Breaking: Andy Burnham confirms he could campaign to take Britain back into the EU at the next general election
Burnham outlines three options he says he will discuss around the UK-EU summit later this year
One is rejoining the EU, one is rejoining the bloc’s single market, and another is entering a customs union, he tells the BBC
“We could look at what George Osborne has said about a customs union”
“We could look at what the Liberal Democrats said at their conference about the single market
“Or we could go all the way”
Burnham’s remarks are the first time a prime minister has suggested they could try to take the UK back into the EU
Hello r/ukpolitics.
Following his first speech to the Labour Party Conference as their leader, Andy Burnham will be joining us to answer your questions tomorrow evening.
Here are some words from Andy:
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> Hi everyone, Andy Burnham here. I'll be online tomorrow, Wednesday 30th September at 5pm to answer some of your questions about my plans to establish a new National Care Service and adjust the triple lock. Ask me anything.
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You can ask your questions in this thread now, and u/AndyBurnham will join us at 5pm on Wednesday to answer them.
Edit: We have been asked to remind users that Andy Burnham will only be answering questions on the triple lock and the National Care Service.
How serious is the disclosure that senior aides of Nigel Farage plotting for a foreign donor to pay £32,500 for off-the books polling on behalf of the party? My colleague Oliver Wright reports:
Under the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 it is illegal for a party not to declare money that has been spent “paying any expenses incurred directly or indirectly by the party”
Experts say this part of the act would cover the £32,500 that was paid by the undercover reporters to the polling firm JL Partners to cover the cost of three polls which, the investigation showed, had been commissioned by Reform UK
Undercover footage appears to show James Orr, Reform UK's head of policy, and Dan Jukes, a close aide to Farage, deliberately looking to avoid having to declare the donation to the Electoral Commission which regulates party finance
This would be a potential breach of section 61 of the act and is punishable by a maximum sentence of a year in prison
This states that someone commits an offence if they knowingly enters into “***any*** arrangement which facilitates or is likely to facilitate, whether by means of any concealment or disguise or otherwise, the making of donations to a registered party by any person or body other than a permissible donor.”
Farage himself is also facing questions. At a meeting with the undercover reporters he was explicitly told that the plan was to channel the impermissible US donation through a UK citizen. Section 54 of the act makes clear that a donation effectively given on behalf of an impermissible donor is not a legitimate way to circumvent the rules and is illegal.
Dukes, Orr and Farage could potentially argue that the undercover reporter was not as, as he claimed, a front for an impermissible American donor - but in fact a British citizen who would have been eligible to give the money.
Farage could also argue that as the second donation was never actually given no offence (that he had been aware of) had taken place.
But Nick Vamos, a partner at Peters & Peters and former Head of Special Crime at the Crown Prosecution Service, said this would be difficult to argue given that the law is clear that you can “attempt to commit the offences” even if it would be “impossible on the facts of the case.”
"UK electoral law can be fiendishly complicated but, on this issue at least, the rules are very clear,” he said.
“Only UK-registered voters, companies or other similar entities are permitted to make donations to political parties.
“The criminal net is cast very wide: it is against the law for anyone knowingly to do any act in furtherance of an arrangement likely to facilitate an impermissible donation. This would include engaging in discussions to solicit or encourage an impermissible donation, provided the person knew that was what was being proposed.”
As we head towards the end of the Summer Recess and with the Conference season on the horizon, it seems a good time to reflect on the year so far, and what's in the pipeline for the rest of 2026.
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Hello.
Later than planned, it's time for the second r/ukpolitics survey of 2026. As with the previous surveys, this one focuses on voter intention and party leader performance.
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-🥕🥕
This evening, an Emergency Alert has been sent to people across England and Wales as the wildfire risk remains very high. The request came directly from Fire and Rescue Services.
I was in Stourbridge today and saw first-hand the devastating impact these fires have had on people’s homes and lives.
Our priority now is to keep everyone safe and prevent more fires from starting.
During this period of extreme heat, I’m asking everyone to take extra care. Please do not light any fires in gardens, the countryside or other open spaces, including parks, moorland and wooded areas.
Our firefighters and emergency responders are working around the clock in incredibly difficult conditions.
We can all help them. Please take the Emergency Alert seriously and follow the guidance in place.