UK politics live: Farage cedes Reform control ahead of conference amid row over his surgery absence claim

Speaking to BBC regional political editors, Sir Keir Starmer said that attending Arsenal games in the stand would cost money to the taxpayer as it would involve a “lot of policing”.

Asked if it was a good look for him to attend football games from a corporate area amid cost-of-living pressures, the Prime Minister replied: “I think most people will recognise that for a PM to insist that he goes in the stands where he’s got a season ticket, if that then means a lot of policing has to go in in order for me to be in the stands which in the end the taxpayer has to pay for… or I take a gift from Arsenal to say we’ll seat you elsewhere and that will sort out that problem, most people will say don’t make me pay because you want to go in the stands if Arsenal are offering you a ticket elsewhere and you can watch the match.”

Sir Keir would not be drawn into revealing if he would instead be watching from a box, as it would “reinvent the same problem we’re trying to avoid”, adding: “But yes I’m not going to be in the stands anymore.”

Sir Keir Starmer has said he is not giving up his Arsenal season ticket now he is Prime Minister, but would not be drawn into questions around his security while attending football matches.

Asked by BBC Yorkshire if he was still a season ticket holder for his football club, Sir Keir said: “Yeah of course, I’ve had a season ticket for many, many years in the stands at Arsenal.

“I’m a regular attender but now, for security reasons, I can’t go in the stands and therefore the club have made arrangements for me to watch from elsewhere, it’s as simple as that.

“I’d love in a way to be in the stands, it’s where I’ve watched I don’t know how many matches, but as you will appreciate once the security advice is you can’t do it or that it costs the taxpayer an absolute fortune to put I don’t know how many police officers in, then we had to make different arrangements and we have.”

Sir Lindsay Hoyle said he would advise MPs to take advice from Parliament’s security team and “do so safely” if they asked him for advice on holding surgeries.

Following Nigel Farage’s claim that he had been advised not to hold in-person surgeries by the Speaker’s Office, the Commons Speaker said: “As a constituency MP in Chorley, I hold regular surgeries myself with constituents – and whenever a Member asks for my advice on this matter, I always say that if you are going to hold constituency surgeries make sure you take advice from the Parliamentary Security Department – and do so safely.”

A House of Commons spokesperson said: “The ability for MPs to perform their parliamentary duties safely, both on and off the estate, is fundamental to our democracy.

“The Parliamentary Security Department (PSD), working closely with the police, offer all MPs a range of security measures for those with offices or surgeries in their constituencies – helping to ensure a safe working environment.

“We do not comment on individual MPs’ security arrangements or advice because we would not wish to compromise the safety of MPs, parliamentary staff or members of the public, but these are kept under continuous review.”

The Speaker’s Office and Parliament’s security team have no recollection of telling Nigel Farage that he should not hold in-person surgeries in his constituency, the PA news agency understands.

Sources said neither would have advised any MP not to hold a surgery because this would interfere with their democratic duties, but would instead have offered security advice on how measures could be taken to ensure their safety.

There is no record of such advice ever having been given to Mr Farage, it is understood, in contrast to his claim earlier on Thursday that he had been told by the Speaker’s Office not to hold physical surgeries.

Nigel Farage has said he is not holding in-person surgeries in his constituency over fears the public will “flow through the door with knives in their pockets”.

The Reform UK leader said he had been advised not to accommodate the “old-style” physical meetings between MPs and their constituents in his seat of Clacton.

The politician has repeatedly been accused of not prioritising his Commons role, coming under fire for spending time in the US endorsing Donald Trump’s presidential campaign following the 4 July election.

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Reform UK’s annual conference, taking place in Birmingham this weekend, “marks the coming of age” of the party, Nigel Farage has claimed.

Reform, which now claims to have more than 70,000 members, has said this year is its largest ever conference with ticket sales more than four times last year’s figures.

Reform UK’s five MPs will each address the conference stage, leading up to a keynote speech by Mr Farage at 4pm which will see him issue a “clarion call for change”.

Nigel Farage has announced he is “relinquishing” control of Reform UK and giving up his majority shareholder position, just one day before the party begins its annual conference.

Reform UK Ltd is a registered company, unlike most other political parties, and was previously registered as the Brexit Party from 2018-2021.

Companies House lists party leader Mr Farage, and deputy leader Richard Tice, as persons with significant control, with the former currently owning more than 50 per cent of shares.

But in a video posted to X on Thursday, Mr Farage said: “I’ve now made a decision. I no longer need to control this party. I’m going to let go. We will change the structure of the party from one limited by shares to a company limited by guarantee, and that means it’s the members of Reform that will own this party.

“I am relinquishing control of the company, and indeed of the overall control of the party, it’s now going to be the members, and that, I think, is the right thing, and it’s the right thing because this conference marks the coming of age of Reform UK, and that’s something that I’m very, very excited about.”

The Independent revealed plans for wide ranging changes to Reform UK’s party structure in an interview with Zia Yusuf earlier this month.

Our political correspondent Millie Cooke has the full report:

Nigel Farage has denied fuelling the Southport riots as his Reform UK party gears up for its annual conference in Birmingham.

In a video repeating claims that the suspect in the deadly knife attack on a Taylor Swift-themed dance class may have been known to security services, the newly-elected Clacton MP claimed “I just wonder whether the truth is being withheld from us”, just hours before rioters incensed by false online claims attacked a mosque.

But Mr Farage insisted on Thursday: “I asked a very simple question: can we please be told the truth? That was all. Can we please be told the truth?”

Speaking during an LBC phone-in, the Reform leader claimed his position had been “vindicated” by subsequent suggestions by the government’s terror tsar Jonathan Hall KC and Lib Dem peer Lord Carlile that authorities could have publicised information about the suspect more quickly to quell misinformation.

Mr Farage told listeners: “What I thought vindicated me wholly was Jonathan Hall, KC, who is the tsar for terrorism and rioting, backed up by Lord Carlile, Liberal Democrat peer – both said that the public, the government and police, need to level with the public.”

Good afternoon, and thanks for joining us on The Independent’s politics blog, where we’ll be bringing you the latest updates ahead of Reform UK’s conference in Birmingham.