Independent

Farage cedes Reform control ahead of annual conference amid row over his surgery absence claim: Live

D.Adams2 hr ago

Nigel Farage ha s announced he is "relinquishing" his majority shareholder position of Reform UK , one day before the party begins its annual conference.

In a post on social media, the Clacton MP said: "I've now made a decision. I no longer need to control this party. I'm going to let go."

Unlike most other political parties, Reform UK is a registered company with its deputy leader Richard Tice also listed on Companies House as a person with significant control.

The annual party conference, which is taking place in Birmingham on Friday, has been hailed as the "coming of age" for the party, which gained success in July's election by winning five seats.

Meanwhile, a row has broken out over Mr Farage's claim that safety concerns prevent him from holding constituency surgeries, with Parliament's security services disputing the suggestion.

He has repeatedly been accused of not prioritising his Commons role, coming under fire for spending time in the US endorsing Donald Trump's presidential campaign since July.

1726812000 Farage says he will hold in-person surgeries 'when Parliament allows me'

Mr Farage has repeatedly been accused of not prioritising his Commons role, coming under fire for spending time in the US endorsing Donald Trump's presidential campaign following the July 4 election.

Asked during a phone-in on LBC whether he was holding physical surgeries in Clacton, Mr Farage said "not yet", but that he would "when Parliament allows me".

On whether he had been advised for his own security not to hold surgeries, he replied: "I would have thought that would make sense, wouldn't you?"

He said the guidance had been given by "the Speaker's (Sir Lindsay Hoyle's) Office, and beneath the Speaker's Office there is a security team who give advice and say you should do some things and not do others".

"So we're not in a fit state to do the old-style surgeries, but do you know what, if you've got something to say to me as a Clacton resident, Zoom is not the end of the world," Mr Farage added.

Holly Evans 1726808400 James O'Brien praised for 'brutal' Nigel Farage comments moments after LBC interview James O'Brien praised for 'brutal' Nigel Farage comments moments after LBC interview 'What a handover,' one listener said

Holly Evans 1726804800 Does Starmer's £170,000-a-year enforcer have to go?

Sue Gray, the prime minister's chief of staff, is facing a sullen revolt from the political advisers she is supposed to lead. The leaking of her salary – £3,000 more than Keir Starmer's – matters not just because of the sums of money involved, but because of the resentments it reveals.

One of the aggrieved advisers quoted by the BBC in its report of Gray's pay said: "If you ever see any evidence of our preparations for government , please let me know." Given that Gray was hired by Starmer to prepare for government, deploying her experience as a senior civil servant, this was wounding.

The immediate cause of the unhappiness of Labour apparatchiks is that she is taking a £170,000 salary, which is more than the £167,000 that the prime minister is paid, while she is being blamed for squeezing the pay of the poor, bloody infantry.

Read the full here:

Does Starmer's £170,000-a-year enforcer have to go? The revelation that Sue Gray refused to take a lower salary than the prime minister has added to a growing sense of drift and grievance within Starmer's administration, says John Rentoul – who thinks she should have done more to avoid the impression that No 10 cares more about freebies than 'delivery'

Holly Evans 1726801200 Nigel Farage to 'relinquish' control of Reform UK by giving up majority shares

Nigel Farage has said he is "relinquishing" control of Reform UK as he gives up his majority shareholder position.

Reform UK Ltd is a registered company, unlike most other political parties, and was previously registered as the Brexit Party from 2018-2021.

Companies House lists party leader Mr Farage, and deputy leader Richard Tice , as persons with significant control, with Mr Farage currently owning more than 50% of shares.

Read the full here:

Nigel Farage to 'relinquish' control of Reform UK by giving up majority shares Mr Farage said he intended to change the structure of the party – which is also a registered company – to give control to the members.

Holly Evans 1726794000 Keir Starmer accused of handing 'gold-plated pension' to Sue Gray

Sir Keir Starmer has been accused of handing "gold-plated pensions" to his top team while pensioners across the UK brace for the consequences of a cut to winter fuel payments.

On Wednesday, it emerged that Sue Gray was awarded a salary of £170,000 , around £3,000 more than the prime minister and more than any cabinet minister or her Conservative predecessor.

The Conservative Party claimed Sir Keir had "snatched away support for the vulnerable", while handing large pensions to his senior officials.

Read the full here:

Starmer accused of giving Sue Gray 'gold-plated pension' as pensioners face fuel cut Conservative Party has claimed prime minister had 'snatched away support for the vulnerable' while handing large pensions to his senior officials

Holly Evans

Reform UK opens its annual conference in Birmingham sporting its first elected members of parliament, a much-expanded membership, and plenty of enthusiasm. Its leader, Nigel Farage , who has been knocking around at the top of politics for longer than all his many rivals combined, has made it into the Commons , on his eighth attempt. He has pledged to spearhead "the real opposition" to the Labour government...

What's the mood?

Read our full take on Reform's upcoming party conference:

Can Reform UK show that it's more than a one-man band? As its annual conference kicks off, Sean O'Grady looks at what the future might hold for the party now that it finally has a presence in the Commons

Holly Evans

Nigel Farage is at the centre of a row after he claimed security concerns had prevented him from holding surgeries in his Essex constituency.

Before he was elected to Westminster , the Reform UK leader famously asked: "Do I want to be an MP? Do I want to spend every Friday for the next five years in Clacton?"

Now he has said he was told not to hold the face-to-face meetings with voters, traditionally held on the last day of the week, for safety reasons.

Read the full here:

Row erupts after Farage says he cannot hold face-to-face surgeries over attack fears Reform UK leader expresses concern the public would 'flow through doors with knives in their pockets' when asked if he had held meetings in his seat in Clacton

Holly Evans

Reform UK's five MPs will each address the conference stage, leading up to a keynote speech by Mr Farage at 4pm which will see him issue a "clarion call for change".

The party branded the conference "the most exciting of all the political conferences this year", mocking its mainstream rivals for "festival gratuities" and hosting "lobbyists all offering gifts".

A preview released on Thursday read: "You have already had the vapid 'It's a knockout' shambles of the Lib Dems in Brighton.

"Next week you will have the Labour festival gratuities and gradgrinds, surrounded by lobbyists all offering gifts.

"And then, oh the pity, the extended funeral rites of a Tory party, lost in its own navel, casting public lots to chose its own pallbearers."

Holly Evans 1726780755 Starmer insists he is 'completely in control' amid Sue Gray salary row

Sir Keir Starmer has insisted he is "completely in control" following a row within Government over his top adviser's pay.

Disclosures that Sue Gray, the Prime Minister's chief of staff, received a pay rise after the election which means she earns more than Sir Keir have sparked a row within Government and prompted opposition critics to demand answers about how the decision was made.

But Sir Keir would not be drawn into the row as he spoke to broadcasters before Labour's party conference this weekend, only insisting his team was focused on his Government's "big mandate to deliver change".

The BBC said a number of Whitehall sources had briefed the organisation on Ms Gray's salary increase, meaning she earns about £3,000 more than Sir Keir, who is paid about £167,000.

Sir Keir signed off a rebanding of the salaries for special advisers shortly after taking office in July, according to the BBC.

Holly Evans

Speculating on next month's Budget will "put the fear of God" into people, the Prime Minister has said as he declined to rule out further cuts.

In a series of broadcast interviews, Sir Keir Starmer repeatedly said he did not want to "get ahead of the Budget", due to be revealed on October 30, as he was asked to rule out measures such as scrapping the single person council tax discount and cutting the farming budget.

Asked about the single person council tax discount, which gives people living alone 25% off their council tax bill, he told BBC West: "I am really concerned about this and obviously I'm not going to pre-empt the Budget, but I don't want to risk putting the fear of God into people."

Sir Keir added: "I don't want to get into this, you know, 'Will you rule out? Will you rule out? Will you rule out?' because it just puts fear into people and I don't want to do that.

"What I will say is that I'm very conscious of how hard it's been for people and we intend to make sure that we have those people who have faced the greatest hardship in our minds' eyes when we take our decisions."

Holly Evans