Makerfield by-election result live: Burnham faces anxious wait over securing path back to Westminster

The polls have closed in the Makerfield by-election, and counting is about to begin.

The final results declaration for the Makerfield by-election is expected in the early hours of Friday.

In the event of a tight contest, it is also possible that there could be a recount.

Keep reading this live blog for live coverage during the count.

The government has provided £4m in emergency funding for police in Northern Ireland following last week’s disorder.

Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn said the funding would help police cover the costs of policing the violence, including requesting 200 officers from other UK forces.

The violence broke out in response to the stabbing of a man in north Belfast last Monday.

A Liberal Democrat MP has had the whip suspended pending the outcome of a police investigation, a party spokesperson said.

Cameron Thomas was arrested by Gloucestershire Police on Wednesday night, it is understood.

A Lib Dem spokesperson said the party was “unable to comment further” while an “investigation is ongoing”.

Mr Thomas’ party membership is also understood to have been suspended.

His office has been contacted for comment.

The former RAF officer has served as MP for Tewkesbury since the 2024 general election.

New Defence Secretary Dan Jarvis says he is “working around the clock” to complete a plan aimed at bolstering the armed forces with more cash.

Mr Jarvis was asked by reporters at a Nato defence ministers meeting in Brussels whether he was fighting for more money in the defence investment plan (Dip), following the resignation of his predecessor John Healey over funding.

He said he had huge respect for Mr Healey, saying: “My priority now is to make sure that our armed forces have the resources that they need to do a very difficult job of work that’s being asked of them.”

He added: “So I’m working around the clock with my colleagues across Government to make sure that we can get the Dip completed, that we can get the resource that we need to make sure that our armed forces personnel get the resources that we need.”

Makerfield is one of only three by-elections on the same night. Sean O’Grady looks at the other two contests, and what other political upsets might be in store.

The burden of government red tape that is tying up the City of London is also responsible for a potential cull of Dartmoor’s hill ponies, Kemi Badenoch claims.

The Conservative leader set out an overhaul of rules governing the financial sector, saying the burden of regulations has become too high and created a risk-averse culture in financial industries.

She said she wanted to see the whole of society mobilised in a “war effort” to turn around Britain’s “economic decline”.

As she took questions after her speech, the Tory leader called on business leaders to publicly speak out about regulations and government actions they did not like.

Mrs Badenoch added: “Not enough people know, and not enough people understand just how bad it’s got.

“I don’t know how many people have heard of the Dartmoor ponies being culled because of some weird regulation that came out of Natural England.”

A row is growing over a potential cull on Dartmoor, with campaigners claiming requirements to cut livestock grazing on the moor’s commons under new contracts from government agency Natural England could lead to the removal of up to 90% of its hill ponies.