Reform MP suspends himself from party over allegations around his business affairs
In a statement, Reform chief whip Lee Anderson said it is over allegations around his business affairs to be published in a national newspaper.
The statement said: "I have today received a call from James McMurdock who has advised me, as Chief Whip, that he has removed the party whip from himself pending the outcome of an investigation into allegations that are likely to be published by a national newspaper.
"The allegations relate to business propriety during the pandemic and before he became an MP.
"At Reform UK we take these matters very seriously and James has agreed to cooperate in full with any investigation.
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Daily Mirror
9 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Nigel Farage savaged by Cabinet minister with brutal Jimmy Savile insult
The Technology Secretary has said Nigel Farage is on the side of people like Jimmy Savile after the Reform UK leader said he'd scrap protections for kids online. Peter Kyle said repealing online safety laws would open the floodgates of "people out there who are extreme pornographers peddling hate, peddling violence" onto children's social media feeds. And he said if disgraced Savile - one of the UK's most prolific sexual predators - was alive today, Mr Farage would be "perpetuating" criminals like him. Mr Farage yesterday said his party would abolish the Online Safety Act if it got into power. It would mean removing Ofcom's children's safety codes, which came into force on Friday and which order tech companies to bring in age verification tools, tame toxic algorithms and remove harmful content. The Reform UK leader hit back at Mr Kyle's comments, branding them "disgusting" and asking him to apologise. Major backlash over Nigel Farage tech vow - 'doesn't care if kids are exploited' Speaking on Sky News this morning, Mr Kyle said: "I see that Nigel Farage is already saying that he's going to overturn these laws. We have people out there who are extreme pornographers peddling hate, peddling violence. Nigel Farage is on their side. "Make no mistake about it, if people like Jimmy Savile were alive today, he would be perpetrating his crimes online, and Nigel Farage is saying that he's on their side, not the side of children." Asked if he genuinely thought Mr Farage was on Savile's side, Mr Kyle continued: "When it comes to online activity, we have seen unfettered access of adults to children via social media. When we put in the age verification, it stops strange adults getting in touch with children. "Nigel Farage is on the side of turning the clock back to the time when strange adults, strangers can get in touch via messaging apps with children. We have now asked them to verify the age in which people can have access to online content, so we can protect children from unwanted, dangerous content, and also those messaging services where people can get access directly to it." Mr Farage responded: "Peter Kyle's comments on Sky News are disgusting. He should do the right thing and apologise." Elsewhere, Mr Kyle acknowledged there was an issue with people using virtual private networks (VPNs) to circumvent the rules, after one supplier reported a 1,400% increase in downloads. He said he is not considering banning VPNs, adding: "We're going to be looking very, very closely at use of VPNs. "We're going to be looking very closely at the ability of these tech companies to detect VPNs from within our country and make sure that people stick to the rules." And the Cabinet minister admitted the rules were never going to keep 100% of children safe but that the new laws were a "big step forward" in keeping most people safe. "People have to understand the wild west that children have been living in for too long," he said. "That ended on my watch. It ended on the watch of this government. It's a big step forward." We'll be bringing you the latest updates on this Breaking Politics News story. Please check back regularly for updates on this developing story HERE. Get email updates on the day's biggest stories straight to your inbox by signing up for our newsletters. Get all the big headlines, pictures, analysis, opinion and video on the stories that matter to you by following The Mirror every time you see our name.
Telegraph
9 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Reeves can raise taxes as much as she likes, but it won't bring in any more money
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The Guardian
9 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Devon campaigners call for ‘right to riverbank' after finding Dart has 108 owners
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