Harris Secures Enough Delegates

Headlines this morning are centring on what is being referred to as Kamala Harris’ “coronation” to become the Democratic Nominee. This comes as Harris looks as though she has secured enough delegates to win the party’s nomination due to take place at the Democratic National Convention between 19–22 August.

According to an unofficial Associated Press tally, Harris now has over the 1,976 pledged delegates threshold to win the nomination in the first round of voting.

As we looked at yesterday, key players in the party who had been poised as potential candidates to replace Biden including the governor of Michigan Gretchen Whitmer and the governor of California, Gavin Newsom, were quick to step aside and endorse Harris. (Whitmer has in fact taken up the position of being the co-chair of Harris’ campaign).

Alongside potential rivals for the Democratic nomination stepping aside, yesterday also saw Nancy Pelosi back Harris’s campaign.

Yesterday, Kamala Harris also gave her first speech following Biden’s announcement that he would step aside ahead of November’s Presidential Election.

Speaking at the National Collegiate Athletic Association championship teams, Harris said that she was “deeply grateful for [Joe Biden’s] service to our nation” while she praised his “unmatched legacy”. While the vice-president’s speech did not cover anything on her own plans for the campaign, Harris later said in a statement that “I look forward to formally accepting the nomination soon”.

Speaking on her rival, Harris said that “Donald Trump wants to take our country back to a time before many of our fellow Americans had full freedoms and rights. But we believe in a brighter future that makes room for all Americans”.

It’s also understood that the Harris’ campaign managed to raise $81 million in the first 24 hours, something which it says is the most that has ever been raised in a campaign’s first day.

Narendra Modi’s new government has just released their first budget in New Delhi with spending on infrastructure and jobs taking centre stage. The budget has also earmarked billions of dollars worth of investment to be put towards increasing agricultural productivity as Modi looks to drum up support in key agricultural areas.

The Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman also reduced the tax rates for foreign companies from 40% to 35% while there will be an increase in long-term capital gains tax to 12.5%.

The Indian government will also aim at reducing their budget deficit to 4.9% of GDP, indicative of a budget which shows a move towards more fiscal discipline.

Following the general election last month, Narendra Modi’s BJP party (having won 240 seats and falling shy of the 272 seats needed for a majority) was forced into a collation (the National Democratic Alliance) which provided an additional 53 seats in the Lok Sabha by relying on regional parties from states like Andhra Pradesh and Bihar.

Following their election defeat, the Conservative Party has laid out their plans for the new leader of the party to be elected by 2 November.

Nominations will open on Wednesday evening and will close at 14:30 on Monday with hopefuls needing to secure the backing of at least 10 MPs. This will then be narrowed down to four frontrunners who will make their case to the party at their Conference in the Autumn.

Those likely to put their hat in the ring include the now shadow home secretary James Cleverly, the shadow security minister Tom Tugendhat and the shadow housing secretary Kemi Badenoch.