Politics latest: Gorton and Denton by-election anyone’s call as poll has Reform, Labour and Greens neck and neck

With just a day to go before voters in Gorton and Denton march to the ballet halls, the latest polls show a three-way fight between the Labour, Reform and Green parties is extremely close.

The latest poll shows Green taking a narrow lead with 30 per cent of voters, while Reform UK and Labor are neck and neck on 28 per cent.

Labor won the constituency seat in 2024 with a majority of more than half the vote, but now faces a double threat with the prime minister calling the byelection a “battle of values”.

Gordon Brown has warned that Reformation will plunge Britain into the poverty seen under previous Tory governments, ahead of a major by-election on Thursday.

The two-child benefit limit, imposed by former Conservative chancellor George Osborne, prevents parents from claiming benefits for a third or subsequent child born after April 2017.

Our political correspondent Millie Cooke reports:

US President Donald Trump said he will continue to impose customs duties on other countries despite the Supreme Court’s decision overturning the import tax policy.

Mr Trump’s latest trade tariffs came into force on Tuesday at 10% on UK imports, below the 15% he had threatened over the weekend after he signed an executive order following the Supreme Court’s ruling on Friday.

Speaking in his State of the Union address ahead of a joint session of Congress at the US Capitol in Washington DC, Mr Trump said: “Almost all countries and companies want to keep the deal they have already made.

“They will continue to work on the same successful path we negotiated before the court’s unfortunate intervention, knowing that the legal power I have as president to make a new deal could be much worse for them.

“Countries that robbed us for decades are now paying us hundreds of millions of dollars. But these countries are happy now, and so are we. We made agreements. All the agreements are completed. And they are happy, too.”

Gorton, in Greater Manchester, has been a Labor stronghold since 1935 but tomorrow’s by-election could change everything. Colin Drury He talks to locals about who they voted for and why they want the prime minister to let Andy Burnham run.

Political correspondent Millie Cooke reports:

Ed Miliband has denied that AI will put the UK’s climate ambitions at risk but said decisions on AI should be made with a broader eye on “tackling the climate crisis”.

Asked whether that would be the case, the energy minister told Sky News: “No, but the decisions we make on AI data centers and similar issues are based on an overall approach to energy security and tackling the climate crisis, and it is very important that they are within that framework.”

Political correspondent Millie Cooke reports:

The energy minister claimed the drop in the energy price cap was a result of “the steps we have taken in the budget”, but acknowledged that the government knew “there is still some way to go”.

Ofgem said the price most households pay for energy will fall by 7 per cent from April 1 as the government promises to cut the average bill by £150.

The regulator’s price cap will drop from the current £1,758 to £1,641; This represents a reduction of around £10 per month for the average household using both electricity and gas.

Ed Miliband added: “Over the year the price cap in 2025 was lower in real terms than it was in 2024. We want to take this further down, so it is up to £300 lower.”

Sir Keir Starmer will face questions from MPs in the House of Commons for the first time since Lord Peter Mandelson’s arrest.

The former Labor secretary was arrested on Monday on suspicion of abuse of public office and later released on bail following accusations that she passed sensitive information to pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.

Prime Minister is under increasing scrutiny over his decision to appoint Lord Mandelson as Britain’s ambassador to Washington

The Lord Advocate said Lord Forsyth of Drumlean had received no information about Lord Mandelson’s movements.

Lord Mandelson’s lawyer claimed his arrest stemmed from “unfounded” allegations that he planned to leave the country.

In a statement, a spokesman for the Lord Advocate said: “Any allegation that the Lord Advocate received information about Lord Mandelson’s movements or passed such information to the Metropolitan Police Service is completely false and unfounded.”

Lord Peter Mandelson’s arrest for abuse of public office stemmed from “unfounded” claims he planned to leave the country, his lawyers said.

The former cabinet minister was arrested on Monday and later released on bail.

Law firm Mishcon de Reya said in a statement on Tuesday evening: “Peter Mandelson was arrested yesterday despite an agreement with police that he would voluntarily attend an interview next month.

“The arrest was made due to a false allegation that he was planning to leave the country and take up permanent residence abroad.

“There is absolutely no truth to such an allegation. We have asked the MPS for the evidence relied upon to justify the arrest. Peter Mandelson’s immediate priority is to co-operate with the police investigation and clear his name, as he has done throughout this process.”

In comments reported by other media outlets, Lord Mandelson is said to have told friends that he had agreed to appear for a voluntary interview with police but was later arrested because police suspected he might flee.

On the News Agencies podcast, Emily Maitlis read details of a message she said was sent from Lord Mandelson to a journalist friend.

In it, he said, “The police arrested me because the Lord Speaker claimed to have received information that I was about to flee to the British Virgin Islands”, describing it as “pure fiction”.

The Lord Advocate, Lord Forsyth of Drumlean, said the accusation was “completely false”.

A spokesman for the Lord Speaker said: “Any suggestion that the Lord Speaker received information about Lord Mandelson’s movements or passed any such information to the Metropolitan Police Service is completely false and unfounded.”