Farage claims Reform is now UK’s biggest party

Nigel Farage has claimed that Reform UK is now Britain’s biggest political party after an internal leak suggested that Labour has lost 100,000 members.

According to The Times, the paid up membership of the Labour Party has dropped to below 250,000 meaning the party has lost one person every seven minutes since winning the election 18 months ago.

With Reform officially on 268,631 paid-up members, it suggests Mr Farage’s party is the biggest in the UK in yet another blow for Sir Keir Starmer.

Mr Farage said: “As we have suspected for some time, Reform is now the largest political party in British politics – a huge milestone for us. The age of two-party politics is dead.”

It comes as Britain’s leading polling guru Sir John Curtice suggested that while Reform’s support may have plateaued following a significant surge over the course of this year, itrepresents the biggest attack on the two-party system since the Second World War.

Sir John told The Independent: “The Reform incursion, in terms of length of time being ahead of the polls, is now longer than that of the Liberal SDP Alliance in late 1981-82.”

But he added: “I think my view for a long time has been that barring exceptional circumstances for Reform, 30 per cent or just a little bit above, seems to be the plateau, because they are very, very much pursuing a niche market.

“They are running at around 50 per cent amongst those people who voted for Brexit, but no more than about 40 per cent of the population is in favour of Brexit these days.

“You’re never going to get all of that market. And they’ve just been basically hardly moving since the beginning of May. It’s very, very stable.”

He noted that while Reform support “is heavily dependent on Farage”, efforts to “dig the dirt on him” are impacting Reform at the polls.

In particular, he warned that claims Mr Farage made racist remarks as a schoolboy have had little impact on Reform votes, even if it does on left-wing ones who already dislike him.

However, the issue of racism has seen a crack in Reform.

In a problem for Mr Farage, the man who is expected to be Reform’s leader in Scotland distanced himself from his comments on English speaking in Glasgow.

On a recent visit to Scotland’s biggest city, Mr Farage described the fact that 29 per cent of children spoke English as a second language as “cultural smashing of Glasgow”.

Scottish SNP First Minister John Swinney described the comment as “racist”.

And speaking on BBC Question Time, Lord Offord, who recently defected to Reform from the Tories and is widely expected to become the leader of the party in Scotland, said “he wouldn’t use that type of language”.

A Labour Party spokesperson said: “Our membership figures are published in our annual report. We do not give a running commentary on them throughout the year.”

Machado slipped through 10 checkpoints in wig in journey to Oslo

Maria Corina Machado used a wig and disguise to sneak through 10 military checkpoints in Venezuela during a perilous three-day journey to the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in Norway.

The Venezuelan democracy activist and opposition leader was escorted by US Navy F-18s and a private contractor issued by president Donald Trump’s administration during the journey from her hiding spot in Caracas to Oslo, where she was awarded the prize on Wednesday.

Ms Machado, 58, has endured persistent threats to her life since being forced into exile and banned from public office in the aftermath of a controversial presidential election last year that saw socialist leader Nicolas Maduro crowned winner.

But she was determined to make it to Oslo to collect the accolade, awarded to her for her brave efforts to defend freedom and democracy in Venezuela.

While others chose to flee Venezuela, Ms Machado chose to remain in the country in hiding. Her trip marked her first appearance in public.

Setting out on Monday afternoon, the first leg of the journey took a gruelling 10 hours from her secret residence in an unassuming suburb in Caracas to a coastal fishing village, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Ms Machado and her two companions snuck through 10 military checkpoints before arriving at the coast by midnight, where they rested for a few hours.

They set out on the second leg of their journey at 5am, using a wooden skiff – a tiny rowing boat used for fishing – to traverse the strong winds and the choppy waters of the Caribbean Sea to arrive at the island of Curaçao.

Before leaving, the group made a call to the US military to fend off the risk of an attack. Recent strikes on what Washington has claimed are “narcoterrorists” have killed at least 87 people in international waters in recent weeks.

“We coordinated that she was going to leave by a specific area so that they would not blow up the boat,” said someone close to the operation.

US Navy F-18s flew into the Gulf of Venezuela and were recorded spending around 40 minutes flying in tight circles near the route that led from the coast to the island, according to flight-tracking data.

The Trump administration is said to have been aware of the plan, but the US Navy and Pentagon declined to comment. Officials in the administration denied any alleged military contact.

Machado arrived at the island at 3pm on Tuesday, where she was met by a private contractor issued by Mr Trump’s office who specialises in extractions. Machado stayed in a hotel overnight and took an executive jet supplied by a Miami contact of the president. It made a stop in Bangor, Maine, before making the trip to Norway.

Before boarding the plane, Ms Machado recorded a short audio message in which she thanked “so many people … [who] risked their lives” to help her escape Venezuela.

Her appearance at the ceremony was plagued by speculation and rumours. Even the Nobel Institute admitted it was “in the dark” about her whereabouts, sparking concern for her safety.

A press conference was cancelled after a delay of several hours, and Ms Machado’s daughter Ana Corina Sosa Machado collected the Nobel medal and diploma in her absence.

Tensions between the US and Venezuela have reached a fever pitch after the seizure of an oil tanker on Thursday. America says that the vessel was carrying sanctioned oil. But Mr Maduro’s government has accused the Trump administration of “fabricating” a war for the purposes of extracting oil and resources.

Trump talking ‘nonsense’ on violence in London, Met Police chief says

Metropolitan Police chief Sir Mark Rowley has described Donald Trump’s claims about violent crime in London as “complete nonsense”.

The US president last month claimed the capital is so dangerous that “people are being stabbed in the ass” as he continued to criticise the city’s mayor, Sir Sadiq Khan.

He said: “Look at the crime you have in London. My mother loved London, she loved that city.

“Today you have people being stabbed in the ass or worse. Your mayor is a disaster, he’s a nasty person.”

President Trump continued: “He’s letting crime go. You have areas in London and in Paris where police don’t even want to go anywhere near those areas. “

Asked about those comments by LBC’s Nick Ferrari on Friday, Sir Mark said: “There’s no no-go areas, that’s completely false. How anybody in America can suggest the UK is violent is completely ridiculous.”

“The homicide rate in London is lower than every single US state. It’s lower than all their big cities. I think the murder rate in New York last time I looked is about three or four times higher than it is in London per capita.”

Figures from the mayor’s office for policing and crime, which compare the 12 months ending in August with the previous 12 months, showed there were 8,749 fewer crimes that resulted in someone being hurt – a drop of nearly 12 per cent – across the capital over that time.

Sir Mark added: “This trend of trying to rubbish London, some of which is driven by politics, we who are proud Londoners need to fight back about it.”

On Wednesday, Sir Keir Starmer belatedly defended Sir Sadiq Khan after Trump branded the London mayor “horrible, vicious, disgusting”.

In an attack which reignited his long-running feud with Sir Sadiq, the US president also called him a “disaster” and suggested he has done a “terrible job”.

In an interview with Politico, President Trump said: “He’s a horrible mayor. He’s an incompetent mayor, but he’s a horrible, vicious, disgusting mayor. I think he’s done a terrible job. London’s a different place. I love London. I love London. And I hate to see it happen.”

And he claimed of Sir Sadiq, the city’s first Muslim mayor, whose parents came from Pakistan, “gets elected because so many people have come in [to the UK]. They vote for him now.”

A spokesperson for the prime minister described the comments as “wrong” – 24 hours after No 10 failed to defend the mayor.

On Tuesday, Downing Street would only say the PM had a “strong” relationship with both men.

But a day later, the PM’s press secretary told reporters: “Those comments are wrong. The mayor of London is doing an excellent job in London, delivering free school meals in primary schools, cleaning up London’s air with the world’s largest clean air zone and starting record numbers of council houses.

“The prime minister is hugely proud of the mayor of London’s record and proud to call him a colleague and a friend.”

Gateshead grooming gang jailed for rapes and sexual assaults of girls

A grooming gang in Gateshead who raped and sexually abused a number of teenage girls have been jailed for between 18 months and 14 years.

Northumbria Police launched an inquiry into offending against six girls who were aged 13-16 between 2014 and 2019.

The girls were sometimes plied with alcohol or cocaine before they were sexually abused.

The victims were targeted by teenagers a few years older than them, the investigation found, with the girls sometimes thinking they were in a relationship, before older men exploited them.

Some of the offending centred around Saltwell Park where the men would meet to play football.

The inquiry led to the convictions of four Romanians and an Albanian following an eight-week trial at Newcastle Crown Court in October.

They were:

Bogdan Gugiuman, 44, of Westbourne Avenue, Gateshead, who was found guilty of three counts of rape and supplying a Class A drug. He was jailed for 14 years and was in his mid-30s and married when he committed the offences.

Codrin Dura, 27, of Ripon Street, Gateshead, who was found guilty of four counts of rape, four counts of sexual activity with a child, blackmail, attempted rape, serious sexual assault, supplying a Class A drug and arranging or facilitating commission of a child sex offence. He was jailed for 13 years.

Albanian Klaudio Aleksiu, 28, of Church Terrace, Windsor, who was found guilty of rape. He was jailed for six years.

Leonard Paun, 23, of Windsor Avenue, Gateshead, who was found guilty of five counts of rape, two counts of arranging or facilitating commission of a child sex offence, sexual activity with a child, sexual assault, supplying a Class A drug and distributing photos of a child. He was jailed for five years and one month.

Stefan Ciuraru, 22, of Brinkburn Avenue, Gateshead, who was found guilty of four counts of sexual assault, sexual activity with a child and causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity. He was jailed for 18 months, given his youth at the time of the offending.

Judge Tim Gittins said the victim impact statement from one of the victims, who was sexually exploited after becoming addicted to cocaine, was “nothing less than haunting”.

Addressing the defendants, he said: “You all to a greater or lesser extent have deeply traumatised her and psychologically scarred her.”

The judge paid tribute to all the victims’ courage, their resilience in seeing it through the court system and their dignity.

He added: “It is not for me to say but I hope they come to see themselves, as I do, as survivors and not just as victims.”

Earlier, one victim read a statement to the judge in which she said Dura had controlled her.

“It was like he had a spell on me,” she said.

“It was like I was held hostage and had to play a role.”

She added: “I feel like he has taken so much away from me, I always try to bury it.”

Dura raped her by luring her to his home on the pretext he would delete an intimate photo he had been threatening to show to her parents.

A second victim read her statement to the court in which she said: “I was naive and impressionable, and it made it easy for me to be preyed upon.”

The victim who became addicted to cocaine said in her statement: “This whole experience has massively changed my view of men for life.

“I am petrified of all men.

“There are so many things that trigger my pain, I don’t know if I will ever lead a normal life.”

Josh Normanton, for Dura, said he came to the UK as a boy with his family who were economic migrants from Romania and he was unable to speak English when he arrived.

“He was someone who was more immature than his age,” his barrister said.

“He comes from a family who are hard-working, polite and extremely concerned for him.”

Glenn Gatland, for Paun, said his client came to the UK with just his mother and his father died after joining them later.

He has since become a caring father, Mr Gatland said.

“He is someone quite capable of rehabilitation,” he said.

Sue Hirst, for Gugiuman, who is Paun’s cousin, said he was of previous good character and is married with three teenage boys.

Shada Mellor, for Aleksiu, said the delay in bringing the case to trial had impacted his mental health.

He has since moved to the south of England and has a partner and a child, she said.

Ciuraru was said to have had limited schooling and low intellect, and he hoped to return to Romania.

The judge also praised the police investigation, noting there had been previous criticism “of the response in the past by authorities to cases such as this and their victims”.

He commended Northumbria Police’s care for the victims in this case.

Church warns against fake outrage that ‘Christmas is cancelled’ ahead of Tommy Robinson rally

A senior bishop in the Church of England has hit out at fake claims that “Christmas has been cancelled” and criticised those seeking to politicise Christianity ahead of a carols event organised by anti-migrant activist Tommy Robinson.

Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, has urged supporters of his Unite the Kingdom movement to “put the Christ back into Christmas” this Saturday with an outdoor event in Whitehall.

In a significant intervention, the Right Reverend David Walker, the Bishop of Manchester, has said it is “offensive” that people are “appropriating this great Christian festival of light triumphing over darkness as a prop in a dim culture war”.

Writing for The Independent, Dr Walker said: “Each year we see a rather strange tradition: familiar claims that somewhere, someone is trying to ‘ban’ Christmas.”

He warned that populists are keen to scour the internet in search of “something, anything, to show that Christmas is supposedly being taken away”.

He continued: “While they focus on something different each time, at heart it’s usually the same tale: that some ‘other’ out there wants to erase the traditional idea of Christmas. Sometimes it is said to be a shadowy but somehow ubiquitous ‘woke’ elite, sometimes minorities, and often people of other faiths.

“The people behind these stories are not doing this to share the message of Christmas – of joy and love – but to spread division.”

He hailed Christmas as “one moment in the year when, even in our more secular society, the powerful message of love, of God coming and living among us as one of us, cuts through”.

This holiday season, Dr Walker, who has been bishop of Manchester since 2013, called on believers and non-believers to “look up towards the angels proclaiming peace on Earth and goodwill to all, rather than scroll down in the comments”.

The intervention comes ahead of a Christmas carols event organised in London by the far-right activist, Robinson.

In preparation for Saturday’s event, Robinson has been sharing claims on X (Twitter) that Christmas is “cancelled” in Paris or that Muslims in Manchester were “disrespecting” a Christmas market.

The anti-migrant campaigner has planned a follow-up event to his Unite the Kingdom march, which saw more than 100,000 people turn out for what was billed as a “free speech” protest and included Elon Musk telling the crowd that “violence is coming to you” and “you either fight back or you die”.

Robinson, who has been speaking more about Christianity since coming out of prison in May this year, has promised speeches and music at the Whitehall event on Saturday. In a recent video posted to X, he told his followers: “We can’t keep moaning in this country, saying ‘It’s a Christian country’… unless we are going to celebrate and identify as Christians and be Christians.”

He has pledged that Saturday’s event “will not be a political protest”.

Writing in The Independent, Dr Walker said: “It is a precious time of year. And in the times in which we’re living, its simple but powerful message, sung by angels – peace on Earth, goodwill to all – could scarcely seem more urgent.

“Yet – each year we see a rather strange tradition: familiar claims that somewhere, someone is trying to ‘ban’ Christmas.”

Referring to stories about Christmas being “taken away”, he said: “For all the talk of defending the Christian essence of Christmas, they are doing the very opposite: reducing the majesty and mystery of the birth of Jesus, God coming to live among us, to silly stories about the labelling of consumer products.”

His intervention comes after the bishop of Southwark, the bishop of Croydon, the bishop of Kingston, and the bishop of Woolwich issued a joint statement condemning “any co-opting or corrupting of the Christian faith to exclude others”.

They said: “We are gravely concerned about the use of Christian symbols and rhetoric to apparently justify racism and anti-migrant rhetoric.”

The bishops spoke directly to Robinson’s supporters, saying: “We would encourage them to think again, to consider what kind of world they want to be a part of – and to choose compassion and understanding over hostility and conflict.”

Robinson has seen some support from Christians outside of the Church of England, with Ceirion Dewar, who is listed as a Bishop in the Confessing Anglican Church, featuring in the trailer for the event.

Chris Wickland, a pastor from the Living Word Church Network, is also pictured in the promotional material, as is Rikki Doolan, a musician who wrote a “theme song” for the Unite the Kingdom rally.

The Right Reverend Arun Arora, the bishop of Kirstall and the Church of England’s co-lead on racial justice, told The Independent last weekend that the Church had a duty to “confront and resist the capture of Christian language and symbols by populist forces”.

Speaking about Robinson’s recent activism, Bishop Arun said: “I rejoice that Stephen Yaxley-Lennon has recently come to faith in prison. Having experienced the wide mercy of God’s grace, Stephen does not now have the right to deny it to others.

“Having embraced and accepted God’s welcome, he can’t now restrict it from others who may be equally lost. Nor does he have the right to subvert the faith so that it serves his purposes rather than the other way round.”

Education for all: How your skills could make you a great teacher

From construction and engineering to hospitality and beauty, Further Education teaching opens up doors to a wide range of careers. Encompassing a range of technical and vocational courses and qualifications for those over 16 who aren’t studying for a degree, it offers a more hands on, industry-led approach to learning.

Further Education offers a more focused, vocational approach and a fast-track into the workplace. It allows you to build on your existing skills and experience while shaping the next generation of professionals in your field. To find out more, we spoke to Further Education students and teachers about how it works and what they get out of it.

Further Education qualifications can be started from the age of 16. “It’s a step up from school but it doesn’t involve so much independent learning and research as many Higher Education degrees,” explains Susan Simmonds, 52, a Further Education lecturer in Land and Wildlife Management at Sparsholt College Hampshire. “During this time, learners gain so much maturity and a qualification that can take them out into industry,”

Sometimes this study might be full-time in college, while other Further Education opportunities offer apprenticeships, with students gaining qualifications while working on the job. Overall, the courses are generally more practical and directly linked to industry and preparing learners for their future careers. “These courses give students a wide range of relevant experience, knowledge and skills during a time when they’re maturing, and becoming ready to transition into the world of work,” Susan says.

There are often myths and misconceptions about the world of Further Education. From the learner side, many people don’t necessarily realise the opportunities available to them through Further Education, as Meri, 17, who is studying an Extended Technical Diploma in Land and Wildlife Management Level 3 at Sparsholt College, explains. “Many people I have spoken to don’t realise there are multiple ways to prepare for a career in industry, and that courses like mine can open those doors.”

For Meri, it’s been a really positive experience, and one that has helped prepare her for the workplace. “The college has a lot of contacts with industry and the assignments we do are similar to professional reports.” Meanwhile, Zach, 17, who is on the same course, has also thrived at the Further Education college: “I have been able to meet far more friends and great people and I feel as though it has helped me grow. It’s also provided many opportunities to experience real-world practical work.”

For those training or working as Further Education teachers, often after years spent in a specific industry sector, it’s the students that make their new career so rewarding. David Hobson, 54, who teaches the Motor Vehicle course at Stockton Riverside College, found that the job satisfaction he gets from sharing his personal know-how with the next generation of workers has kept him in Further Education teaching for 16 years. “The benefits of passing on my skills to young people keep me going. It’s an opportunity for me to equip learners with the industry skills and knowledge they need to succeed in their careers”

Susan, who teaches Further Education part-time alongside her work as a Community Ecologist, has had a similar experience: “I find the work really energising. Young people are so full of life and enthusiasm that I come home feeling uplifted.”

Whether it’s part-time alongside your current job or a switch to full-time teaching, Further Education teaching can be a really rewarding and valuable career move.

Teaching in a mixture of colleges (often General Further Education Colleges or Sixth Form Colleges) and Adult and Community Learning Centres, as well as workplace and apprenticeship settings, it can fit around your life and other commitments. While typical full-time contracts are around 35 hours a week, there are also some part-time or flexible options available.

Real world industry experience across a wide range of jobs can set you on a path to becoming a Further Education teacher, with opportunities in everything from construction and healthcare, to engineering, digital, hospitality, tourism and beauty. You don’t always need teaching qualifications to start teaching in further education, you can undertake training on the job which is often funded by your employer.

If, like Susan and David, you see the appeal of sharing the industry knowledge and skills you’ve developed with the next generation, exploring the option of becoming a Further Education teacher can be a great next step. As David points out, “You won’t know how enjoyable it is until you try it.”

Looking for a new role that’s rewarding, flexible and draws on your current career? Why not consider sharing your experience where it matters most – helping inspire the next generation of workers in the field you love? Visit the Further Education website to find out more

Drunken train passenger severed man’s artery in ‘despicable’ glass bottle attack

A drunken man launched a wild attack while on a train, thrusting a broken bottle into his victim’s chest, which severed an artery and put him into intensive care.

Thomas Craig, 48, was intoxicated on a train from Glasgow Queen Street to Perth on 16 February 2024 when he began speaking to other passengers sitting across the aisle from him.

Within 10 minutes of the conversation beginning, he began insulting the victim and then launched an attack, jumping from his seat and hitting him twice over the head with a glass Buckfast bottle.

The victim’s friend tried to intervene but was attacked himself when Craig turned and punched him seven times, before he twice thrusted the broken neck of the glass bottle into his chest.

Craig then returned to his seat, throwing the neck of the bottle towards where the victims had been sitting. He then grabbed one of the victims’ phones and pocketed it.

He walked down the train before taking off his blood-soaked jumper, replacing it with a clean hoodie from his belongings.

Police and paramedics attended when the train arrived at Larbert railway station. Both victims were treated for their injuries before being urgently taken to hospital, and Craig was arrested on the train by officers.

The injuries to the second victim were so severe that he was placed into intensive care, having suffered a stab wound close to his heart, a collapsed lung, and a severed artery that resulted in him losing around 15 per cent of his blood.

Craig of Walton Street in East Renfrewshire was found guilty of attempted murder and serious assault on 28 November following a four-day trial at Glasgow High Court.

He will return to the same court on 12 January 2026 to be sentenced.

British Transport Police detective inspector Marc Francey said: “Craig acted in a truly despicable manner, violently and relentlessly attacking two men over a minor disagreement and causing countless passengers on the train to panic.

“His indiscriminate and thuggish actions could have resulted in far more severe consequences, both for his victims and for himself. It is thanks only to luck and to the lifesaving work of the paramedics that Craig hasn’t been found guilty of something far worse.

“I hope this verdict brings a measure of closure to the victims after enduring such a brutal attack. Violence on the railway is utterly unacceptable, and we will relentlessly pursue offenders like Craig to ensure they face justice.”

UK has to follow EU and delay ban on petrol car sales, experts warn

The UK’s ban on new petrol and diesel cars will have to be delayed after it emerged the EU is poised to push back its own crackdown, senior industry figures have suggested.

At the heart of the warning is concern that a U-turn on the continent would mean not enough electric vehicles being built in the next half decade to allow Britain to push ahead with its plans.

The EU was set to ban new petrol and diesel cars from 2035, five years after a similar ban is due to be brought in in the UK, but that measure is set to be watered down as early as next week following pressure from carmakers and powerful countries in the bloc, such as Germany and Italy.

German chancellor Friedrich Merz on Friday said he “supported” a climbdown, saying the “reality is that there will still be millions of combustion engine-based cars around the world in 2035, 2040 and 2050”.

Amid concerns over the future of one of Europe’s most important sectors, and a growing threat from China, Manfred Weber, the president of the EPP, the largest party in the European Parliament, said this sent an important signal “to the entire automotive industry and secures tens of thousands of industrial jobs”.

The UK’s net-zero policies, led by environment secretary Ed Miliband, include a ban on the sale of pure petrol and diesel cars from 2030. Dr Andy Palmer, a former chief executive of Aston Martin, said the UK would have to follow the EU’s lead because of the high number of vehicles traded between the two areas.

“It becomes very difficult because if the EU drops their ban the factories there won’t ramp up their EV (electric vehicle) production in the way forecast. There wouldn’t be enough EVs to meet the demand required in the UK,” he told the Times. Other industry sources told the paper that a review of the mandate which sets out the proportion of vehicles manufacturers sell that must be green due for 2027 would have to be brought forward.

But supporters of the vehicles called on the EU to stick to its current plan.

Chris Heron, the secretary-general of E-Mobility Europe, the trade body, said: “Europe must keep a clear investment signal for the shift to electric vehicles. Weakening the 2035 target would be a worrying backwards step, dragging us back to yesterday’s technologies and undermining the industries investing in Europe’s electric future”

A government spokesman said: “We remain committed to phasing out all new non-zero emission car and van sales by 2035. More drivers than ever are choosing electric, and November saw another month of increased sales with EV’s accounting for one in four cars sold.”

Major carmakers, including Volkswagen, Renault, Mercedes-Benz and BMW, have argued in favour of the EU dropping the ban. They warn that consumers are not taking up EVs in the numbers anticipated when the 2035 date was approved in 2022.