Leaked audio to the Telegraph shows Esther McVey at odds with her party’s leadership over a potential agreement with Nigel Farage while speaking at the “True Blue Patrons Dinner” last month.

Reform UK leads local opinion polls in Runcorn and Helsby, which is holding a by-election in May following the resignation of Labour MP Mike Amesbury, who was jailed for punching a voter. 

Despite the Tories being in distant third, Kemi Badenoch has strongly denied the opportunity of an electoral pact, arguing that Farage wants to destroy her party. However, there has been renewed pressure from some Conservative MPs as it was revealed that McVey privately suggested the idea. 

Esther McVey said in Whitehall on March 4: “I’m a pragmatist, and I think Conservatives are pragmatists, and when we get to the general election, would I be making, looking at an electoral pact [with Reform]? Absolutely I would. We don’t want two Right-wing parties cutting our own throats and Labour getting in, which could happen. So we do have to be pragmatic.

“And Phil [former MP Philip Davies] is spot on, I know Nigel [Farage], I know Richard Tice, I know Lee [Anderson], I mean, I know them all very, very well indeed. And I’d sooner say to them, there’s a couple of seats you can get there, that we came a very distant fourth, and you came second. We’ll stay out the way. I want you to win it. And they can do the same for us.”

She added: “What you want to do is, like I said, where Ukip came second and we were a very, very distant fourth, like in Runcorn, like where Mike Amesbury punched his constituent. You’d probably say there ‘let Reform win that seat’ because you might need them in the South West, that we win a seat.”

Two opinion polls on Runcorn place Reform in the lead, with the Tory candidate trailing in third. Reform also narrowly came second in the seat in last year’s elections. 

When approached by The Telegraph about her comments, McVey said: “The priority must be to rid our great country of this socialist nightmare government. Without a deal with Reform, we risk letting the socialists back in again and [the] country should always come first.

“Any deal would involve us standing aside where Reform are best placed to beat Labour and Reform standing aside in the majority of seats where we are best placed to beat Labour.

“I am not sure what is controversial about that – it is the statement of the blindingly obvious. The only person who benefits from ruling out a pragmatic electoral pact between Reform and Conservatives is Keir Starmer and people might want to reflect on that.”

A Labour spokesperson said: “Esther McVey is the latest senior Tory to talk up a coalition with Reform. A vote for Reform is a vote to let the Tories back in.

“The Conservatives broke our public services and Reform will make you pay for routine healthcare. Don’t risk it.”

Liberal Democrat Steffan Aquarone, who is leading the group of furious MPs, has accused wealthy second home owners of treating coastal towns and villages “like a Jane Austen-era summer jaunt” and leaving them to suffer out of season.

It comes after it was revealed that up to one in 10 seaside homes are left abandoned throughout parts of the year preventing “much needed” funding for homelessness services to operate and the construction of affordable homes.

In response to calls, the government will allow councils across the country to impose a 100 per cent levy from 1 April 2025, meaning properties used as second homes will be forced to pay double council tax, to fund these services.

Speaking to fellow MPs, Mr Aquarone hailed the changes, saying: “In North Norfolk, we have been plagued by huge numbers of second homes and empty homes. Outside the City of London, we have the highest number of empty or infrequently used homes in all of England. These properties are carving the core out of many small and historical communities, and in too many cases contribute very little back.

“Our poorest are sitting on ever growing waiting lists, while the rich treat our coastal villages as a setting for a Jane Austen-era summer jaunt, leaving them to suffer for the rest of the year.

“In Wells-next-the-Sea, 40 per cent of the town is second homes and holiday lets. In some parts, only one in 10 homes is someone’s main residence. I am delighted that, after years of lobbying, we are able to levy a 100 per cent council tax increase on those second homes. That will bring in £1.7 million for the district council, allowing it to support more affordable housing and provide homelessness services.”

Other councils such as Dorset, the Lake District, Bath, northeast Somerset, Devon, and North Yorkshire are also set to introduce these rises.

Labour MP Melanie Onn added there has been “a noticeable uptick in the number of Airbnbs” in her constituency of Grimsby. “[Our streets have] a unique identity and the Airbnbs are taking away from the impact of local businesses and the local tourist trade,” she argued last week.

Lorraine Beavers, the MP for Blackpool North, said: “For nearly four decades, our seaside towns have shaped the outcome of elections. Yet, despite that significance, we have been overlooked, struggling with deprivation, economic decline and crumbling infrastructure.”

Labour MP Jayne Kirkham suggested that the Renters’ Rights Bill, which is currently going through parliament, needed to go further to address “second homes and short-term lets” over tax loophole fears that keep the wealthy owning mostly abandoned property. For example, there are concerns that people with two homes will claim they spend more time in the second house and avoid paying the premium.

The homelessness charity Crisis has called for the government to repurpose empty properties into affordable homes to tackle the housing deficit.

Matt Downie, Crisis Chief Executive, has previously said: “No one should be forced to endure the pain and indignity of homelessness, especially when we have a tangible way to provide thousands with a stable and secure home.

“Through our services, we see the impact our continued failure to act is having. Families with children growing up in one room, people getting ready for work in cold, draughty cars while others are given no option but to move hundreds of miles away from their jobs, schools and support networks as there are no affordable properties in their area. This isn’t right.

“Enabling councils to turn empty properties into genuinely affordable homes is a quick way for the Westminster government to alleviate pressure on a system at breaking point and provide stable homes for people.”

Keir Starmer was ridiculed last May following the release of the initial graphic, with then home secretary James Cleverly saying Labour “copied the logo off of the internet” and quipped: “No plan, no energy, no logo!”

The then Tory Party chairman Richard Holden also mocked Labour saying: “Nothing better illustrates Starmerism than the fact Sir Keir has flown on a private jet to Scotland, to launch a stock logo of something U-turning in on itself, for an energy company which won’t produce any energy – that’s not a plan to keep our energy secure and our country protected from Putin.”

But, in a plea to avoid further backlash Labour appears to have completely redesigned its logo with a new font and graphic. 

Being backed by £8.3 billion of funding over this parliament, the government says it will reduce Britain’s reliance on expensive fossil fuels and lower household bills. All profits raised will be reinvested into green infrastructure.

On the launch of its new website earlier this week the publicly-owned company’s chair Juergen Maier said, in a video which featured the new logo: “Great British Energy stems from one very simple idea that British people should have a right to own and benefit from our own natural energy resources. This is why Great British Energy is 100 per cent owned by the British people. For the British people.

“We are proudly based in Aberdeen, a world class centre of energy expertise. Our goal is to help communities and bill payers reap the benefits of clean, secure, homegrown energy, developing and investing in a range of energy generation projects and technologies across the country.

“We will be growing domestic supply chains and through that, supporting thousands of new, exciting, high paid jobs. Our journey to energy security, clean power and net zero is truly on path, and we at Great British Energy are here to accelerate that exciting journey.”

The van was revealed in Runcorn and Helsby, where a by-election will take place following Mike Amesbury revealing his intentions to quit as an MP after he was convicted of punching a constituent in the street.

Reform UK, which came second in this seat at the general election, purchased a similar billboard before Amesbury stood down, which read: “Runcorn needs Reform”.

Now, Labour has produced a black and white billboard in the area with a picture of Nigel Farage, accusing him of “fighting for Putin”. It also quotes him in 2014, “Putin is the leader I admire most.”

A Reform UK spokesman said: “We stand ready to contest this by-election, it’s one of Labour’s safest seats but we will give it our all.

“Labour have failed Runcorn, Helsby and the country since taking office. Runcorn and Helsby needs Reform”.

National polls indicate Labour will hold this seat by 13 per cent over Reform, though officials believe Farage’s party can win this by-election. Labour won the seat in last year’s general election with 22,358 votes, with Reform UK in second place on 7,662.

Rob Ford, a professor of politics at Manchester University, told the Guardian: “A Labour defeat to Reform would be a big blow to morale and intensify internal arguments over how to respond to Farage, particularly as it would come either soon before or soon after local and mayoral contests which will also feature Reform heavily”.

He added: “A Reform by-election win on such a big swing would be a huge deal for Farage, demonstrating his claim to be ‘coming for Labour’ is credible, and likely also showing that Reform can squeeze third-placed Conservative voters where they are the best placed local opponent to Labour”.

Jonathan Reynolds has previously said that he was employed as a solicitor at a Manchester law firm before entering politics. However, he left his legal training in 2010 to campaign in the general election and never completed his qualification, according to Guido Fawkes.

The Tories and Reform UK have now demanded his resignation as business secretary, despite his team claiming that the issue was simply an “administration error” on his LinkedIn profile, which has now been corrected to state that he was a “trainee solicitor”.

It previously claimed he was a “trainee solicitor” and then a “solicitor” at the Addleshaw Goddard law firm between August 2009 and May 2010. 

Shadow business secretary Andrew Griffiths has written to Keir Starmer’s ethics adviser urging him to investigate the claim, saying he should “apologise and step down”.

Reform UK, led by Nigel Farage, has also demanded his resignation for “misleading Parliament” in 2014 when he told MPs in the House of Commons he “worked as a solicitor in Manchester city centre”.

But, former Labour cabinet minister, now mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham has defended his colleague to local radio: “It’s important that everybody accurately reflects their past life on their public CVs or statements. I’m sure if it needed to be clarified, it has been clarified. 

“I think everybody should take care of these things. Everyone tries to put the best light on what they have done but it has to be, obviously, factual. 

“Jonathan has been doing a really good job as business secretary. He is a Greater Manchester MP and he is completely committed to his constituency and he has done some great work with us as business secretary and he has my full support.”

He added that he doesn’t “know all the details” as he is “out of the Westminster controversies”.

Boris Johnson’s former Downing Street adviser is talking with Elon Musk via WhatsApp, according to The Mail on Sunday.

Senior government figures suspect Mr Cummings has helped orchestrate the tech billionaire’s “fixated” social media posts calling for the prime minister’s removal and imprisonment amid criticism of his handling of the grooming gangs scandal.

The Met Police last week told safeguarding minister Jess Phillips not to go outside alone and increased her security after the X owner described her as a “rape genocide apologist” on his platform following a request from Oldham Council for a Whitehall-led inquiry into child sexual abuse in the town which she declined.

He has also called for Nigel Farage to resign as the leader of Reform UK, arguing he “doesn’t have what it takes”. 

Suspicions were raised in government about a potential cahoots between Mr Musk and Mr Cummings after Trump’s new efficiency tsar started to coin British phases in his posts such as “two-tier Keir”.

The timings of his tweets were also questioned with many being sent in the middle of the night for Americans but in the daytime for Brits. While it is possible to schedule posts, sources concluded that Elon Musk “must have a UK-based co-conspirator writing the posts for him”.

The pair’s ideologies are reportedly similar, with them both believing “Western civilisation” is under threat by Labour policies and that Britain needs an “alternative political movement”.

An ally close to Mr Musk said: “It is 100 per cent true that they [Musk and Cummings] are talking about smaller government and the end of the traditional party system.

“It is not just Elon – Dom is in constant contact with major Silicon Valley figures, who are becoming increasingly anti-woke.”

The owner of X, formerly Twitter, has used his platform to wage a series of attacks on the Labour government over the grooming gangs scandal, as extremism experts warn toxic social media posts could once again incite violence on Britain’s streets.

According to the Mirror, the Home Office has intensified monitoring efforts to evaluate the content and reach of posts shared by large accounts on X, including Elon Musk’s. 

The counterterrorism unit has been involved in content analysis and a wider risk assessment.

The unit sits within the Homeland Security Group, whose “mission is to reduce national security risks to the UK’s people, prosperity and freedoms”.

“It focuses on the highest harm risks to the homeland, whether from terrorists, state actors, or cyber and economic criminals,” according to the government’s official website.

It comes as the Met Police told safeguarding minister Jess Phillips not to go outside alone and heightened her security after the billionaire described her as a “rape genocide apologist” following a request from Oldham Council for a Whitehall-led inquiry into child sexual abuse in the town which she declined.

Ms Phillips told MPs in the House of Commons: “This is a bandwagon that people can jump on to, and they come and say words in this building and I welcome every single word that has been said, but it is action that is needed.”

Elon Musk has also privately spoken to allies to see how he could remove Keir Starmer as prime minister before the next election and potentially replace him with Reform MP for Great Yarmouth Rupert Lowe.

In response, Joe Mulhall, director of research at campaign group Hope not Hate accused Mr Musk of engaging in “naked foreign interference”, saying: “He is an international extremist and if he wasn’t a billionaire and he wasn’t close to the Trump administration, I imagine, probably wouldn’t even be allowed into the UK at the moment.”

John Woodcock, the government’s adviser on political violence and disruption, added: “Britain’s democracy isn’t a play thing for foreign billionaires – Elon Musk needs to back off and concentrate on his rockets and his cars or whatever he wants to obsess about next. Our electoral laws rightly forbid foreign donations and my recent review warns against our information channels being deliberately manipulated from abroad. We should be watching closely to ensure that doesn’t happen here.”

The report by OnSide, conducted in partnership with YouGov, also shows that 58 per cent of young people who spend most of their free time on their phones do so out of boredom, while 1 in 10 say they do so because there is nowhere safe to hang out with friends in person.

It also found that over one in three youths do not have opportunities to meet new friends but 29 per cent of the 5,213 people questioned said more affordable leisure activities would improve this. 

Charity bosses are now urging the government to invest more in youth centres, which are free to access, to combat teenagers’ “excessive” use of mobile phones.

Jamie Masraff, the CEO of the leading youth charity OnSide, exclusively told Politics UK: “Our recent Generation Isolation report revealed that smartphone use is now the most time consuming activity for 11 to 18 year olds. Young people told us they fear being left out from their friends if they don’t use their phone, yet 44% also admitted to high or very high feelings of loneliness. 

“Almost a quarter (24%) of young people say they have more friends they can talk to online than in real life, and this is creating a loneliness loop. Young people feel trapped on their phones for fear of being left out, yet are missing out on taking part in real-life activities because they are on their phones.”

He added: “Our core recommendation for the Government is that every young person in the country should have access to a high-quality youth centre and dedicated youth workers. As the Government begins their work to develop the National Youth Strategy, as well as other policies for young people, it’s crucial that there is a focus on providing fun, exciting, affordable and safe out-of-school opportunities in real life that are more compelling to young people than a smartphone.

“As Labour’s work on delivering their core missions and developing new strategies continues, it is also vital to provide the youth sector with clarity, support and sustainable investment going forward, support that fully recognises the scale of cuts to youth work since 2010. In the past 14 years two thirds of council run youth centres in England and Wales have closed, and since 2012 there’s been a 35% reduction in full-time equivalent youth worker jobs.

“Youth clubs are places where young people choose to go and youth workers offer non-judgemental support, therefore we believe that the focus must be on providing real-life alternatives to social media and smartphones. Young people have told us that they lack access to safe, affordable, fun places to socialise and learn new skills in real-life. 

“Interestingly, our research also shows that they want to reduce their smartphone use, but do not know how to. We must ask, what do we expect them to do and where do we expect them to go if smartphones are banned? It’s our job to create better alternatives for them. Because, as we see in our Youth Zones every day, when you do this well the phone holds less interest.”

The report comes as technology secretary Peter Kyle said an Australian-style ban on social media for under-16s is “on the table” if companies do not take action to protect children.

Peter Kyle’s warning comes as he prepares to call on Ofcom to get tougher with the tech companies. He and the regulator are preparing for new legal powers arriving via the Online Safety Act at the beginning of 2025. The act means social media platforms will, for the first time, have new safety duties to protect users, particularly children, from harmful content.

Maria Neophytou, director of strategy and knowledge at the NSPCC, said the legislation will have “the potential to change the online world for children.”

Last week, she said: “Through Childline, we hear daily from young people about the range of harms they are experiencing online, including online bullying, access to content encouraging suicide and eating disorders and child sexual abuse and exploitation.”

The prime minister will deliver a speech in the West Midlands today, defending Labour’s economic strategy as Rachel Reeves prepares to launch a “landmark budget” for her party. On Wednesday, it is expected that she will reveal a sharp rise in capital spending, financed through higher borrowings, tax increases, and a squeeze on departmental budgets.

Officials are concerned about potential backlash from raising national insurance contributions for employers- a move expected to generate at least £8.5 billion- given Labour’s prior commitment during the general election campaign. However, the prime minister will use his speech to get ahead of criticism. 

He will remind the public of the Conservatives’ 14 years in power and claim his mission is centred around public services working again.

Sir Keir Starmer will state: “It is working people who pay the price when their government fails to deliver economic stability. They’ve had enough of slow growth, stagnant living standards and crumbling public services.”

He will add: “It’s time to choose a clear path and embrace the harsh light of fiscal reality so we can come together behind a credible, long-term plan. It’s time we ran towards the tough decisions, because ignoring them set us on the path of decline. It’s time we ignored the populist chorus of easy answers [..] we’re never going back to that.”

On Wednesday, Rachel Reeves is also expected to formally announce the government’s 20 per cent VAT tax raid on private school fees, put an inheritance tax on some farms, and impose a larger capital gains tax on share sales, among other economic policies.

In a longer-term move, the chancellor will aim to redefine government debt to allow borrowing of up to an extra £50 billion a year for capital projects by the end of the parliament. However, to reassure the bond markets, she intends to limit increases in borrowing to £20-25 billion more than current estimates.

This is on top of additional funding of £1.4 billion to repair school buildings, the redevelopment of Euston station to complete the high-speed link with Old Oak Common, and two carbon capture sites in the north of England.

Reeves claims her budget will plug a £22 billion “black hole” in public finances “created by the previous government” and adds the economy will benefit from an additional £18 billion to boost public services, including the NHS. For this to be possible, departmental budgets- such as justice, housing, and transport- are expected to be operationally cut for the time being.

Labour MP Kim Leadbeater is introducing the Private Member’s Bill, claiming that “now is the time” to bring the issue to a free vote. If passed, it would represent the most significant social reform in the UK since the 1967 Abortion Act. 

The proposed legislation is expected to allow adults in England and Wales, who are terminally ill with a life expectancy of less than six months, an option to end their lives with medical assistance.

The bill is set to be formally introduced on 16 October, with a debate and initial vote before Christmas. For it to become law, it would need to be approved by MPs and peers in both chambers of Parliament.

Despite having the backing of prime minister Keir Starmer, disability charities and activists have told Politics UK that the policy gives way to a “slippery slope that puts even more vulnerable people at risk.”

Actor and presenter of the BBC’s documentary ‘Better Off Dead?’ Liz Carr has warned against this bill.

The Not Dead Yet activist exclusively told Politics UK: “For many disabled people the assumption that we’d be ‘Better Off Dead’ is something that we get used to hearing. This commonly held belief that death is preferable to being disabled, reminds us that there is inequality in life – and death – for disabled people. Against this backdrop, we do not believe that any safeguard can adequately protect us from coercion, abuse, mistake and discrimination. We believe that if assisted suicide is legalised, disabled, ill and older people risk being devalued to death.”

George Fielding BEM, a disability rights activist and former head of a social care company, said: “One of my primary concerns is that legalising assisted suicide could lead to coercion and pressure on disabled individuals to end their lives prematurely. 

“In a society that often devalues and marginalises disabled people, it is not difficult to imagine scenarios where individuals feel like they are a burden to their families or caregivers. The mere existence of legally assisted suicide could send the message that ending one’s life is an acceptable solution to these feelings rather than addressing the underlying societal attitudes and lack of support.

“As a society, we entrust doctors with the sacred duty to preserve life and alleviate suffering. Legalising assisted suicide would fundamentally alter this role, turning doctors into active participants in ending patients’ lives. This could undermine trust in the doctor-patient relationship, particularly for disabled individuals and others who already feel their lives are undervalued by society.”

Dermot Devlin, the founder of the accessibility directory My Way Access, admitted to Politics UK he is “scared” he’ll be forced into an assisted death.

“With my increased chronic pain, respiratory failure and mobility issues, what’s to say I won’t be eligible for a death sentence, and pushed into it?”

The former Equality and Human Rights Commission director and social care consultant Neil Crowther told us Kim Leadbeater’s bill is “divorced from reality.”

He added: “[Disabled people] fear that passing this law risks legitimising alternative views, opening the space not only to its future expansion, as in other countries, but also undermining people’s hard won and already fragile and depleted rights to equality, inclusion and support.”

Dennis Queen, from Disabled People Against Cuts, added: “MPs seem unaware of what properly funded palliative care can achieve and are naive about what is possible through safeguards.”

However, Dignity in Dying, which campaigns for assisted dying to be made legal, said: “The British people are demanding an assisted dying law… this is now an undeniable fact and one this new generation of MPs is keenly aware of. The time for change has clearly come.”

Kim Leadbeater said: “While I am still having a lot of discussions about the precise contents of my Bill, I am very clear that it will apply only to terminally ill people approaching the end of their lives. It will not in any way undermine the rights of people with disabilities or other life challenges to be treated equally and to have the respect and support they are absolutely right to campaign for in order to live fulfilling lives.

“The Health and Social Care Select Committee looked at all the evidence in an enquiry lasting fourteen months which was published earlier this year. They found that in countries where laws similar to what I am proposing have been passed, including the US, Australia and New Zealand, there has been no ‘slippery slope’ and palliative care has improved alongside the choice for people to die at a time of their choosing.”

Sir Keir has come under scrutiny for accepting £107,145 worth of gifts since 2019, making him the MP who has received the highest value of freebies and hospitality.

Yesterday, Keir Starmer paid back £6,000 worth of gifts, including six Taylor Swift tickets, four admissions to the races, and a clothing rental agreement with a high-end designer for his wife, Victoria. However, this move was overshadowed by The Telegraph reporting Angela Rayner’s already controversial trip to Ibiza was a £836 partial gift.

Former prime minister Tony Blair has urged Keir Starmer to ‘rise above’ the backlash and ‘get used to’ the attacks.

He told a Politico podcast: “Dealing with politics at this level when you come under attack, which is, you know, it’s just the way it is. You’re going to have to get used to it.

“It’s going to be like that. But the single most important thing is always to have a driving purpose as a government.

“That is constantly rising above that because it will be, it is just part of modern politics today… It doesn’t worry me in, in terms of whether it can displace the overall [mission] of the government. But I agree you’ve got to deal with it and they’re trying to deal with it so, let them deal with it.”

While the former deputy leader of the Labour Party, Harriet Harman, told Sky News the prime minister should hold an emergency COBRA meeting with senior cabinet ministers and civil servants who are involved in the controversy. 

“I think they ought to have something like a COBRA where you get everybody in the same room, everybody who’s involved, you know, the senior civil servants in the Cabinet Office, the cabinet members who are involved. And you all decide.”

She added: “It’s a bit like when the global financial crisis hit, we were like, we’re not going to wait for the next bank to collapse or the next one. We’re going to jump over and in front of it and actually stabilise the situation.

“And I think that what they need to do is jump over and above this and work it, stabilise it and sort it out rather than respond to each story day by day.”

However, industry minister Sarah Jones has defended Starmer’s decision to accept gifts and hospitality, telling Times Radio that there is a difference between accepting gifts in opposition than in government, as the former requires you to build new relationships.

A Downing Street spokesperson said: “The prime minister has commissioned a new set of principles on gifts and hospitality to be published as part of the updated ministerial code.”

The former justice secretary said his decision to campaign for Harris in the states was down to several issues, such as abortion and migration. Writing for The House magazine, he referred to Trump’s recent comments over Haitian migrants allegedly eating the pets in Springfield, Ohio labeling them as ‘nuts.’

He wrote: “It is my hope that the US avoids the chaos and uncertainty of a second Trump term and that we have a stable and reliable ally and world power at a time when it is needed desperately. 

“Like many Conservatives who traditionally identify with the GOP in the traditions of Eisenhower and Reagan for example, supporting Trump flies in the face of those beliefs. The fact that former Vice President Dick Cheney is voting Harris speaks volumes for the state of things.”

However, other senior Tories, such as Boris Johnson and Robert Jenrick, are backing the Republican candidate. At the Conservative Party Conference, Jenrick renewed his support for Trump telling the BBC, “The Conservative Party has strong and historic links to the Republican Party. So it is natural that we would lean towards Republican candidates.”

After losing his seat in July, Buckland said that politics is at a ‘crossroads,’ adding “Do we value those who work to bring people together and who come into politics to do something rather than be someone, or do we shrug our shoulders and accept that politics is a mere circus, where people compete for attention by saying things that they either know to be untrue or which raise hopes and expectations in a way that further erodes trust?”