Nigel Farage lashes out after police find NO evidence of family voting in Green by-election victory: 'Establishment whitewash!'

Electoral Commission to meet with volunteer group after Gorton and Denton by-election fraud claims dismissed

The Electoral Commission has announced it will hold talks with Democracy Volunteers following the conclusion of a police investigation into alleged family voting at last month's Gorton and Denton by-election.

Vijay Rangarajan, chief executive of the Electoral Commission, said: "Public trust in elections is essential.

"We take allegations of fraud or about how polls are conducted very seriously and we are grateful that Greater Manchester Police have properly investigated to establish the facts.

"Voters must be able to trust that our elections are secure and conducted with integrity.

"It is equally important that any allegations about the security and integrity of elections are supported by evidence, so voters have accurate information about how polls are conducted.

"GMP have found no evidence of any intent to influence or refrain any person from voting.

"We will discuss with Democracy Volunteers the definitions they use and the training they give their observers."

Reform UK Welsh candidate steps down citing mental health after Nazi salute image emerged 

A Reform UK Senedd candidate has withdrawn from the May 7 Welsh Parliament election, citing his mental health, after images emerged online appearing to show him performing a Nazi salute.

Nigel Farage had initially defended Corey Edwards, suggesting he may have been recreating a scene involving Basil Fawlty from the classic 1970s sitcom Fawlty Towers.

However, the party confirmed his departure just 24 hours later.

A Reform UK Wales spokesperson said: "Corey Edwards has informed us that he is stepping down as a candidate for the Senedd election this May, citing issues with his mental health.

"We wish him well for the future and hope his privacy can be respected at this difficult time."

'This isn't good enough' - Nigel Farage hits out at Greater Manchester Police's decision to close by-election probe

Nigel Farage has hit out at Greater Manchester Police’s decision to close a probe into so-called family voting in the Gorton and Denton by-election.

Reform UK reported the practice to the police after concerns were raised by a group of independent election observers.

Reform leader Mr Farage said: “Frankly, this is exactly the kind of establishment whitewash people are sick to death of.

“This isn’t good enough. We need proper oversight, real accountability and the courage to admit when something isn’t right, not another brushed-under-the-carpet report from the usual suspects.”

Greater Manchester police conclude investigation into Gorton & Denton by-election family voting 

Police have closed their investigation into alleged "family voting" at the Gorton and Denton by-election on February 26, finding no evidence that anyone directed or coerced another person on how to vote.

The inquiry, prompted by a complaint from Reform UK following reports by electoral observers Democracy Volunteers, identified up to 32 instances across 15 polling stations of voters sharing booths or looking over each other's shoulders, but observers noted no verbal or physical coercion.

The investigation was ultimately hampered by a lack of suspect descriptions and limited CCTV, leaving no reasonable lines of enquiry to pursue, Greater Manchester Police said.

Keir Starmer 'to give Sadiq Khan a peerage' - after previously pledging to abolish House of Lords entirely

Sir Keir Starmer is preparing to offer London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan a seat in the House of Lords following next month's local elections, according to sources familiar with the discussions.

The potential peerage would come as the Prime Minister seeks to strengthen his position ahead of what many expect to be a damaging set of results for Labour on May 7.

Insiders told the Financial Times that the appointment would help Sir Keir "shore up his position with patronage" during a period of significant political vulnerability.

Some Labour MPs anticipate colleagues may attempt to remove the Prime Minister following elections to the Scottish Parliament, Welsh Senedd and 136 English councils, where the party faces potentially heavy losses to Reform UK, the SNP, Plaid Cymru and the Green Party.

READ THE FULL STORY HERE.

Anas Sarwar says Holyrood is a two horse race between Scottish Labour and SNP

Anas Sarwar has suggested the upcoming Holyrood election is a two horse race between Scottish Labour and the SNP as he dismissed the threat of Reform UK.

The Scottish Labour leader said: "The biggest challenge Scotland faces is John Swinney has no energy, and that’s the problem.

"After 20 years of SNP Government Scotland needs change, it needs new energy, new ideas and new leadership, and that can only come from me and Scottish Labour.

"Only two people are standing to be first minister, me and John Swinney. That’s the choice people face in six weeks’ time. Do we have a third decade of the SNP with no energy John Swinney, or do we have new energy, new ideas, new leadership and a new government?

"That’s the straight choice, it’s the noise of Reform who can only stop change, it’s low energy John Swinney, or it is change for our NHS, our young people, for our housing market, for our communities, and a new direction for Scotland with Scottish Labour."

WATCH: Labour MP for Fleetwood joins residents in protest against 'foul-smelling' landfill site

Reform wins crunch by-election in Red Wall town as Labour haemorrhages heartland support

Reform UK has snatched a ward in the heart of a key Red Wall town as Labour support continues to slump in a bad by-election night for Sir Keir Starmer.

Nigel Farage's party won one of the two seats on North Lincolnshire Council up for grabs, with the Tories narrowly seeing off Reform's surge in Axholme Central.

In further good news for Kemi Badenoch's Tories, the Conservatives managed to gain a seat from the Liberal Democrats in the Blue Wall battleground of Oxfordshire.

GB News has taken a look at each of the by-election results across the country and what it could mean for the parties as the local elections draw ever closer.

READ THE FULL STORY HERE.

Greens urge Ed Miliband to 'break link' between gas and electricity prices

The Green Party has urged the Energy Secretary to commit to "breaking the link" between gas and electricity prices, warning that a looming fossil fuel shock could send bills soaring amid the Iran conflict.

It comes after Ed Miliband, who has long touted Labour’s energy policies as a bid to get the UK off the "fossil fuel rollercoaster", reportedly told MPs he was looking into decoupling electricity prices from gas.

This "rigged system" must change to better protect households from price spikes, Bristol Central MP Carla Denyer wrote in a letter to the Energy Secretary also signed by her four fellow Green MPs and the party’s two peers.

It reads: "As you are aware, bill-payers across the country are particularly at the mercy of these global gas price fluctuations because of the UK’s marginal pricing system for electricity.

"This means that gas-fired power stations almost always – around 85% of the time – set the price of electricity in the UK, even though a significant share of it comes from cheaper renewables, with gas only representing around a quarter of electricity generation by volume.

"This rigged system needs to change. By breaking the link between gas prices and electricity, the Government can better protect households from the devastating impacts of global energy price spikes."

'Strong case' for state to apologise for forced adoption, says Keir Starmer

Sir Keir Starmer has said there is "a very strong case" for the British state to apologise for its role in historical forced adoption.

In an interview with ITV News, the Prime Minister said the practice had been "abhorrent", adding: “It’s hard to actually believe that it could possibly have happened."

His comments followed a report from the Commons Education Committee, published on Friday, which said the Government should offer an unqualified apology as a step towards giving survivors "peace".

Sir Keir would not commit to making an apology but said the Government was "considering" it.

Yvette Cooper meets with Marco Rubio at G7 summit 

Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper has met with her Washington counterpart Marco Rubio at a key summit in Paris.

The two-day gathering brings together ministers from the G7, which also includes Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan alongside the European Union.

Keir Starmer says he is ready for 'fight' with social media firms

Sir Keir Starmer promised a “fight” with social media firms over efforts to keep children away from mobile phone, tablet and TV screens.

Speaking at a school in South London, the Prime Minister said: “Some of this will require a fight. If we’re going to do more to protect children, we’re going to have to fight some of the platforms that are putting the material up there because they’re putting this addictive stuff up there for a reason.

"They want more children to spend more time online and we’ve got to fight them and be clear whose side we’re on here.

"You may remember a few weeks ago, Grok on social media had these disgusting images and the Government went into a battle with them – a deliberate battle with them, which we won on behalf of those people who are subject to those disgusting images.

"We need the same mindset here because when the question of social media and children is discussed we need to be clear we’re on the side of parents and carers here."

Reform UK Scotland leader criticises 'fake outrage' over joke he admits was 'probably' homophobic

Reform UK’s leader in Scotland has hit out at "fake outrage" over a joke he made about late pop star George Michael that he accepted was "probably homophobic".

Malcolm Offord said he has had a "huge amount" of support from the public after details of the remarks, made at a rugby club dinner in 2018, emerged this week.

The joke was made public as campaigning got under way ahead of May’s Scottish Parliament election, with Lord Offord coming in for widespread criticism from other parties for the remarks.

He told the BBC: "The fake outrage on this has been quite astonishing in the media...I have had a huge amount of public support from people on this, 'you told a bad joke and you apologised for it Malcolm, what is the big deal?'"

Asked if his joke was homophobic, he said it "probably was", adding: "It was a mistake. I don’t have any issue with homophobia, I’ve got a lot of gay friends.

"It was an error of judgment, sometimes one does that, particularly when you are a private individual. Obviously when you are in public office it is a higher standards and we are all learning on the way."

He stressed the comments were made eight years ago, at a private event, before he became a politician.

Keir Starmer says President Trump's criticism is 'to pressure me on Iran but I will not buckle'

Sir Keir Starmer has suggested Donald Trump’s criticism of him is an attempt to push him to change his stance on the Iran war but vowed not to "buckle" under the pressure.

When asked whether Mr Trump’s repeated attacks had made him bristle, he told Sky News: "I think I understand what’s happening, it’s to put pressure on me in different ways.

"But, that pressure isn’t going to make me waver. It’s not going to make me abandon my principles or values, and that’s just the way I am.

"That is not new. That isn’t because of President Trump. I’ve got core values and principles I’ve held all my life, and they’re irreducible."

WATCH: Theo Usherwood reacts as the Labour Government is accused of cashing in on rising fuel prices

Yvette Cooper says Iran 'cannot hold the global economy hostage' 

Yvette Cooper said Iran "cannot hold the global economy hostage" as she arrived in Paris for key talks with her international counterparts, including US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

The Foreign Secretary said there needed to be a "swift resolution" to the conflict, as she condemned the "egregious aggression" towards Gulf states from Iran.

Dozens of Labour MPs write to Keir Starmer demanding party waters down Net Zero commitments

Dozens of Labour MPs have written to Sir Keir Starmer and three Cabinet members demanding the Government looks at watering down its Net Zero commitment to drive sales of electric vehicles amid fears UK carmakers might have to shed jobs.

Mansfield MP Steve Yemm told GB News' Chopper's Political Podcast up to 40 Labour MPs, more than one in 10 of all Labour MPs, had written to the ministers urging a rethink of targets to end all sales of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030.

Car makers were having to discount the sales of new electric vehicles to hit an ever-increasing proportion of sales.

READ THE FULL STORY HERE.

Armed Forces Minister issues dire warning over geopolitical landscape

Armed Forces Minister Al Carns has warned that the geopolitical landscape is "more fractious and dangerous" than at any point during his 24 years in the military.

The former Royal Marine said that the ongoing wars in Ukraine and Iran had increased the chances of a "geographical constrained conflict in the next three to five years."

The Labour MP for Birmingham Selly Oak told the BBC: "I think we’re moving into, and I’ve been on the record in saying this previously, that the chances of a geographical constrained conflict in the next three to five years are probably higher than in my whole 24 years in the military.

"The world geopolitically is exceptionally fragile. We’ve now seen this war break out in the Middle East and involve 10 different countries with Iran striking city centres, ports, airports, and indeed countries far flung around the Middle East.

"We’ve also got this major conflict in Ukraine. So I would say that it’s probably more fractious and dangerous than it has been in my entire military life."

Northern Labour MP mocked by tutors at Oxford and asked if he drinks cups of gravy because of Yorkshire accent

A state-school-educated Labour MP from the north of England has told how he toned down his broad Yorkshire accent and was mocked by tutors at Oxford University.

Luke Charters, who had a successful career at the Bank of England before entering Parliament in 2024 as MP for York Outer, said he had been forced to water down his accent at Mansfield College because of the mockery it attracted.

WATCH THE FULL EPISODE OF CHOPPER'S POLITICAL PODCAST HERE.

Angela Rayner 'to launch her own podcast in all-new tilt to oust Keir Starmer'

Angela Rayner is set to launch a podcast in an attempt to broaden her appeal for a potential Labour leadership contest, according to reports.

In the pilot episode of the podcast, named Beyond the Bubble, Ms Rayner will interview former minister Lord Gove.

Both Lord Gove and Ms Rayner have served as Housing Secretaries - and the episode will have a focus on housing policy.

They may also be able to bond over how they backed laws to give leaseholders and renters more rights while in office.

READ THE FULL STORY HERE.