News Daily: Tory contest closes and Cobra meets over Iran tanker crisis

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Tory leadership contest closes

The waiting is almost over. Voting in the contest to become the next Conservative leader - and prime minister - ends at 17:00 BST today. Theresa May's replacement will be announced on Tuesday and will take office after Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday.

Arguments over Brexit are continuing, with Chancellor Philip Hammond telling the BBC on Sunday that he would resign if frontrunner Boris Johnson wins - in protest against Mr Johnson's pledge to take the UK out of the EU by 31 October "do or die, come what may".

His rival Jeremy Hunt has ruled out the option of proroguing - suspending - Parliament to get a no-deal Brexit through, if necessary. Mr Johnson has not. Here we look at the two contenders' lives and policies.

Meanwhile, the Liberal Democrats announce their new leader today, with Jo Swinson and Sir Ed Davey in the running. Read about it here.

Iran ship seizure: May holds emergency meeting

With her time left in office ticking away, Prime Minister Theresa May will chair a meeting of the emergency committee Cobra later to discuss the seizure by Iran of a British-registered tanker - the Stena Impero - in the Gulf. It is reported that the UK could freeze Iran's assets.

The BBC looks at the diplomatic challenge the next PM faces in dealing with Iran.

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Hong Kong protests: Armed mob storms train station

Forty-five people were injured in Hong Kong as dozens of masked men attacked passengers at a train station in the district of Yuen Long. It's not known who the men, wearing white T-shirts, were, but they stormed the station as people were making their way home from a pro-democracy protest.

Footage shows them beating up people on platforms and in train carriages. Hong Kong's government has condemned their actions. We explain why the protests are happening.

Who would win if a general election was held now?

By Sir John Curtice, Professor of politics at Strathclyde University

With the UK about to get a new prime minister, the prospect of an early election is not far-fetched. So, how would the parties fare if one was held?

The face of party politics in the UK has undergone a dramatic change. The deadlock over Brexit has been followed by a dramatic decline in support for both the Conservatives and Labour.

As a result, the two parties' traditional dominance of the electoral landscape is facing an unprecedented challenge.

Read the full article

What the papers say

The Daily Telegraph leads with Boris Johnson calling for the UK to regain its "sense of mission", ahead of the result of the Tory leadership contest. But the Daily Mirror warns of "chaos" if he wins, with many Conservatives who dislike his Brexit stance ready to "jump ship". Meanwhile, the i says the government's handling of the Iran tanker crisis raises questions. And the Daily Star reports that a "psycho seagull" stole a chihuahua from a garden.

Daily digest

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The fight for Dragon Island

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Lookahead

Today Saudi Arabia launches its plan for a 129-square-mile entertainment park - the same size as Las Vegas.

18:00 Leader Jeremy Corbyn addresses the last meeting of the Labour's parliamentary party before the summer recess.

On this day

2005 Brazilian electrician Jean Charles de Menezes is shot dead by police at Stockwell underground station in south London - a day after four failed bomb attacks on the capital.

From elsewhere

Kicked off the land (New Yorker)

Eco-mall where shoppers can splurge without it costing the Earth may soon be coming to UK (Independent)

The unexplained noise 2% of people can hear (The Atlantic)

One athlete's key to preparing for an English Channel swim? Eat more pizza (National Geographic)