Politics latest: Starmer refuses to rule out rejoining EU amid claims No 10 trying to sabotage Burnham by-election

The Office for National Statistics said the unemployment rate in England rose from 4.9 per cent in the three months to February to 5 per cent in the three months to March.

Meanwhile, in a positive development for Reeves, average regular earnings growth in the UK fell to 3.4 per cent in the three months to March and was 0.3 per cent higher when Consumer Price Index inflation was taken into account.

Nigel Farage has faced further calls for “transparency” over a £5 million gift from a donor to Reform UK, after reports questioned his claim to have bought a house using proceeds from a reality TV show.

Labor leader Anna Turley said: “It’s clear he’s taken the public for fools and thinks he can sweep this scandal under the rug. He can’t.”

“Firstly, the reason why a Thailand-based crypto billionaire made a multi-million pound donation to himself has now changed and claims about how he paid for one of his homes are now being called into question.

“His story continues to change.

“One thing is clearer than ever: Farage is in this for himself and not for working people.”

Shadow cabinet minister Alex Burghart said Christopher Harborne’s gift “looks more suspicious than ever”.

He added: “This extraordinary amount of money is more than most people will see in their lifetime.

“The excuses he uses to get it are constantly changing.

“The public deserves full transparency about who is depositing money into Farage’s private accounts and the influence they are buying with that money.

“It should come clean.”

The Independent’s revelations that Downing Street and Starmer loyalists may be trying to sabotage Andy Burnham’s campaign to win the Makerfield by-election have sparked outrage.

Notably, MPs had been warned that Mr Burnham might be allowed back into the party after the expulsion of former leader Jeremy Corbyn sparked outrage.

Independent MP Karl Turner, who was suspended from the Labor Party for criticizing attempts to remove the right to a jury trial, criticized the tactics in a post on X.

He said: “They can’t help themselves, can they? Jeremy Corbyn doesn’t want to come back to Labour.”

‘That ship has sailed,’ he said. Stop the dirty tricks campaign. It’s completely pathetic. And dishonest. “Stop it now.”

Allies of the mayor of Greater Manchester have claimed Downing Street is involved in a plot to dash Andy Burnham’s hopes of returning to parliament.

Fears have grown that the Labor leadership will offer “soft game” support to Mr Burnham in the by-election, asking MPs to campaign for him but not putting in place a three-row whip.

Labor MPs have also been told by the beleaguered prime minister’s allies that Mr Burnham could bring back former leader Jeremy Corbyn, who was expelled from the party in 2024 over a row over antisemitism.