Angela Rayner fund used by councils to pour money into 'anti-Right-wing propaganda' to stop Nigel Farage becoming PM

Angela Rayner’s £15 million community recovery fund financed "anti-Right-wing propaganda" via training materials designed to counter support for Reform UK and the Conservatives, according to fresh documents.

The fund was announced in 2024 by the then deputy prime minister to help communities recover from disorder following the Southport massacre. She said it would ensure communities had the resources they needed to rebuild.

However, as revealed by The Telegraph, funding distributed through the scheme supported the Ella Baker School of Organising, which developed a training programme entitled "Defeating Narratives of Division".

Birmingham City Council provided £13,450 towards a pilot programme, while Blackpool Council contributed £9,000 for a local version - with training also delivered in Sheffield, Walsall, Solihull and Sefton, which includes Southport.

According to the documents, the programme included guidance on countering anti-immigration arguments, opposing protests and preventing working-class communities from moving towards right-wing politics.

An online booking form for a training session warned of an “impending disaster of a Reform UK government”.

Other materials described Nigel Farage as an “authoritarian populist" and encouraged activists to challenge narratives linking migration to pressure on public services and housing.

The training also advised participants to influence community leaders and organise campaigns around local issues to build support for a "more inclusive" political narrative.

A spokesman for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said: “Councils are not permitted to use taxpayers’ money to fund partisan issues or party-political activity.”

The department added it had powers to recover money if it was found to have been misspent.

SNP invites Andy Burnham to conference amid renewed independence debate

The SNP has invited Andy Burnham to attend its conference in Aberdeen this weekend amid reports he will visit Scotland on Friday to discuss devolving powers to local councils.

SNP deputy leader Keith Brown said the Labour leader should attend the event at P&J Live, arguing it would provide an opportunity to discuss Scotland’s constitutional future.

He said Mr Burnham’s previous comments on Scottish independence made the conference a suitable place to support an agreed legal process for another referendum.

However, the Prime Minister has previously ruled out a second independence referendum, stating last month that there was “no clear consensus” for another vote.

In a recent conference speech, he also vowed to disprove claims he could become the UK’s last prime minister, following comments made by Scotland’s First Minister, John Swinney.

The SNP conference begins on Thursday, marking the party’s first gathering since winning the most seats at the Holyrood election in May.

Mr Swinney recently said the independence movement had “turned a corner”, pointing to comments suggesting Scotland could hold another referendum if its people wanted one, alongside an agreement between pro-independence parties in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

However, Mr Burnham reaffirmed his position that Scottish independence remained “off limits”, casting doubt on claims of progress towards a renewed referendum.

Reform UK falls to third place in latest voting intention poll

Reform UK has dropped to third place for the first time since 2024, according to a new YouGov poll for Sky News and The Times.

The latest voting intention figures put Labour in the lead on 24 per cent, down three percentage points, with the Conservatives close behind on 23 per cent, up three points.

Reform UK sits in third place on 21 per cent, a fall of one point.

The Liberal Democrats have risen one point to 12 per cent, while the Green Party remains unchanged on 11 per cent.

However, the shifts all fall within the poll’s margin of error, meaning none of the changes are statistically significant.

The increase in Conservative support may reflect a so-called “conference bounce”, with greater coverage surrounding the party conference potentially boosting their visibility and polling performance.

Meanwhile, Labour’s decline could be linked to the fading impact of its own party conference, as the temporary boost in attention begins to subside.

Ed Miliband says past few days have been 'very difficult' for UK-US relations over Ukraine

Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband has described the past few days as “very difficult” for UK-US relations over the conflict in Ukraine.

US President Donald Trump has announced plans to import Russian diesel, questioned whether Ukraine needs new leadership, and claimed Russian President Vladimir Putin was more committed to a peace deal than Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Speaking at the Warsaw Security Forum, Mr Miliband said the diplomatic tensions should be acknowledged, and praised Mr Zelensky’s “extraordinary leadership” throughout the four-and-a-half years since Russia’s invasion.

Mr Miliband recalled visiting Ukraine last week with Mr Zelensky to see the site where 22 civilians, including five children, were killed, and said the Ukrainian president "felt every death personally" and deserved recognition for his leadership.

He also urged serious consideration of Mr Trump’s proposal for an “energy ceasefire”, highlighting that Russia had carried out 200 attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure in the past week alone.

He called on Mr Trump to work with Ukraine to secure a full ceasefire targeting energy facilities, stressing that Mr Zelensky had already demonstrated his willingness to support the proposal.

Minister for Defence Procurement defends Labour's handling of security threats on British soil

Minister for Defence Procurement Luke Pollard has acknowledged that "the world we live in today seems more dangerous", while defending the Government's condemnation of Iran and management of security threats relating to an incident at RAF Fairford.

The minister this morning told GB News breakfast: "Yesterday, not only have we attributed the actions around RAF Fairford to Iran. We've also brought together dozens of our international allies with a clear condemnation of what Iranian actions are.

"We know that this is not the first time that Iran has sought to create terror on the shores of Britain. We've taken steps to sanction individuals responsible for this. We've prescribed the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, the IRGC, that is behind much of those activities in the UK.

"A really important step, and we're working with our allies to do even more. But this comes with, first of all, us saying to Iran, publicly and clearly, we see what you are doing.

"We do not accept what you are doing, and we will work with our allies to take steps to defend our national security. That is the right space for us to be in today. But while the cases are still ongoing around it, it's difficult for me to comment particularly on that.

"But we need to be aware that the world we're living in today is seeing more dangers, not just from Iran, but in particular from Russia as well.

"That's why we're increasing defense spending, increasing our actions to counter these malign and adverse attempts to influence and to attack us. That's the strong stance this government is taking, and we're doing so alongside our allies."

Ed Miliband says 'unity' around Ukraine is the only way to tackle the Russian threat to Britain and Europe 

Ed Miliband has urged Western leaders to unite behind Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, warning Russian aggression poses an “immediate and urgent” threat to Britain and Europe.

Speaking ahead of the Warsaw Security Forum in Poland where he will appear alongside European counterparts, the Foreign Secretary stressed the need for continued support for Ukraine amid renewed criticism of Mr Zelensky by US President Donald Trump.

Mr Miliband called for an energy ceasefire, under which Russia and Ukraine would stop attacking each other’s energy infrastructure to protect civilians during the freezing winter months.

He said: “Last week in Kyiv, I met children who have only known winters marked by strikes, blackouts and the freezing cold. We cannot allow Russian strikes to dictate whether the Ukrainian people can keep their lights on, or turn their heating on, for another winter.

“And Russia is not stopping at Ukraine. Europe’s adversaries are testing our defences, targeting our infrastructure through cyber attacks and sabotage, and attempting to weaken our resolve for Ukraine.

“Those who seek to weaken our democracies thrive on division, so our answer must be unity. We need to back President Zelensky and support Ukraine with an energy ceasefire”

The Foreign Office said Russia had carried out 200 attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure in the past week alone.

'All over the place' - Shadow Defence Secretary slams 'shambolic' re-run of Brexit debate by Andy Burnham

Shadow Defence Secretary James Cartlidge has described Andy Burnham as being "all over the place" when it comes to re-running the Brexit debate, despite pledging to move past the 2016 referendum.

Speaking to GB News breakfast this morning, Mr Cartlidge said: "Only weeks ago, Andy Burnham said that he didn't want to reopen the divisions of Brexit, and here we are he's talking about whether the Russians interfered. Frankly, he's all over the place.

"I mean, I was sitting next to Kemi [Badenoch] yesterday in the Commons when he responded to the statement. He had several questions about this. The answers were conflicting, contradictory.

"He was on this podcast saying that the Russians had interfered, that there was evidence of this. He's now sort of retreating from that. I think it's all a bit shambolic, quite frankly.

"And I just wonder what the average British person would think listening to this. I think whatever people thought at the time of the referendum, surely the abiding feeling will be not that all over again because it was divisive and it was difficult, of course.

"In the end, the British people voted overwhelmingly to leave. And I think we should respect that as a democratic nation. And I think that really for Andy Burnham to have a by election in a leave voting constituency where he doesn't mention it to then suddenly put it back on the agenda, take it off. It is a bit shambolic."

'These are evil people' - Zia Yusuf doubles down on Reform's migration measures

Reform UK home affairs spokesman Zia Yusuf described a contingent of illegal migrants arriving in the Channel as "evil", pointing to the drastic action a Reform government would take to stop the boats.

His comments come after the party's Kent conference yesterday, where Nigel Farage outlined a proposal to entirely halt the asylum system, with Robert Jenrick calling for the deployment of the navy when addressing the Prime Minister in the Commons.

Speaking to GB News breakfast this morning, Mr Yusuf said: "This is a humanitarian mission. Almost 200 migrants have died making that journey across the channel. But we've also got to be really clear about the evil of some of these people on these boats.

"The Home Secretary herself has said the very few women who are making this journey, almost all of them have been raped. We know a convicted terrorist has made it to Britain on these boats.

"These are men who think nothing of throwing women and indeed children off these vessels. These are evil people. We have to be clear eyed about that. "

He said: "Weapons posture for our Marines will be commensurate and proportionate to the intelligence led threat assessment of the people on that vessel", and that they will be authorised to "use lethal force if they have to".

"We don't want any more people dying in the channel. But most importantly of all, we're being really clear with Nigel as Prime Minister. No one trying to get to Britain illegally will be able to make it to our shores."

Chancellor affirms 'resilience' of UK economy as IMF forecasts 1.3% growth

John Healey has pointed to the "resilience" of the UK economy in response to an upgraded growth forecast from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), despite warnings that inflation will remain higher for longer.

The IMF now expects the UK economy to grow by 1.3 per cent in 2026, up from its previous forecast of 1 per cent. However, it also expects households to face a sharper rise in inflation than previously anticipated, putting continued pressure on the cost of living.

Responding to the forecasts, the Chancellor said international conflicts were affecting people in the UK and around the world but argued the economy was demonstrating "resilience" in the face of these challenges.

He said: "We're forecast to be the joint second fastest-growing G7 nation in 2026 and have the lowest deficit in the G7 by 2031."

Mr Healey is due to deliver his first Budget on October 28.

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