Closing summary
That’s all from us on the UK politics blog, thanks for following along.
Here is a recap of today’s developments:
-
Andy Burnham official launched his campaign as the Labour candidate in the Makerfield byelection. He told supporters: “British politics is tired. It needs a new script.”
-
“A vote for me in this byelection campaign is a vote to change Labour,” the Greater Manchester mayor said.
-
Burnham backed the EHRC’s guidance on single-sex spaces, saying the UK needed to “get back to a more ‘live and let live’ approach to life”.
-
He said the government was “moving in the right direction” on immigration, and that he broadly supported the home secretary’s planned changes to the immigration system.
-
The Green party’s candidate for the byelection has withdrawn from the ballot within hours of being announced. Chris Kennedy was announced to be running in the seat for the Greens on Thursday morning, but nine hours later the party said he had dropped out, citing “personal and family reasons”.
-
The Times, however, reported it had approached Kennedy about a series of social media posts he had shared about an attack on Jewish ambulances in north London in April. A Green party spokesperson said Kennedy apologised for the offence caused and has deleted the posts, according to the BBC.
-
The Liberal Democrats announced Jake Austin will stand in the byelection for the party. The Stockport councillor contested the Greater Manchester mayoral election against Burnham in 2024, coming sixth.
-
The defence secretary, John Healey, has urged Nigel Farage to provide transparency about the £5m gift he received from a billionaire businessman, in particular over whether any of the sum could have been linked to Russia-connected profits. In a letter to the Reform UK leader, he asked Farage to confirm that none of the sum was “derived from transactions with Russian state-linked energy companies”.
-
The UK borrowed more than expected in April as high inflation drove up the cost of pensions and benefits, amid concern over the Iran war and political uncertainty adding to debt costs. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said public sector net borrowing – the difference between government spending and income – was £24.3bn in April 2026, £4.9bn higher than in April 2025.
There has been a row over Reform’s conduct in the battle for Makerfield, with the founder of a Wigan charity for adults with additional needs asking Nigel Farage to apologise after his entourage entered the premises unannounced in a manner the staff and the people they support found “intimidating and overwhelming”.
Gemma Crompton, director of The Hamlet, wrote in a letter to the Reform UK leader: “We are therefore requesting a formal apology regarding the way today’s visit was handled, alongside assurances that no other organisation supporting vulnerable people within the borough will experience a similar situation in future.”
She also claimed Farage’s entourage filmed and took photographs without permission.
Burnham was present at the time, for a celebration of the people supported by the charity achieving their gold Duke of Edinburgh awards.
The Manchester mayor had been accused of a “spiky” response to a Daily Mail journalist who was part of the entourage.
The Mail piece claimed that Burnham “fumed” when approached in the cafe, saying: “You don’t go into a place like that unannounced. You’re out of order there.”
Burnham has supported The Hamlet throughout his time as mayor and there is a photograph of him on the front page of the charity’s website.
However, Crompton said: “At no point was today intended to be a political event or a platform for campaigning.”
She added: “We do not want to be drawn into political campaigning or political division of any kind.”
Gavin Williamson has shared some sad news – his beloved pet tarantula, Cronus, has died.
The Conservative MP posted a video on his social media channels showing a series of photos of him and Cronus together set to the song Angels by Robbie Williams. The former defence secretary wrote: “Having been a trusty companion in my constituency and Westminster office for over a decade, I am sad to announce Cronus’ passing.”
Williamson kept Cronus, named after a Greek god who castrated his father and ate his children, in a glass tank in his office despite a House of Commons ban on pets. “You have to look at different ways to persuade people to vote with the government and it’s great to have Cronus as part of the team,” Williamson previously said of his eight-legged enforcer.
Here’s a profile we did on Cronus in 2016 (when Williamson was the Conservative chief whip):
Updated
Here’s a list of the party candidates announced so far for the Makerfield byelection:
-
Andy Burnham (Labour)
-
Robert Kenyon (Reform UK)
-
Michael Winstanley (Conservative party)
-
Jake Austin (Liberal Democrats)
-
Rebecca Shepherd (Restore Britain)
-
Alan “Howlin” Laud Hope (Monster Raving Loony party)
The Greens had announced Chris Kennedy would stand for the party but he withdrew just nine hours later. The party said he dropped out for “personal and family reasons”, but the Times later reported it had approached Kennedy about a series of social media posts he had shared about an attack on Jewish ambulances in north London in April.
A Green party spokesperson said Kennedy apologised for the offence caused and has deleted the posts, according to the BBC.
Burnham said the government was “moving in the right direction” on immigration, after figures this week showed net migration to the UK fell by nearly 50%.
Commenting on plans for retrospective changes for those being granted indefinite leave to remain, he said: “I know there have been concerns raised by members of parliament on that issue. So, I have indicated broad support for what the home secretary is trying to do, but I do think on that issue care needs to be taken.”
His remarks came after the Guardian reported that he backed Shabana Mahmood’s controversial changes to the immigration system, according to his allies. Deputy political editor Jessica Elgot and policy editor Kiran Stacey wrote:
[Mahmood] set out a major package of changes earlier this year that included scrapping permanent refugee status and removing government support from asylum seekers who are deemed not to need it or who break the law. Anyone who has been granted asylum but whose country is then deemed to be safe will be asked to leave.
She also promised to double the length of time it takes for some people to achieve settled status in the UK from five years to 10, a measure which officials say will apply to many already in the country. That is due to come in later this year once the government has completed a consultation on which groups should be exempted from the longer timetable.
Some senior Labour MPs have criticised the changes as un-British and mimicking Donald Trump.
Updated
Burnham said he thought the NHS was “almost being overwhelmed” by a “broken” care system.
The Greater Manchester mayor, whose father has Alzheimer’s, said he believed there should be a different way of paying for care.
He said: “It’s a reverse of the NHS principle, social care, that the most unfortunate can just like lose everything, and it’s an awful thing.”
He added:
I know there’s a great resentment about inheritance tax, so actually just, you know, take that away, perhaps, and look at a care levy.
It’s not about asking people to pay more, it’s just people paying in the most unfair way possible at this moment in time and I think there’s a much better way of doing it, and people just have peace of mind while they’re alive, because they get the care that they need, and then it will be dealt with in a much better way.
He continued:
Our hospitals are full of people who are medically fit to be at home or in a care home, but can’t be discharged.
The cost of that to the NHS, in my view, is getting bigger than the cost of fixing social care.
Actually, the NHS is almost being overwhelmed by a broken care system.
Updated
Burnham said the Labour manifesto presented in 2024 could be “more radical”.
He said he wanted to see more council houses being built and that Labour should “be more radical on rail re-nationalisation”.
PA has reported more of his remarks:
I’m personally keen to see reform of council tax. It’s a highly regressive tax, and I think it’s not justifiable based on those 1991 valuations. I see a big case for land and property and business taxation to be changed.
Updated
Asked about new guidance on single sex spaces, Andy Burnham said: “I think the time has come to take the Supreme Court ruling and the guidance and implement it, but to do it in a way that protects those spaces but does not marginalise already marginalised communities, that’s my view.
“My mum and dad brought me up to live and let live. I think Britain needs to get back to a more ‘live and let live’ approach to life, not where we’re constantly arguing with each other, being judgmental about each other.
“Lets implement the guidance, but to do it in the fairest and most compassionate way possible.”
He said he thought Britain had done too much of rerunning arguments. “We’ve got to stop arguing with each other. We’ve got to start by finding some common ground and start pulling together,” he added.
Speaking to the media at his campaign launch, Andy Burnham said he would want to commit to changing the electoral system in the next Labour manifesto.
He said:
I support electoral reform. Now, I know there’s different ways you can do it, but I believe any move in that direction is going to be good and I would want a commitment in the next Labour manifesto to introduce a proportional system.
He ruled out changing the system before the next election, saying:
I think you’ve got to honour manifestos.
A Green MP has announced she is to take a leave of absence after suffering “burnout”.
Carla Denyer, the party’s former co-leader, said she would be off work for several weeks in order to try to recover following advice her doctor.
The MP for Bristol Central said she had been struggling with “persistent health issues” over the last few years and that she hoped to “combat the stigma” surrounding burnout by being open about her experience.
Her constituency office will continue to function as usual over the coming weeks, she said.
In a statement on Friday, Denyer wrote:
Over the last few years, I have been struggling with persistent health issues, and I have been trying to manage these alongside the long hours and significant responsibility my work entails.
It has become clear that this is not an effective strategy and that doing so is inhibiting my ability to recover. Having taken advice from my doctor, I will be taking several weeks off in order to try to get back to full health.
I want to be open about the fact that what I am suffering from is burnout – and the mental and physical symptoms that arise from it.
Burnout is a condition that does not tend to get better on its own. If left unmanaged, it can worsen and increase your risk of long-term health problems.
Here are some photos from Andy Burnham’s official campaign launch earlier today:
In other news, the defence secretary, John Healey, has urged Nigel Farage to provide transparency about the £5m gift he received from a billionaire businessman, in particular over whether any of the sum could have been linked to Russia-connected profits, the Guardian’s senior political correspondent Peter Walker reports.
In a letter to the Reform UK leader, Healey also asked him to address the possibility that the war against Iran might boost the revenues of AML Global, an aviation fuel company owned by Christopher Harborne, who gave Farage the £5m in 2024. Farage initially supported the US-Israeli attacks on Iran.
The letter, seen by the Guardian, asked Farage to confirm that none of the sum was “derived from transactions with Russian state-linked energy companies”, and to give assurances that AML Global had complied fully with all sanctions on Russian energy since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Read more here:
Liberal Democrats announce Makerfield byelection candidate
Burnham has finished his speech, just as we get an announcement from the Liberal Democrats on their candidate for the Makerfield byelection.
Stockport councillor Jake Austin will stand for the party. He was born in the constituency and contested the Greater Manchester mayoral election against Burnham in 2024, coming sixth, according to PA.
Austin said:
I’m thrilled to have been selected as the Liberal Democrat candidate for Makerfield.
Voters in Makerfield deserve so much more than the failing Labour government or the divisive politics of Reform UK.
We have a real opportunity to champion the issues that matter most to people: the cost of living, protecting our natural environment and supporting our local high streets and businesses.
Burnham: 'A vote for me is a vote to change Labour'
Continuing on the theme of change, Burnham said a vote for him in the Makerfield byelection is “a vote to change Labour”.
I know my own party needs to change. We need to be better than we’ve been. We’ve not been good enough. And I want to leave people in no doubt today, a vote for me in this byelection campaign is a vote to change Labour.
He hailed the successes of Greater Manchester and Liverpool since he left Westminster in 2017.
We’ve stood side by side, making the argument for something better for the north-west, through the devolved power that we have got and that we hold together.
And in those ten years we have built a new politics. We’ve worked on a place first basis, rather than party first. We’ve focused on problem solving rather than point scoring. And you know what? When you do that and you work differently, it’s amazing what you can achieve, isn’t it?
On transport, Burnham says “I like my buses” (they were taken back under public control in Greater Manchester in 2023) but he was woeful about the cost of rail journeys.
£364 is the cost of an anytime return from Wigan North Western to London Euston. So how can people here connect with the capital and all of the opportunities it’s got, if they cannot afford those train fares? We need to use rail re-nationalisation to reduce those train fares and make them affordable to people again.
Burnham said the Makerfield byelection is a “clarion call for change”.
A lot of change, according to the Greater Manchester mayor.
Change to the economy, change to education, change to housing, change to transport, change to care, and yes, to make it all possible. Change to politics.
Updated
Burnham has spoken about his connections to the local area, saying his home is just 2 miles from where he is speaking.
“I love it so much that I brought my own family up here, I live here, I have lived here for 25 years,’ he said. “My home is 2 miles over there. I could walk to this campaign centre.”
He talked about how the area has struggled with poverty, rising costs and unemployment.
We’ve had 40 years of policies that have hurt the high streets of this constituency, 40 years of policies that have left people struggling to afford the everyday basics of their lives. Policies that took away the good jobs that were once in these communities and have not done anything to replace them or put them back.
Updated
'Hope is in the air,' says Burnham at campaign launch
Andy Burnham has welcomed supporters at his campaign launch, telling them “this means the world to me”.
“Hope is in the air, can you feel it?” he said.
“This is not business as usual. This is not more of the same … British politics is tired. It needs a new script. And over the next four weeks, the people of Makerfield are going to write that script.”
Andy Burnham launches byelection campaign
Andy Burnham is speaking at the official launch of his campaign for the Makerfield byelection. You can watch live below or on top of the page (you may need to refresh for the video to appear) as we bring you the updates:
PA has reported a number of Labour MPs are at Burnham’s campaign launch, including Jonathan Reynolds, Kim Johnson, Barry Gardiner, Ian Byrne, Chris Webb and Rebecca Long-Bailey.
Also showing their support are Liverpool metro mayor Steve Rotheram and interim leader of Welsh Labour Ken Skates.
While we wait for Andy Burnham to arrive at the official launch of his campaign as Labour’s candidate for the Makerfield byelection, here are some newswire pictures from Stubshaw Cross Community and Sports Club in Ashton-in-Makerfield.
UK borrows more than forecast in April as inflation adds to benefits bill
The UK borrowed more than expected in April as high inflation drove up the cost of pensions and benefits, amid concern over the Iran war and political uncertainty adding to debt costs.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said public sector net borrowing – the difference between government spending and income – was £24.3bn in April 2026, £4.9bn higher than in April 2025.
Amid bond market jitters over the Middle East conflict and a Labour leadership challenge, the figure was £3.4bn higher than forecast by City economists and the Office for Budget Responsibility.
Rising borrowing costs on financial markets drove the UK’s debt interest payments to £10.3bn in April, £900m more than a year ago and the highest in any April on record.
Grant Fitzner, the ONS chief economist, said: “Borrowing this month was substantially higher than in April last year and although receipts increased compared with April 2025, this was more than offset by higher spending on benefits and other costs.”
Read more here:
Over in Sweden, foreign secretary Yvette Cooper has joined other officials at a Nato summit in Helsingborg.
Also attending the foreign ministers meeting are US secretary of state Marco Rubio and Nato secretary general Mark Rutte.
Ahead of the summit, officials expressed bewilderment at Donald Trump’s decision to deploy 5,000 US troops to Poland after he had previously announced he would be pulling out 5,000 soldiers from Germany.
“It is confusing indeed, and not always easy to navigate,” Swedish foreign minister Maria Malmer Stenergard told reporters.
US officials are apparently equally perplexed. One official told Reuters: “We just spent the better part of two weeks reacting to the first announcement. We don’t know what this means either.”
For more, head over to the Europe live blog where my colleague Jakub Krupa is reporting the latest updates:
Updated
Andy Burnham to launch Makerfield byelection campaign as Green candidate quits
Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of UK politics.
Andy Burnham is set to officially launch his campaign as the Labour candidate in the Makerfield byelection this morning, as he seeks a return to parliament after nine years.
Also this morning, the Greens have re-opened its candidate selection process for the byelection after Chris Kennedy pulled out less than 12 hours after being announced as the party’s candidate.
We should be hearing from Burnham from about 10.45am for the official launch, although he has already been pictured out and about canvassing in the Greater Manchester constituency this week.
He is widely expected to challenge Keir Starmer for the Labour leadership if he becomes an MP, but the prime minister has said he will be out campaigning in support of Burnham ahead of the vote on 18 June.
“Yes, and I’ve said to the whole Labour movement that I want everybody to be involved in the campaign, whatever other discussions are going on, it’s really important – that’s a straight fight between Labour and Reform,” Starmer said.
Meanwhile, Kennedy, the Green’s candidate for the byelection, withdrew from the ballot nine hours after being announced, with the party citing “personal and family reasons”.
The Times reported it had approached Kennedy about a series of social media posts he had shared about an attack on Jewish ambulances in north London in April. An Instagram video shared by Kennedy described the arrests of two men over the incident as “total bullshit to keep the false flag flying”, the paper reported.
Read the full report here:
In other news, the Guardian’s business reporter Lauren Almeida reports UK government borrowing hit its second-highest level for April on record, as pressure on public finances continues to grow. There was a £24.3bn deficit in the UK’s finances last month, official figures showed. For more, follow our business live blog here.
