripping up the progress we've made... it isn't arbitrary, it is ocotober 31st. when is your last leaving date? i've argued we should leave at the earliest opportunity andl leave at the earliest opportunity and i believe the most important thing... when that would be, in 2019? absolutely. we can be in a position to leave but the worry i have about boris's position, we fought together on a leave position, boris fought with me, we both believe it in our heart, but i worry, boris, if we got to ocotober sist worry, boris, if we got to ocotober 315t and we were so close to getting the deal over the line, would you say, michael, we've almost got there... i share, i share,... say, michael, we've almost got there... ishare, i share,... can you give any guarantee? michael's guaranteed by the end of ocotober sist. i guaranteed by the end of ocotober 31st. i think october the 31st is eminently feasible. that's not a guarantee. is that your date?“

eminently feasible. that's not a guarantee. is that your date? if we now say we have a deadline that is not a deadline, and if we allow october the 31st of come and go as march and april came and went, the public will look upon us with increasing mystification.” public will look upon us with increasing mystification. i haven't heard anyone on the stage guaranteeing yet. can you raise your hand if there is a guarantee to leave by ocotober 31st. my question, the only way we can leave is without a deal, then i would do that but what would you say to a sheep farmer that i met in shropshire recently, whose business would be destroyed by 40% tariffs on lamb? ifjust before ocotober 315t there was a deal in sight and you gave up and said that this is a hard deadline, we are out, he would look at you and say boris, you got your dream come went to numberten, but you've

you got your dream come went to number ten, but you've destroyed mine, a family business. of course, and nobody wants ono deal, a disorderly no deal of that kind but it's important to prepare for no deal and i congratulate what you and michael and others have done to prepare for it. there is a wide measure of consensus that we must get out on october the 31st. we must prepare for no deal. that is the way that we will get the deal that we need. and the way to come out isn't with a disorderly brexit, but what everybody understands, taking the solution of the irish border issues, putting that into the implementation period... there is no negotiation without the backstop. of course there is. you do need to have a deadline. you absolutely need it because without that, you won't focus minds. anyone who has negotiated anything, they know that you must have a deadline and in terms of what we can get through the

door, as rory called it, what we can get through the door is what has already gone through, a withdrawal agreement with a change to the backstop. it can be done. staying with brexit, we are going to, then a moment, but if you want to follow the debate, including analysis, you can see all the latest on our live page at bbc.co.uk/news. oui’ our next speaker is carmela thompson. hello, good evening. my question, a mother of three, with a husband in the property industry, if we have a node deal, my husband could lose hisjob and my children face an uncertain future. —— if we have a no deal. why are you even contemplating a no—deal brexit?

have a no deal. why are you even contemplating a no-deal brexit? why, michael gove, are you even contemplating a no—deal brexit? because we've got to leave the european union. 17.4 million people voted to leave. we can't have a situation where we say to all the people of the country, it's up to you to decide, we are your servants, we will follow through. i agree a no—deal brexit would create economic turbulence, and as jeremy no—deal brexit would create economic turbulence, and asjeremy pointed out, there are some parts of our country, if we don't plan properly for a no—deal brexit, they will suffer. but we must ensure that we are ready for whatever comes, prepared for whatever comes and above all, that we make sure that we put our democracy first. we heard from carmela who is worried about the future of her husband, his job, and their children. you can't say anything to reassure her? what i would say is that of course there are challenges with no deal but we are challenges with no deal but we are a great country, we can get through it. there are things we can

do to ensure that outside the eu, we prosper. i suspect on one of the few candidates, perhaps the only one, who has explained how we can be wealthier, greener and freer outside the eu, with new trade deals and a transformed economy. thank you. how, given that parliament does not consent to no deal, how you are going to deliver no deal against the consent of parliament? because that's what you'll have to do, all of you, if you leave by ocotober sist, of you, if you leave by ocotober 315t, with no deal on the table, please tell me how you're going to do it against the consent of parliament. it's important for carmela to understand that none of us carmela to understand that none of us wants a no deal, none of us wants a disorderly brexit that you're talking about. in 2017 you said it would be ok. however, it is

important to prepare for that eventuality, it is responsible to do that. actually a great deal of work has been done to protect hill farmers, to make sure that they have the right chain of command in northern ireland for the administration of hospitals and so on, and to prepare small business. maybe carmela is going to be fine? we can prepare more. one mistake we have made soil farther is that we did not prepare well enough and that is why we are in this mess —— one mistake we have made so far. you prepare for no deal. it focuses minds, the eu does not want it either. make sure you are prepared and make sure you are the responsible prime minister. jeremy hasn't spoken yet. let me answer the question, your husband is in the property business so he will know that the only way to get deals in

that the only way to get deals in that business is to hold on the table the ability to walk away from a deal if it isn't right. if you do what rory is saying, if you take no deal off the table, what's going to happen is that we won't get a deal and then the worst thing for your family and children is that we'll still be arguing about brexit in a year pass time because we won't have left the eu. the reason we must keep no deal on the table is to make sure we get a deal. but, and i think there is a difference here, it should only be a very last resort because families, livelihoods are addressed. as conservatives we are the party of business and the union. carmela, are you reassured by what you've heard? no, i'm not, i'm not reassured at all. i'm really concerned about the future for my children. i have one working in the city, i have one training to be a

vet, and one going to university in september. i vet, and one going to university in september. lam vet, and one going to university in september. i am worried about the future, and i'm worried about my husband was my job. future, and i'm worried about my husband was myjob. no one can give a real answer as to what will happen if we have a no deal. carmela, thank you. my answer... you had a chance to reassure her. nobody wants a disorderly brexit of the kind you have been describing and threatens your husband was myjob. we are going to makes so we come out on terms that protect the uk and the eu. ifi terms that protect the uk and the eu. if i were lucky enough to be your prime minister i am committed that there would never be no deal. it is unnecessary, it is damaging and it is so unnecessary and damaging. asjeremy said, it is not even a credible threat. then you

must be happy with no brexit. we can't hear you. we are going to go to mark who is in belfast. panel, we're going to our guest. 550... rory stewart, we can't hear anything. mark is in belfast. thanks, good evening, gentlemen. i wa nt thanks, good evening, gentlemen. i want to say, i grew up during the troubles and i've seen how free and open the border to the republic of ireland has helped to secure peace and give us more trade and development. can the candidates explain how they will solve the issue of the irish border, a subject many people here see as theresa may's downfall? now, theresa may has tried to solve this one, for three yea rs, tried to solve this one, for three years, and she couldn't. the question is how, how will you? not empty promises. jeremy hunt, you seem empty promises. jeremy hunt, you seem to feel you have merkel and macron on speed dial with easy

reach, so what are they saying? very straightforward, they are saying the uk has the border with the republic of ireland, it's for us to come forward with solutions that would work. actually i think everyone here would agree with you that what we can't have is a return to border infrastructure on the island of ireland because that was one of the fundamental achievements of the belfast good friday agreement, the free border allowing people to move easily from north to south, allowing businesses to trade easily. you haven't told us what they will agree to. what was problematic about the irish border was not that. it was the suggestion that we should be trapped in the customs union until the eu gave us permission to leave. that will never get through parliament. we have to find a way of showing that we can keep the board open, keep what we call a soft border, and i think through technology we can do that, but we

have to do that in a way that doesn't trap us in the customs union because leaving the eu is about regaining our sovereignty, and that means we have to... you're talking about giving ireland 500 million to help unlock the problem. you think it's about money? i think money will help because the ultimate solution to keeping the open border, and can ijust say as someone who is responsible for security and counterterrorism, that was a hard woi'i peace counterterrorism, that was a hard won peace in ireland and we cannot risk that in anyway whatsoever, we are 100% committed to the good friday agreement and keeping the open border. i've done the work on this. in my department we have the border force who have looked at this. it is possible to have an open border with two different customs arrangements on either side, using existing technology. it will take time to put it in place. it will cost money. you would have to backstop until the technology was

there? a time limit on the backstop. you can't have a backstop with a time limit, you've heard that from ireland. our parliament won't agree toa ireland. our parliament won't agree to a backstop that isn't time—limited, it will not be agreed to. the irish understand that. they know that they will have to be some agreement on it. and the eu have said themselves that the backstop itself cannot be permanent under their laws, so they will have to be some sort of compromise. leo varadkar said that if there is no backstop, there is no deal. what do you do now? i agree strongly with saj and jeremy. i remember what it was like during the troubles, i remember... you compared it to the congestion charge, that's how seriously you took it. nobody wants to see a return to the

infrastructure and the uk government will never ever do that. what you can do, as jeremy will never ever do that. what you can do, asjeremy hasjust said and cited said, you can solve the questions of how to keep goods following a that border while the uk comes out of the eu as a whole, you can solve that issue during the implement a period while we negotiate the free trade deal. that is the way forward. you aren't going to get the mentation period. can you hear me? -- implementation period. why will they sign up to that? there are several incentives. firstly, our eu friends now have 29 members of the brexit party in strasbourg, not a welcome presence. they have the incentive of £39 billion that they will get, and they want us out of the eu, they want it done, and they

don't want a disorderly brexit. in the end, they aren't going to want, for the reasons that rory and others have given, they don't want that kind of brexit. everyone else recognises that it is a problem that needs solving but you don't?|j recognises that it is a problem that needs solving but you don't? i don't at all, it should be open border, as was guaranteed in the good friday agreement. so do we. in londonderry i saw directly that all the policies of these gentlemen, talking about tariff barriers, and at the centre of your policy, boris, your agricultural tariffs. of your policy, boris, your agriculturaltariffs. i'm of your policy, boris, your agricultural tariffs. i'm sure you've been in enniskillen sitting with a sheep farmer, many are processed in the abattoirs of the republic. what are going to be your tariff arrangements on the border? what are you going to do? you're going to finish that answer? he's

going to finish that answer? he's going to finish that answer? he's going to change the subject. the a nswer going to change the subject. the answer is that they will be no ta riffs answer is that they will be no tariffs and there will be no quotas because what we want to do is to get a standstill in our current arrangements, under gatt, until such time as we have negotiated the fta. in the context of this agreement... come up with the mentation. some people have said that the backstop isa people have said that the backstop is a catch—22 but it isn'tjust about economics. the northern ireland peace process is about much more than trade. i've worked in northern ireland and i know there are several things you must do. we must get the institutions up and running, the assembly back. the sdlp don't have representation in the governance of the uk. we must give them a voice. we must recognise that there are delicate relationships on there are delicate relationships on the border between londonderry and

donegal, between county down and dundalk. we must make sure that order communities receive support. thirdly, we need to supercharge work on alternative arrangements. saj is right, the eu have explicitly said that the backstop is meant to be temporary and that they have going to —— they will work with us... temporary and that they have going to -- they will work with us... you are going to personally lead the way on this. absolutely. you called the good friday agreement amoral stain on our integrity. i have very good relations with the irish government and politicians on both sides of the sectarian divide. i've worked in northern ireland. i was critical of tony blair because of the way that he handled the peace process at certain points but it's also the case that i've worked successfully with the irish agriculture minister

ina with the irish agriculture minister in a constructive fashion and it has been said by them that what we need to have is a comprehensive solution to have is a comprehensive solution to these problems and i have a plan. the others have observations. i have a plan. europe made it clear that the extension that boris is talking about is contingent on the backstop. it is legally binding that they are not going to renegotiate between now and october 315t. every one of these people is not explaining how they're going to do it. we've heard from each of you. please answer the question hour. did you hear that answered? not really, no. ithink there's a lot of confusion in northern ireland and a lot of fear, especially if we crash out without a deal. i was hoping for more and hopefully over the next couple of weeks we'll get more information. thank you. we're leaving brexit now,

we're going to james in oxford. hello. good evening, everyone. i used to be a conservative voter. i now consider myself without a party. i've reluctantly voted for the brexit party. my question to all of you, what is your plan to lift the tax burden on the working classes? what is your plan to lift the tax burden on the working classes? sajid javid, uk cut off on this one.|j understand javid, uk cut off on this one.” understand that, what it shows you, given that you said you voted for the brexit party is that delivering brexit is more than just leaving the eu. in some ways you can argue that's the easier bit. there are many frustrated ambitions that went into that vote and that is one of them. we have too much pressure on working people today through the cost of living and taxes. my priority in terms of tax cuts would be tax cuts that help working people the most. as a country we can afford

it. over the last nine years because of the hard work of the british people, we have dealt with the huge deficit we inherited and we can afford to start cutting taxes. tax cuts for the working classes and not the high earners? i'd focus on tax cuts for the working people on the basic rate. jeremy hunt, you've talked about slashing corporation tax, to 12.5%. a cut worth 13 billion to businesses who have had their taxes cut almost annually from your government. your priority is big business. not at all. firstly, james, life is very expensive in the south—east of london, a city like oxford. the cost of housing is extortionate. i think our conservative mission, ifi extortionate. i think our conservative mission, if i am prime minister, is to reduce the tax burden on the lowest paid. i would like to see everyone in this country being able to own the first thousand pounds every month without any

income tax or national insurance because it would lighten the load. the question is how you get there, and the way to do that, the way to afford tax cuts to turbo—charge the economy. i set up my own business. i think if we can bring down taxes on business we can get our growth rate up business we can get our growth rate up and if we got a growth rate that was closer to the american growth rate of 3% rather than half that, which we are on, we would have an extra £20 billion for tax cuts on people on low incomes, more money for the nhs, which i was responsible for. it brings the country together. what people accuse the conservatives of is that we are the party of the rich. we must not for them to the trap. boris johnson, under rich. we must not for them to the trap. borisjohnson, under your proposed tax cuts, those earning £79,000 would still not be considered wealthy enough to pay the higher bracket of income tax. can i say, to go to james's point about

what we would do to help the poorest in society, i was very proud to have expanded the london living way a policy that put millions of pounds into the pockets of the poorest families. can you answer my question? £79,000 and you aren't in the highest bracket.” question? £79,000 and you aren't in the highest bracket. i also think. i'm here! forgive me! i think we should be lifting the thresholds of national insurance for the lowest paid but i think it is relevant for all of us to have a debate about the thresholds for the higher rate of taxation. so you aren't sure about it? it seems to be odd that in the conservative party people should seriously question whether it is right to try and lift nurses and heads of maths departments and police inspectors out of the top rate of tax. i think that's a good thing to do. you had the debate in

the daily telegraph, so is it clear in your mind that the tax cut would go ahead for the higher earners? we would bring forward a package to help primarily the poorest in society by lifting the thresholds, but i think it's sensible to have an ambition to raise. and mike ambition? to raise the tax rate for the middle earners. we are taking the middle earners. we are taking the definition... three times the average wage. michael gove, you want to abolish vat and replace it with a simpler tax, what does that mean?” vat and replace it with a simpler tax, what does that mean? i am the candidate who was most pro—working people and pro the relief of poverty, my dad was a small businessman who lost his business, my mum was a shop assistant, i know what it's like to face difficult

circumstances so i would take advantage of the fact we can replace vat, it hits the poorest worst, i would replace it with a flexible sales tax and rates for small businesses... i don't understand, we haven't got all night. this would generate the jobs and investment we need and i would look at the interaction between universal credit and income tax to help the poorest and income tax to help the poorest and i'm a fan of boris in many ways that he is making a mistake, of the money we have he is concentrating on cutting taxes for people who earn what mps and millionaires are in, i think that is wrong. i went into politics to help the poorest in society and that is the way we can show we are actually a party that can take onjeremy show we are actually a party that can take on jeremy corbyn because we haven't yet talked about jeremy

corbyn... haven't yet talked about jeremy corbyn. .. i don't haven't yet talked about jeremy corbyn... i don't want haven't yet talked about jeremy corbyn. .. i don't want to talk about him tonight, there is so much to go through. he isn't interested in helping working people, he is interested in standing up for the iranian regime, i have a plant to help working people and make sure the poorest in society benefit. but you are losing james to the brexit party, not to labour. rory stewart, you will not get james back if you don't believe in tax cuts.” you will not get james back if you don't believe in tax cuts. i believe the way we unify the country is by being honest and what depresses me in this debate is that everyone is promising things, they promised they will get a new deal out of brussels, to get a new —— a no—deal through parliament, they are promising altogether nearly £84 billion worth of tax cuts. i don't think this is the time to be cutting taxes because

i'm not thinking about promises for the next 15 days but the next 15 years. our country is suffering huge pressures on public services. if i can deliver a safe pragmatic brexit and that is a big if, that would... i would be spending the money not on tax cuts but investing in public services and i would not be committing tax cuts when we don't have the money. have the one you back, james? i think the only one who talked sense wasjeremy hunt, rory, you are out of touch, it is not to do with brexit but tax cuts. we will go to tina now in tunbridge wells. while brexit is going on so many important issues are going under the radar so my question is, i

have fostered more than 100 children over 27 years. despite the support from my local authority i now struggle to get appropriate mental health services, special educational needs support and even doctor's appointments. what will you do for vulnerable children? all of you, can you pledge to reverse some of the cuts tina is talking about? michael gove commit you to just call yourself the pro relief on poverty candidate. tina, thank you, i myself spent the first four months of my life in care and i was adopted by a wonderful mum and dad and i know people like you who foster children who have been through difficult times our heroes, and one thing i have outlined as a plan to better help children in care who are at risk to find people like you who can give them loving homes but we have a

problem with mental health provision and with support for children with special needs, which is why we need to increase the funding for education so we go back to the levels we had in the past where every child has their funding protected but also a detailed plan to target that money on the poorest children and those who are most in need and one thing i will also do is make sure that for people like yourself, we look at how we can better financially support those who are making a commitment to children... all of you have been pa rt children... all of you have been part of a government that has cut the spending power of local councils by almost 30% in a decade. what do you reverse? we won't reverse the changes i made to make it easierfor children to be adopted. were talking about spending cuts. changes in

education mean more children are in good schools. let some of the others in because there have been cuts to local services, will you reverse those? yes, if we can deliver a sensible brexit that unlocks opportunities for our economy. my difference with the other candidates is if they get more money they will give it away in tax cuts, i think thatis give it away in tax cuts, i think that is the wrong thing to do, we don't need more tax cuts, if there is more money we need to invest in services and i know i'm making myself unpopular because the gentleman who asked the question wants me to promise something we cannot afford. if we have a no deal brexit but the last gentleman was telling me off, and this is one reason this debate feels unreal, the two things are related. the money you spend comes from taxes, if you

cut those you will have less money to spend. sorry, we cannot hear. what is your plan for education? on education there is a lot we can do, one thing is planning for the next 15 years, to think about the ways that al and robotics will change the world of work. what we are talking about at the moment... sajid javid hasn't spoken. i relied on public services at my whole life, my family didn't have much and whether it's education or health care, they were my lifelines. you voted for these cuts. when i ran the department for local government we increased the spending power of local authorities and since then it has increased, but ifi

and since then it has increased, but if i was prime minister, we need to reset spending in certain areas and local government is one, health has been identified as another and the other one is education, especially schools and colleges, including special needs, the question is how to fund it. it's easy to make spending pledges without saying how you will fund it. tax cuts can sometimes lead to more revenue, if you get a more dynamic economy they have led to more revenue, secondly we can afford in the short term to borrow more because the work we have donein borrow more because the work we have done in the last few years has paid off. we have left tina's question far behind. jeremy hunt, we have had questions about austerity and universal credit and food banks, 1.6 million food parcels handed out, a record can do any of you accept a

link between welfare cuts and poverty? i want to answer tina's question, having been responsible for health and social care, some of the social care cuts went too far andi the social care cuts went too far and i want to thank her for helping 100 young people from disadvantaged backgrounds into the world, you were one of the people who make our society work and a conservative government must be there for people like you, so i think local authorities need more money for the social care system but i also think we need better mental health provision because when i was health secretary i met a young woman who had been cutting herself up her arm, it was horrific and we leave it too late to intervene with mental health and these conditions get trapped and it becomes harder to do something but most importantly, michael did

remarkable reforms at education but i want remarkable reforms at education but iwant to... remarkable reforms at education but iwantto... i remarkable reforms at education but iwant to... iwant remarkable reforms at education but i want to... i want to bring you back to the link between welfare cuts and poverty. too many children leave school unable to read or write and if you have 25% of primary school leavers unable to read, i wa nt school leavers unable to read, i want us to abolish illiteracy so all young people you are looking after can look forward to their future.” wa nt can look forward to their future.” want to say i agree strongly with what jeremy want to say i agree strongly with whatjeremy has want to say i agree strongly with what jeremy has said but we also need to invest more in our education system. there have been reductions in spending in real terms not what about food bank use and cuts to health care? i believe that our care syste m health care? i believe that our care system is a disgrace, it's a scandal, it cannot be tinkered with around the edges, it's the great

unfinished revolution, we set up the nhs but we have not sorted out social care and we will need more money to fund it. i would reach across party, we have had white and green papers and royal commissions but we have never funded it properly because we haven't got out of our party sides. we will not funded with tax cuts, we will need more money. what is your plan? it is in andrea del mond's proposal and the question is how to fund it and the conversation with labour, the difference between me and the other candidates is i don't believe the weight you negotiate is setting red lines and making impossible promises, i believe you sit down with the opposition and solve the great unfinished scandal in society. you need a plan, it's great to bring people together. we have more plans

then you can believe. what is your plan? we have abdullah in bristol. what is your question?” plan? we have abdullah in bristol. what is your question? i am the imam ofa what is your question? i am the imam of a mosque and i see first—hand the impact of islamophobic rhetoric on my community. do the candidates agree that words have consequences? borisjohnson, you have said muslim women who were veils look like letter boxes and bank robbers, do you accept your words have consequences? of course, insofar my words have given a fence over the last 30 years as a journalist when people have taken them out of my articles and escalated them, i am sorry for the offence they have caused but i would say this to our

friend from bristol, went my muslim great—grandfather came to this country in fear of his life in 1912, he did so because he knew it was a place that was a beacon of generosity and openness and a willingness to welcome people from around the world. what would he think of you using those words?” will ensure that is how our country a cts will ensure that is how our country acts and in respect of what my friend over there says... abdullah. i think my muslim great—grandfather would have been astonished to have found that his great—grandson had become foreign secretary. do you accept that words have consequences? he would be proud. you are frequently careless with your language, do you worry you may do

more harm than good, there is the issue of nazanin zaghari—ratcliffe, you said she was teaching people journalism, you know what that did to herjail sentence. i think it's very important that in this context we pay tribute to the work of the foreign office in doing what they can. words have consequences. in seeking to point the finger at me or anybody in the uk for the incarceration of nazanin zaghari—ratcliffe, my deepest sympathy to her and herfamily zaghari—ratcliffe, my deepest sympathy to her and her family but in pointing the finger at our stomach words have consequences. i don't think it made a difference. if you point the finger at the uk, all you point the finger at the uk, all you are doing is exco painting those who were truly responsible, which is the iranian revolutionary guard. and

when donald trump... people should realise what this regime is up to.” will askjeremy hunt, when donald trump will askjeremy hunt, when donald tru m p retweets will askjeremy hunt, when donald trump retweets offensive irascible comments about london, you say you don't like the language but you were great 150% with the content —— londonistan. no, i said i agreed with his sentiment that sadiq khan has been a useless mare but i disagree with him and with that racist words of katie hopkins, i am married to an immigrant and have 3/2 chinese children, they look different to the other kids but it doesn't matter, we are one of the most open, tolerant countries on the planet and we must do everything we can to protect that, especially at

the point at brexit where people worry that our culture might change and we have to show people the brexit the conservatives will deliver is tolerant, we will not put the shutters down and site foreigners aren't welcome, we will remain that country. sajid javid you said you would open up the conservative party to an investigation of islamophobia. would you like everyone on the stage to commit to that? i would commit do you agree, guys? shall we have an investigation? they are grey. but cani investigation? they are grey. but can i say more? first of all, if i could say to abdullah, my parents we re could say to abdullah, my parents were muslim immigrants to our great country and they settled in bristol andl country and they settled in bristol and i have many muslim friends and family in bristol, he is right to

raise this, words do have consequences but also behind him there is a concern, and he's right to have that, about growing anti—muslim hatred in our country, certainly in the last few years all parts of society, including in political parties, which must be rooted out. we are one of the most successful multiracial democracy is in the world, whatever your rice and thatis in the world, whatever your rice and that is what we have to remain but we have to work harder and you asked about president trump, the us is our closest partner and always will be but because we are friends we are critical friends and when someone says something wrong we should call it out. why didn't you call it out, you said you were a diplomat?” it out. why didn't you call it out, you said you were a diplomat? i feel strongly that that tweet and anything to do with a foreign leader

is something you have to be firm and strong on but generally if you work the prime minister you have to do it in private. if you were prime minister would you call it out in public? donald trump is an extraordinary phenomenon. sajid, i think there is a difficult balance here. let me finish on this. i would say to abdullah, i am very proud, very proud to have you in this country and i am also disturbed that eve ryo ne country and i am also disturbed that everyone around the stage, like me, says nice things but unfortunately there is more and more evidence of people saying, doing and thinking things about muslims which are unacceptable and nothing to do with our culture and the saint seems to be true of the way people are speaking about jews. the former

chairman of your party expressed on about the idea of you becoming prime minister given things you have said about british muslims. only last night, and elected conservative muslim in the european parliament endorsed me on the basis i was the candidate best able to bring people together, and abdullah is right, hatred of people on the basis of their background is repugnant, i have no hesitation in saying some of the things president trump had said, no world leader should say, but some of the things that jeremy corbyn has said about british jewish citizens are disgusting. the fact he said british due washes and is needed to discover a sense of irony, if there are islamophobia is in the conservative party, we should root them out but you cannot have someone

aspiring to be prime minister who indulges the anti—semitic hate speechjeremy corbyn indulges the anti—semitic hate speech jeremy corbyn has indulges the anti—semitic hate speechjeremy corbyn has indulged. we need to call them out. let's go to errant for our next question, in glasgow. what is your question? on behalf of strikers all over the uk, can you promised the environment will be your top priority if elected? will you commit to net zero carbon emissions by 2025? you have all agreed to 2050, who will commit to bringing it down to 2025?” all agreed to 2050, who will commit to bringing it down to 2025? i will commit to putting the environment at the centre of my programme. again, we are back, i think we absolutely wa nt we are back, i think we absolutely want to put climate and the environment at the heart of

everything in my first act as secretary of state at dfid was to double the amount we spend on the environment, i double the amount we spend on the environment, lam proud double the amount we spend on the environment, i am proud we double the amount we spend on the environment, lam proud we have double the amount we spend on the environment, i am proud we have set the 2050 target which is our most ambitious target so far as set by any advanced industrial economy, we will host a climate summit, we have fantastic resources in the north sea for carbon capture, offshore wind, i would like to make is the leader in the world in driving green and environmental change but we have to do within the way that is on at your house is on fire, that is what greta songbird said. thank you for your activism and raising consciousness of this issue, i praise those people who went on the climate strike for raising awareness. i met greta songbird as climate secretary. i write a plan to ensure we increase

the amount of energy created by renewables but also to restore the trees and forests that act as carbon sinks to rid our air of the pollution that is choking the lungs of young people and also of plastic. as environment secretary i can do everything i can to make sure your generation are cleaner... boris johnson, you can now stop heathrow expansion. will you? i continue to have grave reservations about the heathrow runway three, notjust from... when you get in front of bulldozers now? air pollution and noise pollution and i will continue to use, what michael has identified, to use, what michael has identified, to reduce c02.

to use, what michael has identified, to reduce co2. just answer the heathrow question because if you are prime minister can do you stop the expansion? i have grave concerns about the air quality impacts and noise pollution and court cases are now proceeding and as prime minister i will follow those closely. jeremy hunt. i look at what we did in london, our population increased by 200,000 commit gdp went up by 20%, we can't co2 emissions by 14% and did that through technology. but boris, erin's question is not whether we are doing something but whether we are doing something but whether we are doing something but whether we are doing enough and this isa whether we are doing enough and this is a fundamental matter of trust between teenagers and all of us here who are in our 405 and 505 as to whether young people can trust the next generation. we will be around

in 50 years, and we want to know if the planet is there and if you will look after it. everyone will be 40 by the time we reach 2050. ——. look after it. everyone will be 40 by the time we reach 2050. --. that i5 by the time we reach 2050. --. that is what she said. 2025? it was good offer to challenge us to be ambitious. we may be the first country in the world to legally commit to net zero and we need to do more. i'm pleased you have raised this and i note you were 15 but my 16—year—old daughters ask me about this and said what will you do about this and said what will you do about this and said what will you do about this and you were right to challenge us and we have done quite a few things and michael and others over the last few years but nowhere near enough, we need to become carbon neutral, everyone will take some

time but we have to be more ambitious in terms of renewable energy, helping people to buy electric cars and charging them so we can be ambitious and can also create morejobs. we can be ambitious and can also create more jobs. who has impressed you the most? none of you have impressed me in the way i'm looking for. climate change isn't an issue tomorrow but to date and we need to ta ke tomorrow but to date and we need to take drastic political action and i don't think any of you are willing to offer that. our last question now from our man in london. this is a month. in the event that you become prime minister, you will be voted on by parliamentary colleagues and conservative party members and you will have no mandate from the people so when will you do the right thing and call a general election?”

so when will you do the right thing and call a general election? i don't think the labour party once a general election, i don't think anyone in the house of commons wants us to go to the people, we had an election in 2015 and one in 2017. it's the arrogance, that's what you said when gordon brown became prime minister, he would be in ten downing street without a mandate from the british people, let's have an election without delay. he wasn't taking over in the context of a national crisis in which we have to get brexit over the line. when we haveit get brexit over the line. when we have it done i think then we have the chance as conservatives to bring our country to get to do fantastic things with infrastructure and education and the environment and technology, to unite our society. that will deal with many of the

emotions... no election untilwe have delivered brexit, that's what we promised last time, we delivered that and then, we must do what we promised. no election untilwe have started to listen to people and taken action and show we believe in this country and can make it better. that sounds like fear. we need to crack on and deliver brexit and transform our country for the better. i have a detailed plan to make sure we can help the poorest in society and increase economic growth and bring together those parts of the country that have been overlooked and undervalued, many of which voted live, then we can have a general election and say tojeremy corbyn, get back in the dustbin of history where you belong. this is a

change of prime minister, a critical time for our country, perhaps one of the greatest challenges we have faced in a generation, whoever our new prime minister is, we must all commit to unite behind that individual and deliver brexit before an election. and on that note we will end, we have run out of time. sadly that brings us to the end of our hour. my thanks to all those who asked their questions tonight and the many, many more who sent in their thoughts on e—mail. the candidates face the next round of elimination tomorrow and we should have the final two by the end of the week. thank you to all the candidates for participating tonight, and thank you for watching. coverage continues on the bbc news channel, 5 live and newsnight on bbc2 at 10:30pm. thank you for watching.

good evening. i'm clive myrie. the candidates have had their say. for the next hour, reaction and analysis to tonight's conservative leadership debate. and then there were five. they're vying to be the uk's next prime minister — spent the last hour debating brexit, the nhs, the environment. i think october the 31st is eminently feasible. not a guarantee.