Clacton by-election date set for August as Nigel Farage's battle to return to Commons gets underway

The Clacton by-election is expected to take place on August 13 after Reform UK Chief Whip Lee Anderson moved the writ in the House of Commons.

While it is up to the local authority to organise the specifics of the election, the law states it must take place between 21 and 27 working days from now.

This means the vote will take place between August 7 and August 17.

Elections in the UK have taken place on Thursdays since the 1930s, making August 13 the likely date for polls to open.

Moving the writ in the House of Commons, Mr Anderson said: "I beg to move that Mr Speaker do issue his warrant to the Clerk of the Crown to make out a new writ for the electing of a member to serve in this Parliament in the constituency of Clacton."

Despite speculation that Liberal Democrat and Labour MPs could block the Clacton by-election, MPs today nodded through the vote without any opposition.

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Pakistan not helpful in efforts to deport grooming gang leader, says minister 

Business minister Sir Chris Bryant said Pakistan, the birth country of convicted paedophile Shabir Ahmed, has not been helpful in the UK's efforts to deport him.

On the efforts the Government is undertaking to deport the grooming gang leader, Sir Chris said: "We're looking at changing the law as quickly as we possibly can, but we need to make sure that we don't have unintended unintended consequences that affect perfectly innocent people.

"Then the second bit of the challenge is it's all very well for us to say we're going to deport somebody - somebody has got to allow that person to go into their country.

"In this in this case, that's Pakistan, and Pakistan thus far have been haven't been very helpful on this.

"But I these are the two pieces of work that we are engaged in, and we're trying to work as fast as we possibly can to get the man out of the country."

'Clacton by-election is just a circus' - Chris Bryant slams Nigel Farage

Sir Chris Bryant, Business minister called the Clacton by-election a "circus" and slammed Nigel Farage, saying he has the "thinnest skin of any politician in Britain".

Speaking to GB News, he said: "The whole Clacton thing is just a circus without any entertaining act in it.

"It's Nigel Farage had a hissy fit on Tuesday afternoon because he doesn't like being scrutinised.

"He's got the thinnest skin of any politician in Britain, and the truth of the matter is that he needs that scrutiny.

"Why on earth did he take £5million from a crypto billionaire, then choose not to register it, and then, in fact, hide it from the public, and then go and lobby the governor of the Bank of England precisely on crypto issues, effectively doing paid lobbying on behalf of his of Christopher Harbourne? Why did he do that?"

Nigel Farage denies any wrongdoing.

Labour and Conservatives showing 'contempt' for electorate, says Nigel Farage

Reform UK's leader Nigel Farage has said the move from Labour and the Conservatives to not stand in the upcoming Clacton by-election is "showing contempt for the electorate".

Speaking to the Daily Mail, he said: "The fact Labour and the Conservatives don't want to stand, they're both showing contempt for the electorate. They can use whatever terms they want – it's a real election with real people."

Mr Farage reaffirmed his move to resign as Clacton MP, saying the "daily media pile-on" over his finances, left him "in a position of paralysis", warning it could of "gone on for months" if he did not take action.

He continued, saying the judgement from the Standards Committee will be "completely subjective".

Conservatives will only run in Clacton by-election once Nigel Farage's donation probe concludes

Helen Whately MP, Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary said the Conservatives will only run in a by-election in Clacton once the investigation into Nigel Farage's finances has concluded.

Calling the up-coming by-election "a stunt", Ms Whatley said: "There could be a real by-election in Clacton in the Autumn, when the results of the investigation into Nigel Farage come forward, so that would be the moment to challenge him, not now when he's trying to dodge the questions into his donations."

Speaking to GB News, she added: "This is a stunt by Nigel Farage. He doesn't want to answer questions. He's dodging the questions. He just wants to be in the limelight."

Andy Burnham vows to rebuild UK's 'hard power' with billions to British defence firms

Prime Minister-in-waiting Andy Burnham has vowed to rebuild the UK's "hard power" by allocating billions of extra defence spending to British firms.

Mr Burnham, in his first foreign policy intervention, wants to steer defence procurement away from European and American companies and boost homegrown firms.

He said he wanted to "level with" the public about the amount of money required to meet the UK's promise to Nato to spend 3.5 per cent of GDP on defence by 2035.

The additional money, Mr Burnham has said, will be ploughed into "regenerating and reindustrialising the country", with efforts to boost British jobs and workers.

Read the full story here.

Andy Burnham on course for premiership as no contenders come forward

Andy Burnham is on course for becoming the next Prime Minister as nominations open up for Labour leadership today.

Former armed forces minister Al Carns flirted with the idea of contending Mr Burnham, but ruled himself out of the contest last night.

Mr Carns said: "I’d hoped a leadership contest would give us the opportunity for a proper debate.

"But months of internal Labour politics isn’t what the country needs right now. We’ve got to get on with the job.

"Andy Burnham’s earned this and he’s got my full backing."