Nigel Farage is due to address voters at a Reform UK general election rally at Birmingham NEC. Oliver Dowden has described alleged Russian interference in the general election campaign as “gravely concerning” amid calls for an investigation. The deputy prime minister was responding to claims by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) that it had uncovered a suspected Russian influence operation, encouraging support of Nigel Farage’s Reform party, after monitoring five co-ordinated Facebook pages.