Boris Johnson news – live: Brexit ‘crisis talks’ held in Berlin, as PM warned Joe Biden will not give him warm welcome if elected

The chancellor said “hard choices are everywhere” as he pledged to balance the economic books, despite the pandemic.

He told the Conservative party’s online conference: “We will protect the public finances, over the medium-term getting our borrowing and debt back under control.

“We have a sacred responsibility to future generations to leave the public finances strong, and through careful management of our economy, this Conservative government will always balance the books.

“If instead we argue there is no limit on what we can spend, that we can simply borrow our way out of any hole, what is the point in us?

“I have never pretended there is some easy cost-free answer.

“Hard choices are everywhere.”

Mr Sunak told the online conference his “single priority” will be to create opportunity.

He said: “I have always said I couldn’t protect every job or every business. No chancellor could.

“And even though I have said it, the pain of knowing it, only grows with each passing day.

“So, I am committing myself to a single priority – to create, support and extend opportunity to as many people as I can.

“Because even if this moment is more difficult than any you have ever faced, even if it feels like there is no hope, I am telling you that there is, and that the overwhelming might of the British state will be placed at your service.

“We will not let talent wither, or waste, we will help all who want it, find new opportunity and develop new skills.”

The chancellor praised the Conservative belief in “individual freedom” but said the government will always stand “between the people and the danger” of the coronavirus pandemic.

He said: “And whilst we would not have wished for this burden, it has been for many, for the first time in their lives, a moment in which government ceased to be distant and abstract, but became real, and felt, and something of which people could be proud.

“Action met words. This Conservative government stood between the people and the danger and we always will.”

Chancellor heaps praise on prime minister

Rishi Sunak has begun his speech to the Tory conference. He began by heaping praise upon Boris Johnson as he sought to quell Westminster rumours of a rift between the Downing Street neighbours.

The chancellor said: “I’ve seen up close the burden the prime minister carries.

“We all know he has an ability to connect with people in a way few politicians manage.

“It is a special and rare quality.

“But what the commentators don’t see, the thing I see, is the concern and care he feels for people every day, for the wellbeing of every person in our country.

“Yes, it’s been difficult, challenges are part of the job, but on the big calls, in the big moments, Boris Johnson has got it right and that is the leadership that we need.”

Sunak says public right to be ‘frustrated’ by 10pm pub curfew

Chancellor Rishi Sunak is about to begin speaking at the Tory conference. He is expected to commit himself to “a single priority” to “create, support and extend opportunity to as many people as I can”.

In a pre-speech interview with The Sun, Sunak has defended his Eat Out to Help Out scheme – despite Boris Johnson’s suggested the incentive “may have helped to spread the virus”.

Asked if he had any regrets, he replied: “No, definitely not. We had an industry that I care deeply about because of employment. It’s over two million people.”

He also expressed sympathy over public anger at the 10pm pub curfew brought in as an attempt to curb infections. “Everyone is very frustrated and exhausted and tired about all of this,” he told the paper.

PM admits he doesn’t know how many Covid contacts have been missed after IT blunder

Boris Johnson has admitted he does not know how many contacts of coronavirus cases have been missed – as he blamed a spreadsheet blunder for nearly 16,000 missing positive test results.

The PM said “some of the data got truncated and it was lost”, when asked how the damaging mistakes had been made.  

Asked about the scale of the contacts that had been missed, he said: “I can’t give you those figures. What I can say is all those people are obviously being contacted and the key thing is that everybody, whether in this group or generally, should self-isolate.”

Barnier in Berlin for crisis talks with Merkel

The EU’s chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier is meeting German chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin today for talks on the Brexit trade deal crisis.

Barnier has already met with Germany’s foreign minister Heiko Maas this morning – who said a no-deal Brexit would be an “irresponsible” outcome.

“With today’s health and economic challenges, people on both sides of the channel have enough to shoulder, so it would be totally irresponsible to burden them in this position with the additional problems through a no-deal,” Maas said.

Barnier is also set to begin another round of negotiations with his UK counterpart David Frost this week.  

No 10’s envoy said there had been progress on state aid, but the gap on fisheries is still wide. Both sides are committed, least to trying to find “landing zones” on the most difficult areas.

Brexit trade deal still ‘likely’ says Goldman Sachs – but not until November

Goldman Sachs said on Monday that the UK and the EU were likely to do a post-Brexit trade deal by early November – though warned the risk of a breakdown in negotiations could not be ruled out.

“Our core view remains that a “thin” zero-tariff/zero-quota trade agreement will likely be struck by early November, and subsequently ratified by the end of December,” Goldman analysts said a note to clients.

“The risk of a breakdown in negotiations cannot be ruled out,” the group said. “We continue to think the perceived probability of ‘no deal’ will persist beyond the next European Council meeting in mid-October.”

Talks continue this week after Boris Johnson and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen approved a further month of negotiations. The leaders’ weekend video call appears to have gone pretty well – the pair agreed to talk on a regular basis. 

SNP chief suggests Ferrier could be booted out by voters

The SNP’s leader at Westminster has again called on one of his own MPs to stand down, urging her “to do the honourable thing” as the clamour for her resignation increases.

Ian Blackford said Margaret Ferrier should resign in a bid to save her “self-respect and dignity” after it emerged she travelled from Scotland and London and back again with coronavirus.

“Nobody knows where that will go but she runs the risk of having her fate being taken out of her hands,” he said – suggesting her constituents in Rutherglen and Hamilton West could vote her out.

A by-election could then be forced if 10 per cent of voters in the seat sign a recall a petition – so long as she was suspended from the Commons for at least 10 sitting days.

‘Fireside chats’ with Tory ministers coming up at conference

It’s a big day at the Conservative party’s virtual conference – with the chancellor’s speech just before lunchtime set to dominate. Here’s a rundown of what to expect:

11am – There’s a “fireside chat” with education secretary Gavin Williamson (sorry, we’ve no idea why the party has opted for the fireside gimmick).  

11.30am – The work and pensions secretary Therese Coffey takes part in a panel discussion.  

11.50am – The big speech by Rishi Sunak.

2.30pm – Another “fireside chat”, this time with business secretary Alok Sharma.  

3pm – Transport secretary Grant Shapps and culture secretary Oliver Dowden are interviewed.

4.30pm – Health secretary Matt Hancock rounds off the day with yet another “fireside chat”.