UK politics live: Starmer pays back £6,000 in gifts amid donations row as Lord Alli faces interest probe

Yvette Cooper is meeting G7 ministers in Italy to discuss “critical” cooperation with UK’s partners on migration.

The home secretary said the summit in Avellino represents an “invaluable opportunity to work internationally” to tacjle poeple smuggling.

Ahead of the meeting, she said: “The perpetrators of the vile trade of migrant smuggling have no concern about the security of national borders or the safety of the people they exploit.

“This is a global challenge and working in collaboration with our closest partners is critical.”

Tory leadership candidate Kemi Badenoch has suggested the Treasury was to blame for the rise in immigration during the Conservatives’ time in power in her closing conference speech.

Ms Badenoch, James Cleverly, Robert Jenrick and Tom Tugendhat are all battling to replace Rishi Sunak as Tory leader, and migration has been a central topic of discussion during the contest.

All the candidates got a chance to make a final pitch to the conference on Wednesday morning.

Ms Badenoch told delegates that in government, the Conservatives “did not always keep our promises”.

“We promised to lower taxes, they went up. We promised to lower immigration, it went up. Why? Because the Treasury said high immigration was good for the economy, but we knew it was not good for our country,” she said.

Migration – alongside the NHS and the future of the Conservative Party – has been one of the key discussion points of the contest.

Labour peer Lord Alli is under investigation over “alleged non-registration of interests” leading to a possible breach of the members’ code of conduct.

The fashion mogul, who has been at the centre of a row over donations accepted by Sir Keir Starmer, is being probed by the Lord’s commissioners.

In the first controversy to hit Sir Keir’s new government, questions have been raised over Lord Alli – the business executive who has donated some £700,000 to the party over the past two decades – being handed a Downing Street pass.

According to an update published on Parliament’s website on Wednesday, Lord Alli is being investigated by the Lords’ commissioner for “alleged non-registration of interests leading to potential breaches of paragraphs 14(a) and 17 of the thirteenth edition of the code of conduct”.

These rules relate to making clear what the interests are that might be reasonably thought to influence a member’s parliamentary actions and ensuring entries are up to date.

Tory leadership contender James Cleverly refused three times to disown the economic chaos which took place under Liz Truss’ leadership after his plan to scrap stamp duty on house sales was likened to policies introduced by the former prime minister.

The pledge, which he said would cost £10 billion, was compared in a radio interview to the disastrous tax cuts introduced by Ms Truss’ government.

Our political correspondent Millie Cooke has the full story:

This year’s Conservative Party conference in Birmingham provides a pivotal moment for reflection and debate.

It stands in stark contrast to the 2023 gathering, when Rishi Sunak’s government made a series of last-minute policy announcements, including offshoring prisoners, cutting civil servants, and controversially scrapping HS2.

As the conference unfolds, our chief political commentator John Rentoul has been answering your burning questions on the leadership contest, the fallout from the election defeat, and more.

Catch up on the full Ask Me Anything Q&A here.

David Davis has backed Tory leader wannabe Kemi Badenoch following her speech at the Conservative Party conference.

The former cabinet minister and leadership contender said the party needs a leader who can “overpower the weak and ineffective Keir Starmer” and deliver a “real prospect of victory at the next election”.

Mr Davis added: “In terms of intellectual capacity, idealism, common sense and courage, I think Kemi offers our Party and our country the very best chance for the future, and I will be voting for her to lead us into the next election.”

Kemi Badenoch has made it clear she wants to clamp down on migration to the UK, claiming that many use Britain as “a sponge”.

The former favourite for the Tory leadership contest has seen her challenge drop off in recent days, with ex-immigration minister Robert Jenrick appearing to be in the driving seat during the Tory conference in Birmingham.

Our political editor David Maddox has the full story below: