Key events<\/p>\n
Show key events only<\/p>\n
Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature<\/p>\n
Closing summary<\/p>\n
That\u2019s all from us on the UK politics blog, thanks for following along.<\/p>\n
Here is a recap of today\u2019s developments:<\/p>\n
Andy Burnham stands in front of supporters during the launch of his campaign as Labour’s candidate for the Makerfield byelection. Photograph: Ian Hodgson\/AP<\/p>\n
\u201cA vote for me in this byelection campaign is a vote to change Labour,\u201d the Greater Manchester<\/a> mayor said.<\/p>\n Burnham backed the EHRC\u2019s guidance on single-sex spaces, saying the UK needed to \u201cget back to a more \u2018live and let live\u2019 approach to life\u201d.<\/p>\n He said the government was \u201cmoving in the right direction\u201d on immigration, and that he broadly supported the home secretary\u2019s planned changes to the immigration system.<\/p>\n The Green party\u2019s candidate for the byelection has withdrawn from the ballot within hours of being announced. Chris Kennedy was announced to be running in the seat for the Greens on Thursday morning, but nine hours later the party said he had dropped out,<\/a> citing \u201cpersonal and family reasons\u201d.<\/p>\n The Times, however, reported it had approached Kennedy about a series of social media posts he had shared about an attack on Jewish ambulances in north London in April. A Green party spokesperson said Kennedy apologised for the offence caused and has deleted the posts, according to the BBC.<\/p>\n The Liberal Democrats announced Jake Austin will stand in the byelection for the party. The Stockport councillor contested the Greater Manchester mayoral election against Burnham in 2024, coming sixth.<\/p>\n The defence secretary, John Healey, has urged Nigel Farage to provide transparency about the \u00a35m gift he received from a billionaire businessman, in particular over whether any of the sum could have been linked to Russia-connected profits. <\/a>In a letter to the Reform UK leader, he asked Farage to confirm that none of the sum was \u201cderived from transactions with Russian state-linked energy companies\u201d.<\/p>\n The UK borrowed more than expected in April as high inflation drove up the cost of pensions and benefits, amid concern over the Iran war and political uncertainty adding to debt costs. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said public sector net borrowing \u2013 the difference between government spending and income \u2013 was \u00a324.3bn in April 2026, \u00a34.9bn higher than in April 2025.<\/a><\/p>\n Share<\/a> There has been a row over Reform\u2019s conduct in the battle for Makerfield, with the founder of a Wigan charity for adults with additional needs asking Nigel Farage to apologise after his entourage entered the premises unannounced in a manner the staff and the people they support found \u201cintimidating and overwhelming\u201d.<\/p>\n Gemma Crompton, director of The Hamlet, wrote in a letter to the Reform UK leader: \u201cWe are therefore requesting a formal apology regarding the way today\u2019s visit was handled, alongside assurances that no other organisation supporting vulnerable people within the borough will experience a similar situation in future.\u201d<\/p>\n She also claimed Farage\u2019s entourage filmed and took photographs without permission.<\/p>\n Burnham was present at the time, for a celebration of the people supported by the charity achieving their gold Duke of Edinburgh awards.<\/p>\n The Manchester mayor had been accused of a \u201cspiky\u201d response to a Daily Mail journalist who was part of the entourage.<\/p>\n The Mail piece claimed that Burnham \u201cfumed\u201d when approached in the cafe, saying: \u201cYou don\u2019t go into a place like that unannounced. You\u2019re out of order there.\u201d<\/p>\n Burnham has supported The Hamlet throughout his time as mayor and there is a photograph of him on the front page of the charity\u2019s website.<\/p>\n However, Crompton said: \u201cAt no point was today intended to be a political event or a platform for campaigning.\u201d<\/p>\n She added: \u201cWe do not want to be drawn into political campaigning or political division of any kind.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Gavin Williamson has shared some sad news \u2013 his beloved pet tarantula, Cronus, has died.<\/p>\n The Conservative MP posted a video on his social media channels showing a series of photos of him and Cronus together set to the song Angels by Robbie Williams. The former defence secretary wrote: \u201cHaving been a trusty companion in my constituency and Westminster office for over a decade, I am sad to announce Cronus\u2019 passing.\u201d<\/p>\n Allow Facebook content?<\/p>\n This article includes content provided by Facebook. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. To view this content, click ‘Allow and continue’.<\/p>\n Williamson kept Cronus, named after a Greek god who castrated his father and ate his children, in a glass tank in his office despite a House of Commons ban on pets. \u201cYou have to look at different ways to persuade people to vote with the government and it\u2019s great to have Cronus as part of the team,\u201d Williamson previously said of his eight-legged enforcer.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s a profile we did on Cronus in 2016 (when Williamson was the Conservative chief whip):<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a010.07 EDT<\/p>\n Here\u2019s a list of the party candidates announced so far for the Makerfield byelection:<\/p>\n Andy Burnham (Labour)<\/p>\n Robert Kenyon (Reform UK)<\/p>\n Michael Winstanley (Conservative party)<\/p>\n Jake Austin (Liberal Democrats)<\/p>\n Rebecca Shepherd (Restore Britain)<\/p>\n Alan \u201cHowlin\u201d Laud Hope (Monster Raving Loony party)<\/p>\n The Greens had announced Chris Kennedy would stand for the party but he withdrew just nine hours later.<\/a> The party said he dropped out for \u201cpersonal and family reasons\u201d, but the Times later reported it had approached Kennedy about a series of social media posts he had shared about an attack on Jewish ambulances in north London in April.<\/p>\n A Green party<\/a> spokesperson said Kennedy apologised for the offence caused and has deleted the posts, according to the BBC.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Burnham said the government was \u201cmoving in the right direction\u201d on immigration, after figures this week showed net migration to the UK fell by nearly 50%.<\/a><\/p>\n Commenting on plans for retrospective changes for those being granted indefinite leave to remain, he said: \u201cI know there have been concerns raised by members of parliament on that issue. So, I have indicated broad support for what the home secretary is trying to do, but I do think on that issue care needs to be taken.\u201d<\/p>\n His remarks came after the Guardian reported that he backed Shabana Mahmood\u2019s controversial changes to the immigration system,<\/a> according to his allies. Deputy political editor Jessica Elgot and policy editor Kiran Stacey wrote:<\/p>\n double quotation mark[Mahmood] set out a major package of changes earlier this year that included scrapping permanent refugee status<\/a> and removing government support from asylum seekers who are deemed not to need it or who break the law. Anyone who has been granted asylum but whose country is then deemed to be safe will be asked to leave.<\/p>\n She also promised to double the length of time it takes for some people to achieve settled status in the UK from five years to 10, a measure which officials say will apply to many already in the country. That is due to come in later this year once the government has completed a consultation on which groups should be exempted from the longer timetable.<\/p>\n Some senior Labour MPs<\/a> have criticised the changes as un-British and mimicking Donald Trump.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a008.54 EDT<\/p>\n Burnham said he thought the NHS was \u201calmost being overwhelmed\u201d by a \u201cbroken\u201d care system.<\/p>\n The Greater Manchester<\/a> mayor, whose father has Alzheimer\u2019s, said he believed there should be a different way of paying for care.<\/p>\n Greater Manchester mayor and Labour candidate Andy Burnham during his campaign launch ahead of the Makerfield byelection. Photograph: Temilade Adelaja\/Reuters<\/p>\n He said: \u201cIt\u2019s a reverse of the NHS principle, social care, that the most unfortunate can just like lose everything, and it\u2019s an awful thing.\u201d<\/p>\n He added:<\/p>\n double quotation markI know there\u2019s a great resentment about inheritance tax, so actually just, you know, take that away, perhaps, and look at a care levy.<\/p>\n It\u2019s not about asking people to pay more, it\u2019s just people paying in the most unfair way possible at this moment in time and I think there\u2019s a much better way of doing it, and people just have peace of mind while they\u2019re alive, because they get the care that they need, and then it will be dealt with in a much better way.<\/p>\n He continued:<\/p>\n double quotation markOur hospitals are full of people who are medically fit to be at home or in a care home, but can\u2019t be discharged.<\/p>\n The cost of that to the NHS, in my view, is getting bigger than the cost of fixing social care.<\/p>\n Actually, the NHS is almost being overwhelmed by a broken care system.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a008.23 EDT<\/p>\n Burnham said the Labour<\/a> manifesto presented in 2024 could be \u201cmore radical\u201d.<\/p>\n He said he wanted to see more council houses being built and that Labour should \u201cbe more radical on rail re-nationalisation\u201d.<\/p>\n PA has reported more of his remarks:<\/p>\n double quotation markI\u2019m personally keen to see reform of council tax. It\u2019s a highly regressive tax, and I think it\u2019s not justifiable based on those 1991 valuations. I see a big case for land and property and business taxation to be changed.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a008.22 EDT<\/p>\n Asked about new guidance on single sex spaces, Andy Burnham<\/a> said: \u201cI think the time has come to take the Supreme Court ruling and the guidance and implement it, but to do it in a way that protects those spaces but does not marginalise already marginalised communities, that\u2019s my view.<\/p>\n \u201cMy mum and dad brought me up to live and let live. I think Britain needs to get back to a more \u2018live and let live\u2019 approach to life, not where we\u2019re constantly arguing with each other, being judgmental about each other.<\/p>\n \u201cLets implement the guidance, but to do it in the fairest and most compassionate way possible.\u201d<\/p>\n He said he thought Britain had done too much of rerunning arguments. \u201cWe\u2019ve got to stop arguing with each other. We\u2019ve got to start by finding some common ground and start pulling together,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Speaking to the media at his campaign launch, Andy Burnham<\/a> said he would want to commit to changing the electoral system in the next Labour manifesto.<\/p>\n He said:<\/p>\n double quotation markI support electoral reform. Now, I know there\u2019s different ways you can do it, but I believe any move in that direction is going to be good and I would want a commitment in the next Labour manifesto to introduce a proportional system.<\/p>\n He ruled out changing the system before the next election, saying:<\/p>\n double quotation markI think you\u2019ve got to honour manifestos.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n A Green MP has announced she is to take a leave of absence after suffering \u201cburnout\u201d.<\/p>\n Carla Denyer, the party\u2019s former co-leader, said she would be off work for several weeks in order to try to recover following advice her doctor.<\/p>\n The MP for Bristol Central said she had been struggling with \u201cpersistent health issues\u201d over the last few years and that she hoped to \u201ccombat the stigma\u201d surrounding burnout by being open about her experience.<\/p>\n Her constituency office will continue to function as usual over the coming weeks, she said.<\/p>\n In a statement on Friday, Denyer wrote:<\/p>\n double quotation markOver the last few years, I have been struggling with persistent health issues, and I have been trying to manage these alongside the long hours and significant responsibility my work entails.<\/p>\n It has become clear that this is not an effective strategy and that doing so is inhibiting my ability to recover. Having taken advice from my doctor, I will be taking several weeks off in order to try to get back to full health.<\/p>\n I want to be open about the fact that what I am suffering from is burnout \u2013 and the mental and physical symptoms that arise from it.<\/p>\n Burnout is a condition that does not tend to get better on its own. If left unmanaged, it can worsen and increase your risk of long-term health problems.<\/p>\n Carla Denyer speaks during a Palestine Solidarity Campaign rally on Whitehall in central London. Picture date: Wednesday September 11, 2024. Photograph: Lucy North\/PAShare<\/a><\/p>\n Here are some photos from Andy Burnham\u2019s official campaign launch earlier today:<\/p>\n Photograph: Ian Hodgson\/AP Photograph: Temilade Adelaja\/Reuters Photograph: Peter Byrne\/PA Photograph: Peter Byrne\/PAShare<\/a><\/p>\n In other news, the defence secretary, John Healey, has urged Nigel Farage<\/a> to provide transparency about the \u00a35m gift he received from a billionaire businessman, in particular over whether any of the sum could have been linked to Russia-connected profits, the Guardian\u2019s senior political correspondent Peter Walker<\/a> reports.<\/p>\n In a letter to the Reform UK<\/a> leader, Healey also asked him to address the possibility that the war against Iran might boost the revenues of AML Global, an aviation fuel company owned by Christopher Harborne, who gave Farage the \u00a35m in 2024. Farage initially supported the US-Israeli attacks on Iran.<\/p>\n The letter, seen by the Guardian, asked Farage to confirm that none of the sum was \u201cderived from transactions with Russian state-linked energy companies\u201d, and to give assurances that AML Global had complied fully with all sanctions on Russian energy since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.<\/p>\n Read more here:<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Liberal Democrats announce Makerfield byelection candidate<\/p>\n Burnham has finished his speech, just as we get an announcement from the Liberal Democrats on their candidate for the Makerfield byelection<\/a>.<\/p>\n Stockport councillor Jake Austin will stand for the party. He was born in the constituency and contested the Greater Manchester<\/a> mayoral election against Burnham in 2024, coming sixth, according to PA.<\/p>\n Austin said:<\/p>\n double quotation markI\u2019m thrilled to have been selected as the Liberal Democrat candidate for Makerfield.<\/p>\n Voters in Makerfield deserve so much more than the failing Labour government or the divisive politics of Reform UK.<\/p>\n We have a real opportunity to champion the issues that matter most to people: the cost of living, protecting our natural environment and supporting our local high streets and businesses.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Burnham: ‘A vote for me is a vote to change Labour’<\/p>\n Continuing on the theme of change, Burnham said a vote for him in the Makerfield byelection<\/a> is \u201ca vote to change Labour\u201d.<\/p>\n double quotation markI know my own party needs to change. We need to be better than we\u2019ve been. We\u2019ve not been good enough. And I want to leave people in no doubt today, a vote for me in this byelection campaign is a vote to change Labour.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Helena](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Helena_Horton,_R.png\")
Helena Horton<\/p>\n