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What we witnessed yesterday on the Downing Street step was deeply troubling to those who care about our democracy. In the space of just a few short weeks, Andy Burnham has effectively crowbarred his way into No10 without anyone even trying to block his path. He has arrived there unelected, unopposed and with no mandate from the public whatsoever but for a by-election victory in Makerfield. Meanwhile, the rest of the country has been left scratching its head in bewilderment as it faces yet another handover of power to someone it never asked for, nor, frankly, knows very much about...

It’s been a tough go lately for the controversial British politician Nigel Farage. His party’s been dropping in the polls, and he’s under investigation for failing to report a gift from a billionaire of £5 million ($6.7 million). Last week, he resigned his seat in Parliament so that he could stand for reelection — aiming to win a vote of confidence from electors in a region that has long supported him. But the major parties are refusing to field candidates against him, turning his political gambit into a bit of a farce. A perennial candidate who likes to dress up...

British counter-terrorism police are now leading the investigation into the death of the former MP and Reform spokesperson Ann Widdecombe in a shock development that has renewed the debate over the security of politicians. Widdecombe’s body was found with serious injuries by the ambulance service at her home in Haytor Vale, Devon, at 11.40am on Thursday. A 28-year-old man from Rotherham is being held in custody on suspicion of her murder. In a dramatic change of position on Monday, counter-terrorism policing south-east (CTPSE) said it was now leading the investigation after officers at Devon and Cornwall police had earlier said...

Britons would rather see Count Binface win the Clacton by-election in a blow to Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, a new poll has revealed. The coastal constituency, which will elect their new MP on August 13, is still likely to return Mr Farage to the House of Commons. However, a survey of 1,000 British adults conducted by Ipsos found 33 per cent of voters would rather see Count Binface win. Meanwhile, just 21 per cent hope to see Mr Farage emerge victorious, with 32 per cent not backing either candidate and a further 13 per cent unsure. Ipsos also found...

A gamble by Nigel Farage, leader of Britain's populist Reform UK, to trigger an election for his own parliamentary seat could mean the only opponent he will face during campaigning is a man with a trash can on his head, ‌better known as Count Binface. Farage, 62, under investigation in parliament over millions of pounds of gifts from wealthy backers, has said he wants voters in ‌his Clacton electoral district, in southeast England, to judge his actions, not what he characterises as a liberal "establishment" bent on discrediting him. Many voters in the beach town, which is famous for its...

Nigel Farage says he will resign as an MP for Clacton, triggering a by-election which he says he will stand in

Nigel Farage has triggered a frenzy of speculation that he could quit as Reform UK leader. He posted on X that he would be making a statement at 2pm on Tuesday on his future in public life. The move stunned Westminster as Reform is still leading in the polls and Mr Farage has only recently been talking up the prospects of him being Prime Minister after his party’s success in the May local elections. But Mr Farage has faced a growing barrage of questions over financial support he has received.

@Nigel_Farage I will make a statement on my future in public life at 2pm.

@PolitlcsUK WATCH: Nigel Farage threatens a Sky News journalist who asks about his undeclared gifts from convicted criminal George Cottrell "You harass my family anymore, there will be serious consequences" A Sky News spokesperson said: "Sky News has not contacted anyone from his family about the story" UPDATE: Farage denies Sky News' claim that they didn't harass his family "This is an outright lie from Sky News. They hounded my daughter at her house, just days after The Times published where she lives. Despicable behaviour from the media"

Nigel Farage's seat in Clacton could be under threat after he was referred to Parliament's standards watchdog amid a new funding row. The Reform UK leader claimed he is the victim of an "establishment hit job" after an outcry over financial support given to him by a convicted criminal. George Cottrell, who was jailed in the US for wire fraud in 2017, allegedly provided funding for Mr Farage's operation, including staffing, security and the use of a London townhouse, according to The Sunday Times. If he is found to have broken the MPs' code of conduct, Mr Farage could be...

On the tenth anniversary of the vote to leave the EU, Cabinet Office minister Nick Thomas-Symonds said the prominent Leave campaigner had a worldview which was “sympathetic” to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Meanwhile, Mr Farage accused political leaders, including former prime minister Boris Johnson, Tory leader Kemi Badenoch and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer of failing to understand the “forgotten places” across the country which had wanted a “fairer deal” for the UK. A debate over the future of the UK-EU relationship has reignited in recent weeks after the outgoing Prime Minister made closer ties with Brussels a key pillar...

“Operation Epic Fury was the loud one. Operation Economic Fury is the quiet one. . . . While the carriers were on television, Treasury was doing the actual demolition.” —Jesús Enrique Rosas on X Expect a consequential week. The Persian Gulf remains closed and colossal oil slicks leak out of Kharg Island while Iran blusters and stomps its feet. No one can even try to buy its oil anymore, not even China. The sanctions are too onerous. Iran’s wells must be shut in now. Imagine how the production chiefs out in the oil fields are howling at their insane IRGC...

More than a hundred Labour Party politicians have called on Prime Minister Sir Kier Starmer to set out plans to resign from his post following this week’s disastrous defeat in the local elections to Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party. The knives are out for Prime Minister Starmer, who is now embroiled in a desperate fight to extend his political life after a historically poor performance in the rough British equivalent of a midterm election this week. Starmer’s Labour suffered heavy losses in councils across England, losing control of traditional “red wall” seats to Farage’s Reform party, while losing power in...

A “truly historic shift in British politics” has taken place where the national political question is no longer about “left or right”, Brexit pioneer Nigel Farage said as his Reform Party surged in early results in what has been called the “midterm” elections. The first Britain-wide local election results trickled in overnight — and will continue to do so through the day and into the weekend as over 5,000 local races have their votes counted — revealing in its early stages a massive swing to Reform UK. Party leader Nigel Farage hailed the party’s gains so far, and vowed “the...

Polls opened Thursday for millions of Britons in a series of races set to heap more pressure on beleaguered Prime Minister Keir Starmer and showcase the rise of hard-right and left-wing populist parties, both of which face accusations of antisemitism and bigotry at a time when Jews in the UK are under increasing threat. Voters across Scotland, England and Wales head to the ballot box in Starmer’s biggest electoral test since his July 2024 general election landslide victory ended 14 years of Conservative rule. Opinion polls predict grim results for Labour, which could amplify calls for Starmer, 63, to resign...

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has U-turned on his position on the UK’s involvement in the Iran war amid growing evidence the British public opposes the US-Israeli offensive that has driven up the price of fuel. Last week, Farage said that “the gloves need to come off” and the UK should “do all we can to support the operation — I make that perfectly, perfectly clear”. He added that “we need to accept that we are part of this with the Americans and the Israelis” and has called Sir Keir Starmer’s decision not to back the US from the start...

Nigel Farage insisted "the British people will not put up with this any longer" amid a row over a Ramadan event held in London. Tory MP Nick Timothy sparked controversy with a tweet saying public Muslim prayer is an "act of domination and division", following the Open Iftar in Trafalgar Square on Monday. He is facing calls, including from Sir Keir Starmer, to be sacked as shadow justice secretary over the post. But Mr Farage echoed Mr Timothy's comments as he weighed in on the furore. The Reform UK leader wrote on X: "What we witnessed in London at the...

Sir Winston Churchill will be replaced on the £5 note by an animal, the Bank of England has said. Emma Soames, granddaughter of Sir Winston, told BBC Newsnight she was happy with the idea and she rejected Reform UK leader Nigel Farage's characterisation of the change as "wokery".

Sir Keir Starmer's unpopularity crisis deepened last night as a bombshell national poll put the Greens second – ahead of Labour. Zack Polanski's party has also leapfrogged the Tories following last week's by-election humiliation for the Prime Minister. It prompted warnings that Labour will be forced to form a 'scary coalition of the Left' with Mr Polanski, the Lib Dems, Plaid Cymru and the SNP at the next election. Support for the Greens is now at 21 per cent, up by four points in the week since their victory in the Gorton and Denton by-election, according to the YouGov voting...

Elon Musk has thrown his support behind a former Reform UK MP and his new political party, which is promising to 'reverse' migration and 'do things the [British] way'. Rupert Lowe, now an independent MP representing Great Yarmouth in Norfolk, has announced the launch of Restore Britain. He originally set it up as a 'political movement' after being suspended from Nigel Farage's Reform UK party last March, amid allegations he physically threatened then party chairman Zia Yusuf. The Crown Prosecution Service subsequently dropped the case, stating there was insufficient evidence to proceed. Restore Britain has established itself as an umbrella...