Autumn conference in Liverpool targeted for victorious homecoming but Reform UK to fight hard in byelection

Andy Burnham will push to become prime minister in time to address Labour’s autumn party conference in Liverpool, his supporters have said.

The Greater Manchester mayor cleared his first hurdle to becoming the candidate in the Makerfield byelection on Friday when Labour’s ruling body gave him permission to stand for the seat.

Reform UK leader records video with Essex pastor to support his battle against council banning order

Nigel Farage has been criticised for giving his full support to a Christian church leader who preached that homosexuality was an “abomination” and would lead to eternity in hell.

The Reform UK leader recorded a video with Stephen Clayden after Colchester council applied for a banning order to limit his street preaching.

Chances of Starmer remaining in No 10 appear to be diminishing as about 40 Labour MPs call on him to quit

• Who are the main threats to Keir Starmer’s Labour leadership?

Keir Starmer faces a fight for his political life in the next 24 hours as potential Labour leadership rivals, from Wes Streeting to Angela Rayner, begin positioning themselves for a contest.

Starmer is hoping to save his job on Monday with a speech promising to “face up to the big challenges” for the country on growth, energy, defence and Europe.

Results are undoubtedly bad but expectations had been set even lower, and any potential challengers are quiet for now

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As the local elections results rolled in, a trickle of voices were calling for Keir Starmer to quit – a couple of MPs, a trade union leader, and a Labour peer.

The numbers are undoubtedly bad for Labour, with Reform making sweeping gains across pro-Brexit heartlands in the north and midlands. These could even be the party’s worst losses for 50 years with more than 1,000 councillors gone and the potential loss of control of the Welsh parliament.

Nigel Farage, Lee Anderson and Robert Jenrick, among others, have sung the praises of the JCB PotHole Pro

Reform UK’s leading figures have repeatedly promoted a new pothole-fixing machine by the construction company JCB, while the party received £200,000 from the British digger maker, the Guardian can reveal.

Several Reform politicians including Nigel Farage, Lee Anderson, Robert Jenrick, Zia Yusuf and Richard Tice have sung the praises of the JCB PotHole Pro machine.

Keir Starmer pledges crackdown on protesters chanting or displaying antisemitic slogans as terror attack is assessed to be ‘highly likely’

Keir Starmer has pledged to crack down on those “venerating the murder of Jews” at protest marches as the UK terror threat level was raised to “severe” in the wake of the Golders Green attack.

The prime minister promised to do “everything in our power to stamp this hatred out” after meeting emergency workers and community leaders near the scene in north-west London where two Jewish men were stabbed on Wednesday.

Electoral Commission is investigating claims money given to MP came from US businessman now convicted of wire fraud

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Labour has called on Robert Jenrick to give up almost £40,000 donated to his campaign to be Conservative leader in 2024 following allegations that the sum came from an impermissible foreign donor now convicted of fraud.

The party called for Jenrick to make a donation to charity after the Guardian revealed the Electoral Commission has been investigating claims that £37,500 out of £100,000 given to his campaign by a UK company Spott Fitness ultimately came from a company run by a US-based businessman, Gary Klopfenstein.

Philip Rycroft says promises on issues from economics to immigration have not lived up to expectations

Britain should start talking about rejoining the EU, according to a former senior civil servant who ran the Brexit department.

Philip Rycroft, who was permanent secretary of the Department for Exiting the EU, said the “argument was there to be won” about going back into Europe, adding that a “clear-headed appraisal of what is in the country’s best interests” was needed. However, he said rejoining the bloc could be a “long and windy” road.