Nigel Farage latest: Police probe Reform donations by fraudster’s mother ahead of Count Binface by-election

What emerged on July 7 was unexpected, even by Nigel Farage’s standards. After making a statement about his future in public life, he refrained from saying anything meaningful. Instead, in a 15-minute speech straight out of Trump’s playbook, he baselessly accused the media of harassment, sidestepped scrutiny of his donations and avoided answering basic questions about his political financing.

There was clearly something going on and it was visible throughout the broadcast. Farage looked shaken, even angry; His resignation reflected the panic he was desperately trying to swallow.

But he ran out of convincing answers, so he resorted to the oldest trick in the book: plunging the region into chaos, forcing a by-election and turning your situation into a circus of martyrdom.

Read Georgios Samaras’ full analysis here:

James Murray agreed with Andy Burnham that Britain was too slow to call for a ceasefire in Gaza.

The Health Minister said when asked if he agreed with the future prime minister: Times Radio: “I think yes, when we called for a ceasefire it was already overdue.”

Mr Burnham said Guard: “I know that many people think that my party did not get it right at the beginning of Israel’s military operation in Gaza, and I am sorry about that. The response was often not good enough. We must do better.

“We must do more to pressure the Israeli government… Yes, we have taken some important steps… But let’s be honest, the UK has been too slow to call for a ceasefire. We must now do more to strengthen our approach.”

Asked if he had spoken to future prime minister Andy Burnham, James Murray said he would not go into “comments and conversations I have had with Andy or his team”.

Asked how secure his job as health secretary was, Mr Murray told Times Radio: “As I said, I won’t be making any comments and any of those decisions will of course be made by Andy himself.”

Asked whether Mr Burnham was facing a possible grilling by Parliamentary Labor next Monday, Mr Murray said: “I didn’t know that was happening but it will be interesting to pull together and I think we want to come together around Andy’s vision because there are some of the things that Andy has put forward that are important to me, for example his focus on devolution.”

Labor has accused Reform UK of playing the public “for fools” amid fresh questions about the party’s finances.

Labor leader Anna Turley said there were “legitimate questions” for Reform leader Nigel Farage following reports in The Times that the Metropolitan Police had been investigating £500,000 in donations to Reform England for more than a year.

Officers launched an investigation into possible crimes related to evading restrictions on donations in the 2024 election by either concealing donations from an “unauthorized” donor or using false information about the donation, according to the newspaper.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said police launched an investigation in February 2025 following guidance from the Electoral Commission “in relation to donations made to a political party ahead of the 2024 UK general election”.

The spokesman said two people had so far been interviewed under caution and “early investigation advice” had been sought from the Crown Prosecution Service, but no arrests had been made.

Ms Turley said it was “right” for the police to investigate the matter, adding: “The British public know when they have been made fools of; if Nigel Farage could clear his name he would have done so by now.”

A spokesman for Reform UK said: “The British people are fed up with the establishment media doing everything they can to stop Reformation. A daily routine of hit-and-runs and smears will not stop us from winning the next general election and fixing a broken Britain. “It is now clear that the Establishment will try everything to stop us.”

Former MP and member of the European Parliament Ann Widdecombe, who also appeared on Strictly Come Dancing, has died at the age of 78.

The statement made by his management included the following statements: “It is with great sadness that we announce the death of DSG Rt Hon Ann Widdecombe today.

“We extend our deepest condolences to Ann’s family and friends. We ask that the family’s wishes not to be contacted at this sad time be respected.”

Ms Widdecombe was the Conservative MP for Kent’s Maidstone, later Maidstone and Weald, constituency between 1987 and 2010, and held various ministerial posts in Sir John Major’s government.

He famously clashed with Conservative colleague Michael Howard when he was Home Secretary and he was home secretary, describing him as “something of the night”.

Ms Widdecombe also faced criticism for defending the policy of chaining pregnant prisoners to their beds.

In the statement made by Cloud9 Management, which has represented him for more than ten years, it was stated that he will be “very much” missed.