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In a televised debate between the rivals for election by members of the Conservative party as their new leader (and hence prime minister), Boris Johnson said of the Irish backstop, ‘It needs to come out,’ and Jeremy Hunt said that it was ‘dead’. This was described as ‘significant’ by Dominic Grieve, who said he was ready to bring the government down rather than see a Brexit without any agreement. Theresa May, the Prime Minister, said that she would continue to sit as an MP after her resignation on 24 July. Ffordd Pen Llech in Harlech was recognised as the steepest street in the world, at 37.45 per cent beating Baldwin Street in Dunedin, New Zealand, at only 35 per cent.
There were attempts to weaponise the resignation of Sir Kim Darroch as the British Ambassador in Washington after some of his diplomatic telegrams in email form had been leaked. Sir Kim said: ‘I am grateful to all those in the UK and the US, who have offered their support during this difficult few days.’ These did not include Mr Johnson. Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu then said the Met Police had ‘been told the publication of these specific documents, now knowing they may be a breach of the Official Secrets Act, could also constitute a criminal offence and one that carries no public interest defence’. But Mr Hunt said: ‘I defend to the hilt the right of the press to publish those leaks.’ Sure enough, the Mail on Sunday published more leaks in which Sir Kim suggested the Trump White House was ‘set upon an act of diplomatic vandalism’ in abandoning the Iran nuclear deal.
England won the Cricket World Cup (of the One Day International game) in an extraordinarily tense and close match against New Zealand, watched by a peak of 7.9
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