Thursday briefing: What the shock Badenoch-Jenrick leadership battle says about the future of the Tories

In today's newsletter: Conservative MPs have whittled down the candidates to Kemi Badenoch and Robert Jenrick. What does that say about the direction of the party?

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Good morning. Well that was unexpected ...

It took them a full three months, but yesterday, Conservative MPs finally whittled down the candidates to succeed Rishi Sunak to two: Kemi Badenoch and Robert Jenrick.

US news | A weakening but still tremendously powerful Hurricane Milton slammed into Florida's west coast on Wednesday night as a category 3 storm, leaving more than 2 million homes without power while bringing catastrophic" winds likely to cause significant property damage.

Middle East | At least 400,000 civilians in Gaza remain trapped by the latest Israeli offensive centred on Jabaliya refugee camp, according to UN agencies and human rights groups.

Economy | Keir Starmer's promise to end austerity and rebuild public services will require tax increases of 25bn a year in the coming budget even if debt rules are changed to provide scope for extra investment spending, the Institute for Fiscal Studies has said.

United Nations | Saudi Arabia narrowly failed in its bid to win a seat on the UN human rights council, a blow to Riyadh's efforts to boost the country's rights reputation abroad, four years after it was rejected in a 2020 bid to join the 47-member body.

Politics | Rogue employers will be targeted by the Fair Work Agency, a beefed-up new enforcement authority, to protect sweeping changes to rights at work for millions of Britons set to be outlined in a watershed" bill published on Friday.