Nigel Farage latest: Reform donations ‘by fraudster’s mother’ probed by police ahead of Count Binface by-election

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said the party would “wear our hearts on our sleeve” more than under Sir Keir Starmer’s leadership.

Mr Burnham requires just one more MP to nominate him to make it mathematically impossible for anyone to stand against him and Home Office minister Mike Tapp said he would back him when the Commons returns on Monday.

When MPs left Westminster on Thursday, Mr Burnham had the backing of 322 of the 403 Labour MPs.

The total means that there are still 81 Labour MPs left who could nominate another contender, the minimum needed to get on to the ballot, but Sir Keir and some other party office holders are unlikely to nominate anyone.

Even before nominations opened, Mr Burnham seemed almost certain to enjoy a coronation as the only declared candidate in the race to succeed Sir Keir, with him likely to take the party leadership at a special conference in a week’s time and then become prime minister on July 20.

Ms Nandy said: “No 10 for the North has attracted a lot of interest, but that really is about shifting the centre of gravity in the country, so that all parts of the country are seen and heard and are able to contribute.

“But the second thing that I think will be different is that I think we will wear our hearts on our sleeve more. I think people will see us taking the fight to any system that stands in the way of them living better lives.”

Nigel Farage said he believed he was facing the “anti-Trump playbook” amid scrutiny over his finances.

It was put to the Reform UK leader on TalkTV that the US president had posted about “the sort of anti-Trump playbook playing out on you” after Mr Trump shared a link to an article on his Truth Social platform.

Mr Farage said: “Well, that’s what I believe, and that’s why I thought, let’s put it to the public.”

He said there should be a general election as well as a by-election as Andy Burnham will have “no mandate of any kind at all, and the pubic are pretty sick of this game of musical chairs that goes on in No 10.”

On other parties boycotting the by-election, he said: “No, I didn’t expect them all to act together the way they did, but as I say, they are the uniparty.”

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy suggested that Andy Burnham might look at “other options” to fund defence rather than move money from within existing government spending.

Her comments leave open the prospect of Mr Burnham hiking taxes or increasing borrowing to provide the money needed to meet the UK’s Nato commitments.

She told BBC Radio 4’s Today that “there are choices in front of a new prime minister about how to fund” the increase in defence spending that is needed.

“One of those choices, which is the choice that Keir Starmer made, was to find that money from existing spending,” she said.

“There are other options available as well.

“I haven’t discussed it in any detail with Andy Burnham, but I know he will want to look at that and make his own choices about… how he thinks the best way to fund that is.

“What I’m absolutely convinced about, having known him well now for 17 years, is that whether we fund defence is not going to be a question. The question will be how.”

The government will be “faster and bolder” under Andy Burnham than during Sir Keir Starmer’s time in No 10, a Cabinet minister said.

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy told BBC Radio 4’s Today: “I think there will be two things that will be different under Andy Burnham.

“The first is that it will be faster and bolder and he’s willing to think very differently about how we deliver that change.

“No 10 for the North has attracted a lot of interest, but that really is about shifting the centre of gravity in the country, so that all parts of the country are seen and heard and are able to contribute.

“But the second thing that I think will be different is that I think we will wear our hearts on our sleeve more. I think people will see us taking the fight to any system that stands in the way of them living better lives.

“And I really think, at the moment, at a time when trust in the power of government to change people’s lives is very weak, that that is an enormously important thing.”

Both Nigel Farage and Reform are under mounting pressure over other reports about their finances.

Mr Farage faces questions about undeclared support provided by his long-standing ally George Cottrell, a convicted fraudster, following a Sunday Times investigation, while the Guardian suggested on Wednesday that bankers had raised concerns to the National Crime Agency through suspicious activity reports about at least four transactions involving senior Reform leaders.

These include the £5 million gift to Mr Farage and a £1 million donation from Mr Cottrell’s mother, Fiona, to Britain Means Business, described as a fundraising vehicle for Reform which deputy leader Richard Tice is a director of.

Mr Tice accused the NCA of leaking his and Mr Farage’s private information on Tuesday.

The health secretary has condemned Rupert Lowe’s “revolting” comments on Dunblane, after the Restore Britain leader sparked outrage while appearing on the world’s biggest podcast.

The MP incorrectly claimed there was just “one murder” during the Dunblane massacre as he appeared on The Joe Rogan Experience during a media tour of the US.

Responding to the comments, government minister James Murray said the false claim was “insulting” and urged him to retract it.

“I think that’s revolting to say that,” he told LBC. “I think it’s it’s awful for him to say that. It’s disrespectful. I mean, I’ve been thinking about the the families of everyone who was killed in Dunblane.”

He added: “I think I wouldn’t want to give Rupert Lowe any more you know airtime on this because I think it’s insulting, and he should retract it.”

What unfolded on 7 July was unexpected, even by Nigel Farage’s standards. After trailing a statement on his future in public life, he avoided saying anything meaningful. Instead, in a 15-minute speech straight out of the Trump playbook, he baselessly accused the media of harassment, dodged scrutiny around his donations, and avoided addressing any central questions about his political funding.

Something is clearly happening, and it was visible throughout the broadcast. Farage looked rattled, furious even, while his resignation suggests a panic he is desperately trying to gulp down.

But having run out of convincing answers, he has fallen back on the oldest trick in the book: flood the zone with chaos, turn your plight into a martyrdom circus by forcing a by-election.

Read the full analysis from Georgios Samaras here:

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

Asked whether he agreed with the prime minister-in-waiting, the Health Secretary told Times Radio: “I think that yes, by the time we called for a ceasefire, it was overdue.”

Mr Burnham told The Guardian: “I know many people feel that at the start of Israel’s military action in Gaza my party didn’t get it right and I am sorry about that. The response has too often not been good enough. We need to do better.

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

James Murray said he would not get into “running commentary and conversations that I’m having with Andy or his team”, when asked whether he was speaking to prime minister-in-waiting Andy Burnham.

Asked how secure his job as health secretary was, Mr Murray told Times Radio: “As I said, I’m not going to give any running commentary, and any of those decisions are, of course, for Andy to take himself.”

Asked about Mr Burnham facing a potential grilling by the Parliamentary Labour Party next Monday, Mr Murray said: “I didn’t know that was happening but it’ll be interesting to go along and I think come together around Andy’s vision because some of the things that matter to me that Andy set out, his focus on devolution for instance.”