Labour’s ruling body. the national executive committee, has given the mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham permission to stand in the candidate selection process for the upcoming Makerfield byelection, a party spokesman said.
The mayor still has two more years of his term. meaning that if he stands there will need to be a mayoral byelection. Under Labour rules, sitting mayors need NEC approval to stand for Westminster. He would also need to be formally selected.
Labour’s ruling body. the national executive committee, has given the mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham permission to stand in the candidate selection process for the upcoming Makerfield byelection.
Former health secretary Wes Streeting has voiced his support for Andy Burnham to compete in the Makerfield byelection. describing him as one of Labour’s “best players on the pitch”.
Labour’s deputy leader. Lucy Powell, has backed Andy Burnham’s efforts to return to parliament, saying there will be no attempt to stop the Greater Manchester mayor from fighting in Makerfield.
The Greens are going to campaign for the upcoming Makerfield byelection. complicating Andy Burnham’s potential route back to parliament against what is expected to be a strong Reform UK challenge.
Meanwhile. the former Green leader Caroline Lucas has suggested the party should not campaign, as she shows her support for Andy Burnham.
A powerful parliamentary committee tasked with reviewing files relating to Peter Mandelson’s appointment as US ambassador has revealed. the government is withholding his vetting file despite not having the authority to do so.
The pound was heading for its worst week in 18 months on Friday as City traders anticipated that the UK prime minister. Keir Starmer, could face a challenge from the Manchester mayor, Andy Burnham, later this year.
Nigel Farage bought a £1.4 million property using money he received for taking part in I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!. Reform UK has said.
Donald Trump has given his two cents on whether Keir Starmer can survive as prime minister, saying “he’s a nice man actually,”. “it’s a tough thing”.
Eleven foreign far-right activists have been banned from coming to the UK ahead of tomorrow’s march by supporters of Tommy Robinson. as the prime minister said there was a “fight for the soul of the country”.
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Labour’s ruling body. the national executive committee, has given the mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham permission to stand in the candidate selection process for the upcoming Makerfield byelection, a party spokesman said.
The mayor still has two more years of his term. meaning that if he stands there will need to be a mayoral byelection. Under Labour rules, sitting mayors need NEC approval to stand for Westminster. He would also need to be formally selected.
Nigel Farage bought a £1.4 million property using money he received for taking part in I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!. Reform UK has said.
Reports on Thursday said that the party leader had paid for the house in 2024. shortly after receiving a £5 million personal gift from billionaire donor Christopher Harborne.
Farage has insisted there is no connection between the gift from Thailand-based crypto-investor Mr Harborne, who has donated millions to Reform UK,. the property purchase.
The party said on Friday that the house was paid for using funds received for participating in ITV’s I’m A Celebrity reality series. which he did in November 2023.
Reports suggested he was given a fee of £1.5 million for the show, in which he finished third.
A Reform UK spokesman said: “The relevant chronology is straightforward. The offer and purchase process for the property commenced before the gift.
“Mr Farage had already passed proof of funds and the relevant checks before receiving the gift. The purchase was therefore already proceeding independently of it.”
Reform MP asks Tories to stand aside in Makerfield byelection
The Conservatives should stand aside in the Makerfield byelection if they are “serious about stopping Labour’s chaos. decline”, a Reform MP has said.
Andrew Rosindell said his party should be given “a clear run” in the contest as the British public were crying out for a patriotic alternative to Labour socialism.
The MP for Romford defected from the Tories to Reform UK in January.
“If the Conservatives are serious about stopping Labour’s chaos. decline, they should stand aside in this by-election and give a clear run against Andy Burnham.
Burnham may think that his coronation is imminent,. before that, the voters will decide whether they want more Labour failure or a party that puts Britain first,” Rosindell wrote in a post on X.
A powerful parliamentary committee tasked with reviewing files relating to Peter Mandelson’s appointment as US ambassador has revealed. the government is withholding his vetting file despite not having the authority to do so.
In an extraordinary intervention, the intelligence. security committee (ISC) has criticised the government over its handling of the release of Mandelson-related papers and in effect accused ministers failing to comply with parliament’s will.
The government has repeatedly said it will comply with the motion. which ordered that any documents that could be prejudicial to national security or international relations should first be reviewed by the ISC.
Starmer’s government is now expected to face intense pressure to explain why it has chosen to withhold the vetting file.
The prime minister’s decision to appoint Mandelson as ambassador to the US in December 2024 has cast a shadow over his premiership. led to calls for his resignation prior to Labour’s poor showing in the local elections.
Sir John Curtice. the BBC’s lead election analyst, has said Andy Burnham faces a “very formidable challenge” to win the seat in the Makerfield byelection.
While Makerfield could be an opportunity for Reform to win another seat. Curtice adds that Burnham’s win could demonstrate his ability to turn things round for Labour.
The Conservatives have suspended the party’s leader at Worcestershire county council after he made a deal with the Greens. Liberal Democrats to oust Reform.
At a full council meeting to elect a new leader on Thursday, Reform UK lost minority control of the authority after the Conservatives teamed up with the Green party, Lib Dems. independents to form an alliance. The Green councillor Matt Jenkins is now leading the council.
Adam Kent, the leader of the Tory group in Worcestershire, was suspended from the party after the meeting. The chair of the Conservative party, Kevin Hollinrake MP, said it did not approve of an arrangement with the Greens. its position was “clear from the start”.
Speaking to the BBC before his suspension, Kent said residents in Worcestershire had “suffered appallingly due to the instability of Reform”. “at some point, responsible councillors have to stop standing on the sidelines”.
“On national policy there are many areas where we continue to disagree with the Greens – however. local government is not Westminster,” he said.
If you’re just joining us, here’s a recap of what has happened so far:
Former health secretary Wes Streeting has backed Andy Burnham for the Makerfield byelection. If successful, the mayor of Greater Manchester is widely expected to challenge Keir Starmer for the party leadership. In a post on X. Streeting described Burnham as one of Labour’s “best players on the pitch” ahead of a “tough” byelection. (11:36)
Labour’s deputy leader. Lucy Powell, has thrown her support behind Burnham’s efforts to return to parliament, saying that she had it on “good authority” there is going to be “absolutely no attempt” to stop him from running. The remarks were made while speaking at a Fire Brigades Union conference in Coventry. ( 11:17 )
Ahead of tomorrow’s march by supporters of Tommy Robinson. 11 foreign far-right activists have been banned from coming to the UK. Tens of thousands are expected to attend the self-styled “Unite the Kingdom” march promoted by Robinson. whose real name is Stephen Yaxley Lennon. Downing Street said Starmer was taking action to “protect British communities from vile hate” amid bans on foreign activists including the US-based extremist Valentina Gomez. ( 11.31 )
Joanne Thomas, the general secretary of Usdaw, said her union would back Burnham’s Westminster bid. She said: “Usdaw’s NEC representatives have decided they will vote for the Greater Manchester mayor to be allowed to seek selection as a parliamentary candidate.” ( 12:18 )
Donald Trump has also weighed in on Starmer’s survival as prime minister. Among other rambling thoughts, he said the prime minister was in trouble because of “energy and immigration”. When asked again if Starmer could survive as prime minister, Trump said it was a “tough thing”. ( 12.42 )
Other parties are also gearing up for the Makerfield byelection. with Nigel Farage saying Reform will “throw absolutely everything” at the contest. In the 2024 general election. Labour MP Josh Simons won the seat by a slim majority of 5,399, with Robert Kenyon taking 12,803 votes for Reform. ( 10:59 )
Meanwhile, the Greens have said they are “looking forward to the campaign” in Makerfield as they plan to “beat Reform”. ( 13:00 )
The former Green leader Caroline Lucas has suggested the party should not campaign for the upcoming Makerfield byelection. as she shows her support for Andy Burnham.
Tweeting the Guardian’s story on the Green party’s plans to contest the seat, Lucas wrote:
double quotation mark I hope this isn’t true. There are times when it’s more important to put country before party. This is one of them. Burnham’s longstanding commitment to a fairer voting system could transform our democracy. counter dire threat of a Reform UK government.
The pound was heading for its worst week in 18 months on Friday as City traders anticipated that the UK prime minister. Keir Starmer, could face a challenge from the Manchester mayor, Andy Burnham, later this year.
After days of uncertainty over Starmer’s future. sterling dropped by almost three cents, or 2%, during the week to $1.336 on Friday, a five-week low. That would be the largest weekly drop against the US dollar since Donald Trump’s election win in early November 2024.
The pound fell against the dollar every day this week as leadership tensions gripped Westminster. culminating in the prospect of Burnham challenging Starmer for the role of PM after the Greater Manchester mayor announced he would run for parliament in the north-west constituency of Makerfield.
“The pound is weakening this morning after a sharp drop on Thursday. when Andy Burnham threw his hat into the ring,” said Kathleen Brooks, the research director at XTB.
“This is a sign that Burnham is the least market-friendly of all the candidates. as Wes Streeting’s resignation did not have the same negative effect.”
In other news today. parliament’s intelligence watchdog has criticised the government for redacting documents “far too broadly” in response to MPs’ demands for details on Peter Mandelson’s appointment as US ambassador.
PA reports that the Intelligence. Security Committee (ISC) said today that it had made its final decisions on redactions in 337 documents connected to the appointment on national security grounds.
However, in a statement, the ISC raised “concerns” about wider redactions. This includes individuals’ personal data, email addresses and the identities of junior civil servants.
The ISC also suggested redactions on non-security grounds were “being applied far too broadly”,. accused the government of withholding documents despite not having “the authority to do so”.
The committee said it did not think the motion passed by the Commons demanding documents related to the appointment allowed redactions “other than on grounds of prejudice to UK national security. international relations”.
In particular, the committee said the government had withheld a vetting file compiled by UK Security Vetting (UKSV). In April, it was revealed that UKSV had recommended against granting Mandelson the developed vetting necessary for his appointment,. the Foreign Office had given him clearance despite that advice.
Back Tories to prevent ‘SNP patsy’ winning Aberdeen byelection, says Findlay
Meanwhile in Scotland. a byelection will soon be triggered following the resignation of former SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn, who now sits in Holyrood.
Scottish Tory leader Russell Findlay has urged voters to back his party in a Westminster byelection to prevent an “SNP patsy” winning.
Findlay visited Aberdeen on Friday. just 24 hours after former SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn resigned his Aberdeen South seat following his election to Holyrood.
The Scottish Tories are confident of a win. are understood to be prepared to throw substantial resources at the race, with MSP Douglas Lumsden seeking the party’s nomination.
Speaking after a visit to AJT Engineering in the city. Findlay said: “I’m here today because we want to win this byelection.
“It’s a straight fight between the SNP and the Scottish Conservatives.
“If you want a pro-oil. gas MP representing this area in the House of Commons, or if you want an SNP patsy who won’t speak up for the industry – that’s the clear choice.”
The Tories will look to turn the byelection into a referendum on oil. gas, with Findlay and UK leader Kemi Badenoch seeking to champion the sector which provides thousands of jobs in the north east of Scotland.
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