Labour, Tories and Lib Dems refuse to stand in byelection with Farage’s resignation labelled ‘desperate stunt’ – UK politics live

Key events

A justice minister has refused to say whether killers, rapists and child sex offenders will be let out of prison early under government plans to ease overcrowding.

Jake Richards was pressed on the issue in the Commons after reports suggested perpetrators of these crimes could be among the 6,000 criminals to be released from September.

MPs demanded answers from him during a Conservative opposition day debate on Tuesday. But, when asked directly if dangerous criminals will be released, Richards did not respond to the question.

He told the Commons: “What we will not do is put our head in the sand, which would lead to another prison capacity crisis, which would lead to another urgent, chaotic early release scheme, as we saw under the last Conservative government time and time again.

“I cannot look victims in the eye and tell them that is good for them or the country.”

Some victims have received letters from the Government telling them their abusers or attackers are due to be let out of prison under the early release scheme.

Liberal Democrat justice spokeswoman Jess Brown-Fuller said: “No victim should have to endure being told that their perpetrator is being released earlier than expected for any offence.

“When a sentence is handed down, victims deserve the certainty of knowing where they stand and how long their perpetrator will remain behind bars.”

Responding to the debate, justice minister Catherine Atkinson said “release does not mean freedom”, adding: “No one in government takes decisions about release from custody lightly.

“These decisions affect public confidence, victims, communities and those responsible for managing offenders in the community, and that is why at every stage our overriding priority has been clear – protecting the public while ensuring that the criminal justice system remains able to function effectively.”

A Tory motion which “calls on the government to exempt any offender who has been convicted of any sexual offence against an adult or a child, including rape and grooming, or convicted of the attempt, conspiracy, or incitement to commit such offences” was passed by the Commons.

Home secretary Shabana Mahmood told peers on Tuesday that she sees military sites as “the future” of asylum accommodation.

Appearing before the House of Lords’ justice and home affairs committee, she also sought to reassure critics that the government may temporarily exempt some people such as spouses and older people from a crackdown on settlement in the UK.

She told peers: “Military bases we see as the future of asylum accommodation. We think that can actually have better impact with the ability of crowding services on a site as opposed to other models.

“We have seen the stresses and strains of other accommodation, such as hotel use. The expansion of use of military sites is a key plank of government policy in this area.”

Following criticism of her plans to make it harder for people to settle in the UK – including asking people already living in the UK to wait 10 years instead of five before being able to apply – she said the government must maintain the right to do so.

A departure from this would be a “very big change” and “would drive a coach and horses through a government’s legitimate ability to control the border”.

She added that there will be “transitional arrangements” that will be decided once a public consulation has concluded.

“All aspects of the policy are yet to be settled, this hasn’t been a fake consultation exercise where the government already knows all of the policy and is just sort of looking like we ask for views.

“There will be lots of transitional arrangements that haven’t had a lot of airtime and debate publicly on spouses, on older household members, on whether you look at household income or individual income, and of course the policy on children remains to be settled,” she said.

Nigel Farage’s “statement on my future” video address was lengthy and had a lot to say about his apparent sacrifices for the sake of politics. But do his claims stand up?

The latest podcast has dropped and today’s episode is on Nigel Farage’s resignation.

Mainstream’s Interim Council, a pro-Andy Burnham group, has released a statement on Nigel Farage’s resignation and triggering of a byelection in Clacton.

It said: “With new leadership of the Labour party on the horizon, Reform has nowhere to run but spectacle.

“Farage knows that a Labour party that ends business-as-usual would spell the end of the Reform party too.

“This is a political stunt designed to distract from Labour’s potential to make big change under new leadership.”

Labour will not field candidate in Clacton byelection

From my colleague Jessica Elgot, who wrote on X: “BREAKING – Labour will not stand a candidate in Clacton byelection, NEC confirms

“Tories, Restore, Lib Dems also won’t stand against Nigel Farage.

“Has the stunt backfired?”

A Labour party spokesperson said: “Nigel Farage is engulfed in a sleaze scandal and he’s desperately trying to change the subject.

“It’s pathetic, and the Labour party is not going to indulge it.

“Labour’s ruling body, the Executive Committee, has decided not to stand a candidate in this circus.

“Instead, Labour will remain focused on delivering for working people and holding Reform to account.

“Farage should let the parliamentary investigation into his finances run its course and face the consequences.”

The Foreign Office has summoned the Iranian charge d’affaires after two men were jailed last week for a stabbing attack on Iran journalist Pouria Zeraati in Wimbledon, south-west London, that a judge said was undertaken “on behalf of the Iranian state”.

Badenoch says Tories won't stand in 'fake' Clacton byelection, but will stand in likely recall one over Farage's 'fishy finances'

Kemi Badenoch has said the Conservatives won’t put up a candidate in the Clacton byelection. They came second in the seat in 2024, and held it with a majority of almost 25,000 in 2019.

She said:

We will be standing a candidate in the real byelection, which will follow the standards investigation into Nigel Farage’s fishy finances

We will not be standing a candidate in the fake byelection that Farage is causing to distract people from what is happening. We need to let that investigation run its course, and I think the reason why Nigel Farage has resigned is because he’s terrified that he’s going to be found to have done something wrong.

The best thing for him to have done would have been to call a press conference and explain what he did with the money, apologise if needs be, and that would have been the end of it. Instead, he has been running away from scrutiny. No one is bigger than parliament. We all have to register our interests.

This probably makes it even more likely that Labour will decide to do the same. (See 5.47pm.)

That is all from me for today. Nadeem Badshah is now taking over.

Matthew England, a Hansard Society researcher, says that the government could refuse to allow an MP to resign (see 5.38pm) but that this has not happened since the 1840s.

The Lib Dems may not be standing in Clacton, but Count Binface (see 5.19am) says he is up for it.

Labour, Tories, Lib Dems and Greens: I demand you stand down in Clacton.

I will be a unity candidate and pledge to build at least one affordable house.

Nigel Farage says he wants The People versus the Establishment.

So be it. Leave him to me.

Labour chair Anna Turley says party's NEC will tonight discuss not putting up candidate in Clacton byelection

On Radio 4’s PM programme, Anna Turley, the Labour chair, has just confirmed that Labour’s national executive committee will meet tonight to discuss the Clacton byelection. She said one option being discussed would be not putting up a candidate. “Why should we all dance to [Nigel] Farage’s tune,” she said. She went on:

He’s using this to create some kind of smoke and mirrors and a distraction from the real questions he has to answer about the money he’s received [and] why he hasn’t declared it.