Reform UK leader Nigel Farage is set to deliver a keynote speech at the party’s conference in Birmingham.
Mr Farage is expected to announce plans to “democratise” the party structure after he “relinquished” control of the company by giving up his majority shareholder position.
It comes Richard Tice has defended Mr Farage’s attendance record in parliament. The Party’s deputy leader claimed “no one works harder than Nigel Farage.”
Mr Farage has spoken seven times in parliament since he was elected.
“As leader, you’ve got a huge job because you’re campaigning everywhere,” he said.
“You’re sorting out the professionalisation with the chairman and so we’re sharing and sharing alike and that’s an important part of it.
“You can’t be everywhere all the time. It’s really difficult. But let me tell you, no one works harder than Nigel Farage.”
Mr Tice also defended his party leader’s frequent trips to the US, supporting his “friend” former president Donald Trump.
Mr Farage has visited the US three times since being elected as the MP for Clacton, including attending the Republican national convention in Milwaukee two weeks after the election.
Key Points
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Sir Keir Starmer defends watching Arsenal games from corporate box
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Nigel Farage relinquishes control of Reform UK
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Farage denies fuelling Southport riots with false claims
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Government borrowing jumps in August ahead of upcoming Budget
Reform UK conference: Key timings to keep an eye on
08:41 , Jabed Ahmed
Here are some key timings to keep an eye on this afternoon during the Reform Party Conference in Birmingham:
3pm: Rupert Lowe, MP for Great Yarmouth
3:15pm: Chief whip Lee Anderson
3:30pm: Deputy Leader Richard Tice
3:45pm: Zia Yusuf, Reform Chairman
4pm: Grand finale speech from party leader Nigel Farage
Woman arrested over Southport attacker posts defended at Reform conference
15:32 , Jabed Ahmed
Panellists at the Reform conference have defended a woman who was arrested after sharing a fake name for the Southport attacker online, and criticised the “weaponisation” of free speech.
During a fringe panel event at the party’s conference in the NEC in Birmingham titled – Polarised Britain: How can we defend free speech? – one panellist also said that “speech is not action” when questioned about consequences of online incitement.
Bernadette Spofforth was arrested after sharing a fake name, commenting that if it were true there would be “hell to pay”.
The false claim that the perpetrator of the Southport knife attack was a Muslim refugee who had arrived by boat in the country in the past year, was spread online by a number of far-right commentators, stoking anti-immigration hostility.
Ms Spofforth apologised once she realised the information was incorrect and did not face any charges.
Alan Miller, chair of the Together Association, told the Reform conference that questioning the UK’s sovereignty or migration numbers leads to being “presented as someone who’s encouraging a riot”.
He said: “Bernie Spofforth many of you would have seen, she had several police come and arrest her. She did a post. Some might say it was a stupid post. You might have even said it was irresponsible, right? But did it deserve to have the police turn up?”
Former Tory minister Dame Andrea Jenkyns attends Reform conference
15:27 , Jabed Ahmed
Former Conservative minister Dame Andrea Jenkyns is attending the Reform UK conference in Birmingham.
Dame Andrea previously claimed she was wooed by a pro-Brexit businessman acting on behalf of Reform who she says offered her jobs to defect. She insists she was never close to defecting.
She also used a picture of Nigel Farage in a campaign leaflet during this year’s general election.
Watch live: Nigel Farage addresses Reform UK conference in Birmingham
15:18 , Jabed Ahmed
Watch live: Nigel Farage addresses Reform UK conference in Birmingham
Watch: What to expect from Reform UK’s party conference
14:44 , Jabed Ahmed
Our political correspondent Millie Cooke reports:
Pictured: Reform UK supporters show off their outfits
14:39 , Jabed Ahmed
Reform UK conference merch from Save Britain caps made in China to £35 ties signed by Richard Tice
14:23 , Jabed Ahmed
Read the full report from our political correspondent Millie Cooke, who is at the conference in Birmingham
TV personality Ant Middleton suggests UK on brink of ‘civil unrest’ in Reform conference speech
14:10 , Jabed Ahmed
Ant Middleton has suggested the UK is on the brink of “civil unrest” unless action is taken to strengthen British culture and identity.
The former SAS: Who Dares Wins star said “we haven’t got a secure camp” as he likened his work on the television show to the need to address border security.
The former soldier said: “What’s British identity? British culture. What’s British culture? British history. So why is that being eradicated? Why is that being trampled all over? Why aren’t we allowed to be the umbrella culture of this country?”
Mr Middleton went on to highlight the role of Christianity in the UK’s history, saying: “The moment we lose our identity, guess what we lose? Our purpose, our focus, our direction. What happens when we don’t have an identity? We get confused.”
He said he lost his identity and got confused after leaving the military, saying: “When you have a nation of confused people, guess what happens after? Frustration. You get frustrated, very much like the individual. What happens after frustration? Anger, violence. What’s happening on our streets right now? Violence.
“We are at a very, very important and crucial stage before it teeters into civil unrest, which we want to avoid at all costs, but it’s coming, we’re on that edge where violence has hit the streets, we’ve all seen it, I don’t need to mention what it is, we’ve all seen it.”
In August, violent disorder spread across the country in the wake of the stabbings of three young children in Southport after misinformation spread that the killer was a Muslim asylum seeker.
Minister admits prisoners released early without electronic tags
13:58 , Jabed Ahmed
Minister admits prisoners released early without electronic tags
Watch: Starmer defends accepting free Arsenal tickets
13:46 , Jabed Ahmed
Reform MP claims Farage and Tice will ‘lead us into Downing Street’
13:30 , Jabed Ahmed
James McMurdock, MP for South Basildon and East Thurrock has told the Reform UK party conference that party leader Nigel Farage and Deputy Leader Richard Tice are “the people to lead us into Downing Street”.
Addressing the party’s conference in Birmingham, Mr McMurdock said: “There are people in this very room who will be Reform MPs alongside me in 2029.
“The momentum is absolutely on our side. What we have achieved in such a short period of time is nothing less than extraordinary.
“Nigel, or as I should call him the Honourable Member for Clacton, and Richard, the Honourable Member for Boston and Skegness, are the people to lead us into Downing Street.
“We will then be ready to welcome Nigel Farage, not just as a member of Parliament, but as the prime minister”.
Reform UK currently has five seats in parliament. More than 300 seats are needed to form a majority government.
Victims of torture and trafficking rounded up for Rwanda deportation under Tory scheme, report finds
12:51 , Jabed Ahmed
Victims of torture and trafficking, including women, were rounded up for deportation to Rwanda before the election, a report from a medical rights charity has found.
Read the full report from The Independent’s Social Affairs Correspondent Holly Bancroft
Up first: James McMurdock, the fifth Reform MP that nobody expected
12:39 , Jabed Ahmed
Reform UK’s fifth MP James McMurdock took one of the biggest pay cuts in Westminster to take his seat in parliament.
The ex-city worker was declared as the 650th and final MP elected in the 2024 general election.
Read the full profile on him here.
Farage receives standing ovation on entry
12:23 , Jabed Ahmed
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage received a standing ovation as he entered the main hall of the party’s conference at the NEC in Birmingham.
A remix version of Diamonds by Rihanna was the soundtrack for Mr Farage’s arrival.
Reform voters are outliers who have ‘starkly’ different views about immigration than rest of the country, report finds
12:15 , Jabed Ahmed
Read the full report from The Independent’s Whitehall Editor Kate Devlin below:
Reform voters are outliers who have ‘starkly’ different views about immigration
Some more pictures coming in from the conference
12:03 , Jabed Ahmed
Pictured: Reform UK members begin to arrive for the conference
11:37 , Jabed Ahmed
Richard Tice defends Farage’s frequent trips to the US
11:24 , Jabed Ahmed
Nigel Farage’s relationship with former US President Donald Trump is “to the benefit of this country”, Reform Deputy leader Richard Tice has said.
Asked if he thought the party leader was distracted from his constituency duties by his trips to the US, Mr Tice told the PA News Agency: “Far from it.
“But as a leader of a party that is now becoming mainstream, international affairs, our relationship with our most important, strategic international partner- the US – is very important and the world will be a safer place if Donald Trump wins the presidential election.
“Nigel’s strong relationship with Donald Trump is actually to the benefit of this country and it’s quite right that he cements and strengthens that.”
Asked if the Mr Farage had attended Parliament frequently enough, Mr Tice said: “As leader, you’ve got a huge job, because you’re campaigning everywhere.
“You’re sorting out the professionalisation with the chairman and so we’re sharing and sharing alike and that’s an important part of it. You can’t be everywhere all the time. It’s really difficult. But let me tell you, no one works harder than Nigel Farage.”
The Independent Debate: Readers question Italy’s Albania scheme – but still want Starmer to act on migration
11:00 , Jabed Ahmed
Readers question whether Italy’s Albania scheme would work in the UK
Rachel Reeves under pressure to axe winter fuel cut after £10billion Bank of England windfall
10:42 , Jabed Ahmed
Chancellor Rachel Reeves is under increased pressure to axe the cuts to winter fuel payments after being handed a £10bn budget boost by the Bank of England.
Ms Reeves was handed more room for manoevre as a result of a BoE decision to slow the pace of its quantitative tightening programme, which would reduce losses to the Treasury from bond sales.
Read the full report from our political correspondent Millie Cooke here.
James O’Brien praised for ‘brutal’ Nigel Farage comments moments after LBC interview
10:33 , Jabed Ahmed
James O’Brien praised for ‘brutal’ Nigel Farage comments moments after LBC interview
Richard Tice says he is very happy with Farage’s decision to relinquish control of Reform
10:28 , Jabed Ahmed
Reform Deputy Leader Richard Tice has said he’s “very happy” with the party’s new constitution as he and party leader Nigel Farage give up their shares in Reform UK limited.
Mr Tice told the PA news agency at the party conference in Birmingham: “We’re basically taking the party to the next step from being an entrepreneurial political startup through the election, so now we’re growing the professionalisation of it. Branches up and down the country, there’s, give or take, 150 already set up.
“And as part of the democratisation, we’re going to change the structure, change the constitution and that’s a natural evolution. Nigel committed to that, we did immediately after the election we knew we’re going to do that and so already we’re delivering on it.”
Asked about comments made by his predecessor Ben Habib criticising the party’s constitution that would require 50% of party members to remove the leader, Mr Tice said: “I’m very happy with the Constitution. Life would be boring if we all agreed with everything.
“And so Ben’s entitled to his view. We’re entitled to our view, we think it’s the right balance and the thing is, the key about leadership is you got to look forward. Let’s not be looking over our shoulder backwards. Let’s be looking forwards.”
Row erupts after Farage claims he was told not to hold face-to-face MP surgeries over knife attack fears
09:34 , Jabed Ahmed
Nigel Farage has ignited a row after he claimed security concerns had prevented him from holding surgeries in his Essex constituency.
Before he was elected, the Reform UK leader famously asked: “Do I want to be an MP? Do I want to spend every Friday for the next five years in Clacton?”
Now he has said he was told not to hold the face-to-face meetings with voters, traditionally held on Fridays, for safety reasons.
Read the full report below:
Row erupts after Farage says he cannot hold face-to-face surgeries over attack fears
Government borrowing jumps in August ahead of upcoming Budget
09:17 , Jabed Ahmed
Chancellor Rachel Reeves faces a fresh headache ahead of her first Budget this autumn after official figures revealed Government borrowing jumped by more than expected last month.
Borrowing rose to £13.7 billion last month, marking the third highest August on record, driven by higher spending on public services due to increased running costs and pay increases.
The increase means public sector debt hit 100% of gross domestic product (GDP) at the end of August 2024.
The figure, which excludes public sector banks, means national debt is at levels last seen in the early 1960s, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.
Domestic abuse specialists in 999 control rooms to help victims, government announces
09:03 , Jabed Ahmed
Domestic abuse specialists will work in 999 control rooms under a new ‘Raneem’s Law’, Yvette Cooper has announced.
Speaking this morning, safeguarding minister Jess Phillips said she wants to do more than give domestic abuse victims “a good call”, as she outlined the Government’s plans.
“We have to stop this happening in the first place, and the Government has a mission to halve the incidences of violence against women and girls in a decade,” she told Sky News.
“And so much of that work is going to have to be about the prevention of perpetration, the changing of attitudes around healthy relationships within education, this is a mission that is going to take every Government department.”
Read the full report from The Independent’s Whitehall Editor Kate Devlin here.
Minister says Serco could face ‘penalties’ after some offenders left without electronic tags
08:53 , Jabed Ahmed
Jess Phillips has suggested that Serco could face “penalties” for delays in fitting some offenders with electronic tags after they have been released from prison.
Speaking to LBC News radio, the Home Office minister said she was “disappointed” to learn of the delays, adding: “It’s not the Government who has made the backlog in tags, it is a contract signed with Serco in May this year.
“And I have been in meetings with regard to ensuring that … any perpetrators of domestic abuse, are put to the top of the list, to ensure that they are being fitted with those tags.”
She went on to say: “The prisons minister, I believe, has had some pretty robust meetings, and is meeting with Serco today, but the contract certainly has in it the allowances for there to be penalties.”
“I’m almost certain that in this case, that unless something massively improves very, very quickly, that all of those things will be considered,” she added.
Watch: Keir Starmer defends accepting free Arsenal tickets
08:49 , Jabed Ahmed
Sir Keir Starmer has defended accepting free tickets to watch Arsenal FC.
Home Office minister Jess Phillips has also come to Sir Keir’s defence , saying the PM has “lived entirely by the rules”.
Watch below:
Watch: Keir Starmer defends accepting free Arsenal tickets
Reform to claim it plans to win general election in 2029
08:13 , Andy Gregory
Reform UK will begin its party conference on Friday with claims that it plans to win the next general election.
The party, which secured five seats in July, is set to begin its two-day conference in Birmingham with speeches from party leader Nigel Farage, deputy leader Richard Tice, chair Zia Yousuf and MPs Lee Anderson, Rupert Lowe and James McMurdock.
Mr Anderson, Reform’s chief whip, is expected to say: “We have five MPs and we are growing our membership and support every day. Next year we will win hundreds of council seats across the UK. We must take this fight to Parliament so we can take back control of our country and in 2029 win the general election.”
Mr Anderson was Reform’s first MP after he joined the party in March following his suspension from the Conservatives over Islamophobic comments about London mayor Sadiq Khan.
James McMurdock, whose victory in South Basildon and East Thurrock was an unexpected gain for Reform, will also talk up the party’s prospects in five years, saying the 2029 conference will be “ready to welcome prime minister Nigel Farage”.
Starmer has ‘lived entirely by the rules’, minister says
08:07 , Andy Gregory
Sir Keir Starmer has “lived entirely by the rules”, Jess Phillips said, after the prime minister was criticised for accepting lavish gifts and tickets to football matches.
The Home Office minister told Times Radio: “The prime minister has lived entirely by the rules that have governed every single member of parliament, certainly since I’ve been there – he received gifts and things, and he declared them.”
“Let me tell you, it feels like he’s breathing down my neck to make sure that we’re doing things right in my department,” she added.
Asked whether she would accept similar gifts, Ms Phillips replied: “I don’t like the Arsenal.”
She added: “We get invited to theatre performances and things, and you go along and you support the arts, and people want you to go to their things because they want it supported.
“So if you can find me a politician who has never done anything like that, has never ever, you know, gone to their local theatre to watch something then, well, I think they’re lying to you.”
Reform’s Rupert Lowe pledges to donate MP’s salary to local good causes
07:55 , Andy Gregory
Local MPs have sniped at Reform’s parliamentarian in Great Yarmouth after he pledged to donate his MP’s salary to local causes.
Multimillionaire Rupert Lowe – a businessman and former Southampton FC chair elected to parliament for the first time in July – has promised to donate around £5,000 every month to a different local cause, including to fund redecorations at the tea room of a local football club and to take local schoolchildren to visit Westminster.
But his generosity has sparked annoyance from fellow local MPs, with an unnamed Labour MP telling the Financial Times: “It’s all very well for him to do this, but of course there are some people who think MPs shouldn’t be paid and that we should do the same.”
And a Tory MP sniped: “He’s a multi-millionaire and he’s not really an MP in the way that most of us are.”
Mr Lowe told the paper that he found the criticim “pretty petty”, adding: “It’s a personal choice. Certain Labour MPs are richer than me and still don’t do it. I think being an MP should be a vocation, not a gravy train.”
Farage says he will hold in-person surgeries ‘when Parliament allows me’
07:00 , Holly Evans
Mr Farage has repeatedly been accused of not prioritising his Commons role, coming under fire for spending time in the US endorsing Donald Trump’s presidential campaign following the July 4 election.
Asked during a phone-in on LBC whether he was holding physical surgeries in Clacton, Mr Farage said “not yet”, but that he would “when Parliament allows me”.
On whether he had been advised for his own security not to hold surgeries, he replied: “I would have thought that would make sense, wouldn’t you?”
He said the guidance had been given by “the Speaker’s (Sir Lindsay Hoyle’s) Office, and beneath the Speaker’s Office there is a security team who give advice and say you should do some things and not do others”.
“So we’re not in a fit state to do the old-style surgeries, but do you know what, if you’ve got something to say to me as a Clacton resident, Zoom is not the end of the world,” Mr Farage added.
James O’Brien praised for ‘brutal’ Nigel Farage comments moments after LBC interview
06:00 , Holly Evans
James O’Brien praised for ‘brutal’ Nigel Farage comments moments after LBC interview
Does Starmer’s £170,000-a-year enforcer have to go?
05:00 , Holly Evans
Sue Gray, the prime minister’s chief of staff, is facing a sullen revolt from the political advisers she is supposed to lead. The leaking of her salary – £3,000 more than Keir Starmer’s – matters not just because of the sums of money involved, but because of the resentments it reveals.
One of the aggrieved advisers quoted by the BBC in its report of Gray’s pay said: “If you ever see any evidence of our preparations for government, please let me know.” Given that Gray was hired by Starmer to prepare for government, deploying her experience as a senior civil servant, this was wounding.
The immediate cause of the unhappiness of Labour apparatchiks is that she is taking a £170,000 salary, which is more than the £167,000 that the prime minister is paid, while she is being blamed for squeezing the pay of the poor, bloody infantry.
Read the full article here:
Does Starmer’s £170,000-a-year enforcer have to go?
Nigel Farage to ‘relinquish’ control of Reform UK by giving up majority shares
04:00 , Holly Evans
Nigel Farage has said he is “relinquishing” control of Reform UK as he gives up his majority shareholder position.
Reform UK Ltd is a registered company, unlike most other political parties, and was previously registered as the Brexit Party from 2018-2021.
Companies House lists party leader Mr Farage, and deputy leader Richard Tice, as persons with significant control, with Mr Farage currently owning more than 50% of shares.
Read the full article here:
Nigel Farage to ‘relinquish’ control of Reform UK by giving up majority shares
Keir Starmer accused of handing ‘gold-plated pension’ to Sue Gray
02:00 , Holly Evans
Sir Keir Starmer has been accused of handing “gold-plated pensions” to his top team while pensioners across the UK brace for the consequences of a cut to winter fuel payments.
On Wednesday, it emerged that Sue Gray was awarded a salary of £170,000, around £3,000 more than the prime minister and more than any cabinet minister or her Conservative predecessor.
The Conservative Party claimed Sir Keir had “snatched away support for the vulnerable”, while handing large pensions to his senior officials.
Read the full article here:
Starmer accused of giving Sue Gray ‘gold-plated pension’ as pensioners face fuel cut
Can Reform UK show that it’s more than a one-man band?
01:00 , Holly Evans
Reform UK opens its annual conference in Birmingham sporting its first elected members of parliament, a much-expanded membership, and plenty of enthusiasm. Its leader, Nigel Farage, who has been knocking around at the top of politics for longer than all his many rivals combined, has made it into the Commons, on his eighth attempt. He has pledged to spearhead “the real opposition” to the Labour government…
What’s the mood?
Read our full take on Reform’s upcoming party conference:
Can Reform UK show that it’s more than a one-man band?
Row erupts after Farage claims he was told not to hold face-to-face MP surgeries over knife attack fears
Friday 20 September 2024 00:00 , Holly Evans
Nigel Farage is at the centre of a row after he claimed security concerns had prevented him from holding surgeries in his Essex constituency.
Before he was elected to Westminster, the Reform UK leader famously asked: “Do I want to be an MP? Do I want to spend every Friday for the next five years in Clacton?”
Now he has said he was told not to hold the face-to-face meetings with voters, traditionally held on the last day of the week, for safety reasons.
Read the full article here:
Row erupts after Farage says he cannot hold face-to-face surgeries over attack fears
Reform conference to see keynote speech from Farage
Thursday 19 September 2024 23:00 , Holly Evans
Reform UK’s five MPs will each address the conference stage, leading up to a keynote speech by Mr Farage at 4pm which will see him issue a “clarion call for change”.
The party branded the conference “the most exciting of all the political conferences this year”, mocking its mainstream rivals for “festival gratuities” and hosting “lobbyists all offering gifts”.
A preview released on Thursday read: “You have already had the vapid ‘It’s a knockout’ shambles of the Lib Dems in Brighton.
“Next week you will have the Labour festival gratuities and gradgrinds, surrounded by lobbyists all offering gifts.
“And then, oh the pity, the extended funeral rites of a Tory party, lost in its own navel, casting public lots to chose its own pallbearers.”
Starmer insists he is ‘completely in control’ amid Sue Gray salary row
Thursday 19 September 2024 22:19 , Holly Evans
Sir Keir Starmer has insisted he is “completely in control” following a row within Government over his top adviser’s pay.
Disclosures that Sue Gray, the Prime Minister’s chief of staff, received a pay rise after the election which means she earns more than Sir Keir have sparked a row within Government and prompted opposition critics to demand answers about how the decision was made.
But Sir Keir would not be drawn into the row as he spoke to broadcasters before Labour’s party conference this weekend, only insisting his team was focused on his Government’s “big mandate to deliver change”.
The BBC said a number of Whitehall sources had briefed the organisation on Ms Gray’s salary increase, meaning she earns about £3,000 more than Sir Keir, who is paid about £167,000.
Sir Keir signed off a rebanding of the salaries for special advisers shortly after taking office in July, according to the BBC.
Starmer avoids speculating on October budget as he declines ruling out further cuts
Thursday 19 September 2024 21:15 , Holly Evans
Speculating on next month’s Budget will “put the fear of God” into people, the Prime Minister has said as he declined to rule out further cuts.
In a series of broadcast interviews, Sir Keir Starmer repeatedly said he did not want to “get ahead of the Budget”, due to be revealed on October 30, as he was asked to rule out measures such as scrapping the single person council tax discount and cutting the farming budget.
Asked about the single person council tax discount, which gives people living alone 25% off their council tax bill, he told BBC West: “I am really concerned about this and obviously I’m not going to pre-empt the Budget, but I don’t want to risk putting the fear of God into people.”
Sir Keir added: “I don’t want to get into this, you know, ‘Will you rule out? Will you rule out? Will you rule out?’ because it just puts fear into people and I don’t want to do that.
“What I will say is that I’m very conscious of how hard it’s been for people and we intend to make sure that we have those people who have faced the greatest hardship in our minds’ eyes when we take our decisions.”
UK leader Starmer is facing flak for taking freebies. He says he’s done nothing wrong
Thursday 19 September 2024 20:30 , Holly Evans
Less than three months after he was elected on a promise to restore trust in politics, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is trying to shake off criticism over donations from a wealthy businessman and the hefty salary of his most senior aide.
The Labour Party leader, who won power in a landslide victory on July 4, denies impropriety over thousands of pounds (dollars) worth of clothes and eyeglasses paid for by Waheed Alli, a media entrepreneur and longtime Labour donor.
Starmer is also facing grumbling among his own employees over the salary of chief of staff Sue Gray. The BBC disclosed that she is paid 170,000 pounds ($225,000) a year — about 3,000 pounds more than the prime minister’s salary.
Read the full article here:
UK leader Starmer is facing flak for taking freebies. He says he’s done nothing wrong
James O’Brien praised for ‘brutal’ Nigel Farage comments moments after LBC interview
Thursday 19 September 2024 19:40 , Holly Evans
Radio listeners have applauded James O’Brien for his ‘savage’ takedown of Nigel Farage.
The LBC presenter, 52, who hosts a much-lauded show on the political live debate channel every weekday, unleashed a scathing appraisal of the Reform UK leader, 60, who had been interviewed by his colleague Nick Ferrari moments earlier.
During the on-air onslaught, which O’Brien delivered while Farage was still in the same room as him, the radio presenter referenced accusations claiming the MP for Clacton had incited UK race riots this summer with his claims the Southport attacker had been known to the police.
Read the full article here:
James O’Brien praised for ‘brutal’ Nigel Farage comments moments after LBC interview
Farage defends Trump’s claim that God helped him survive assassination attempt
Thursday 19 September 2024 18:40 , Holly Evans
Farage defends Trump’s claim that God helped him survive assassination attempt
Starmer insists he is ‘completely in control’ amid Sue Gray salary row
Thursday 19 September 2024 18:36 , Holly Evans
Sir Keir Starmer has insisted he is “completely in control” following a row within Government over his top adviser’s pay.
Disclosures that Sue Gray, the Prime Minister’s chief of staff, received a pay rise after the election which means she earns more than Sir Keir have sparked a row within Government and prompted opposition critics to demand answers about how the decision was made.
But Sir Keir would not be drawn into the row as he spoke to broadcasters before Labour’s party conference this weekend, only insisting his team was focused on his Government’s “big mandate to deliver change”.
Read the full article here:
Starmer insists he is ‘completely in control’ amid Sue Gray salary row
Starmer says attending games in the stands would cost the taxpayer
Thursday 19 September 2024 18:02 , Holly Evans
Speaking to BBC regional political editors, Sir Keir Starmer said that attending Arsenal games in the stand would cost money to the taxpayer as it would involve a “lot of policing”.
Asked if it was a good look for him to attend football games from a corporate area amid cost-of-living pressures, the Prime Minister replied: “I think most people will recognise that for a PM to insist that he goes in the stands where he’s got a season ticket, if that then means a lot of policing has to go in in order for me to be in the stands which in the end the taxpayer has to pay for… or I take a gift from Arsenal to say we’ll seat you elsewhere and that will sort out that problem, most people will say don’t make me pay because you want to go in the stands if Arsenal are offering you a ticket elsewhere and you can watch the match.”
Sir Keir would not be drawn into revealing if he would instead be watching from a box, as it would “reinvent the same problem we’re trying to avoid”, adding: “But yes I’m not going to be in the stands anymore.”
Sir Keir Starmer defends watching Arsenal games from corporate box
Thursday 19 September 2024 17:48 , Holly Evans
Sir Keir Starmer has said he is not giving up his Arsenal season ticket now he is Prime Minister, but would not be drawn into questions around his security while attending football matches.
Asked by BBC Yorkshire if he was still a season ticket holder for his football club, Sir Keir said: “Yeah of course, I’ve had a season ticket for many, many years in the stands at Arsenal.
“I’m a regular attender but now, for security reasons, I can’t go in the stands and therefore the club have made arrangements for me to watch from elsewhere, it’s as simple as that.
“I’d love in a way to be in the stands, it’s where I’ve watched I don’t know how many matches, but as you will appreciate once the security advice is you can’t do it or that it costs the taxpayer an absolute fortune to put I don’t know how many police officers in, then we had to make different arrangements and we have.”
House of Commons say they ‘do not comment’ on individuals’ security
Thursday 19 September 2024 17:45 , Holly Evans
Sir Lindsay Hoyle said he would advise MPs to take advice from Parliament’s security team and “do so safely” if they asked him for advice on holding surgeries.
Following Nigel Farage’s claim that he had been advised not to hold in-person surgeries by the Speaker’s Office, the Commons Speaker said: “As a constituency MP in Chorley, I hold regular surgeries myself with constituents – and whenever a Member asks for my advice on this matter, I always say that if you are going to hold constituency surgeries make sure you take advice from the Parliamentary Security Department – and do so safely.”
A House of Commons spokesperson said: “The ability for MPs to perform their parliamentary duties safely, both on and off the estate, is fundamental to our democracy.
“The Parliamentary Security Department (PSD), working closely with the police, offer all MPs a range of security measures for those with offices or surgeries in their constituencies – helping to ensure a safe working environment.
“We do not comment on individual MPs’ security arrangements or advice because we would not wish to compromise the safety of MPs, parliamentary staff or members of the public, but these are kept under continuous review.”
Speaker’s office has no recollection of telling Farage to avoid in-person surgeries
Thursday 19 September 2024 17:10 , Holly Evans
The Speaker’s Office and Parliament’s security team have no recollection of telling Nigel Farage that he should not hold in-person surgeries in his constituency, the PA news agency understands.
Sources said neither would have advised any MP not to hold a surgery because this would interfere with their democratic duties, but would instead have offered security advice on how measures could be taken to ensure their safety.
There is no record of such advice ever having been given to Mr Farage, it is understood, in contrast to his claim earlier on Thursday that he had been told by the Speaker’s Office not to hold physical surgeries.
Farage not holding constituency surgeries amid concerns over knife attacks
Thursday 19 September 2024 16:30 , Holly Evans
Nigel Farage has said he is not holding in-person surgeries in his constituency over fears the public will “flow through the door with knives in their pockets”.
The Reform UK leader said he had been advised not to accommodate the “old-style” physical meetings between MPs and their constituents in his seat of Clacton.
The politician has repeatedly been accused of not prioritising his Commons role, coming under fire for spending time in the US endorsing Donald Trump’s presidential campaign following the 4 July election.
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Farage not holding constituency surgeries amid concerns over knife attacks
Reform UK conference marks party’s ‘coming of age’, claims Farage
Thursday 19 September 2024 16:00 , Millie Cooke, Political Correspondent
Reform UK’s annual conference, taking place in Birmingham this weekend, “marks the coming of age” of the party, Nigel Farage has claimed.
Reform, which now claims to have more than 70,000 members, has said this year is its largest ever conference with ticket sales more than four times last year’s figures.
Reform UK’s five MPs will each address the conference stage, leading up to a keynote speech by Mr Farage at 4pm which will see him issue a “clarion call for change”.
Nigel Farage relinquishes control of Reform UK
Thursday 19 September 2024 15:58 , Andy Gregory
Nigel Farage has announced he is “relinquishing” control of Reform UK and giving up his majority shareholder position, just one day before the party begins its annual conference.
Reform UK Ltd is a registered company, unlike most other political parties, and was previously registered as the Brexit Party from 2018-2021.
Companies House lists party leader Mr Farage, and deputy leader Richard Tice, as persons with significant control, with the former currently owning more than 50 per cent of shares.
But in a video posted to X on Thursday, Mr Farage said: “I’ve now made a decision. I no longer need to control this party. I’m going to let go. We will change the structure of the party from one limited by shares to a company limited by guarantee, and that means it’s the members of Reform that will own this party.
“I am relinquishing control of the company, and indeed of the overall control of the party, it’s now going to be the members, and that, I think, is the right thing, and it’s the right thing because this conference marks the coming of age of Reform UK, and that’s something that I’m very, very excited about.”
The Independent revealed plans for wide ranging changes to Reform UK’s party structure in an interview with Zia Yusuf earlier this month.
Our political correspondent Millie Cooke has the full report:
Nigel Farage relinquishes control of Reform UK ahead of party conference
Watch: Farage says there’s some truth in Trump’s claim Haitian migrants are eating pets
Thursday 19 September 2024 15:54 , Andy Gregory
Farage insists his claims questioning ‘truth’ about Southport suspect have been ‘vindicated’
Thursday 19 September 2024 15:54 , Andy Gregory
Nigel Farage has denied fuelling the Southport riots as his Reform UK party gears up for its annual conference in Birmingham.
In a video repeating claims that the suspect in the deadly knife attack on a Taylor Swift-themed dance class may have been known to security services, the newly-elected Clacton MP claimed “I just wonder whether the truth is being withheld from us”, just hours before rioters incensed by false online claims attacked a mosque.
But Mr Farage insisted on Thursday: “I asked a very simple question: can we please be told the truth? That was all. Can we please be told the truth?”
Speaking during an LBC phone-in, the Reform leader claimed his position had been “vindicated” by subsequent suggestions by the government’s terror tsar Jonathan Hall KC and Lib Dem peer Lord Carlile that authorities could have publicised information about the suspect more quickly to quell misinformation.
Mr Farage told listeners: “What I thought vindicated me wholly was Jonathan Hall, KC, who is the tsar for terrorism and rioting, backed up by Lord Carlile, Liberal Democrat peer – both said that the public, the government and police, need to level with the public.”
Thursday 19 September 2024 15:52 , Andy Gregory
Good afternoon, and thanks for joining us on The Independent’s politics blog, where we’ll be bringing you the latest updates ahead of Reform UK’s conference in Birmingham.
