Politics latest: Starmer refuses to rule out rejoining EU amid claims No 10 trying to sabotage Burnham by-election – UK Times

A government minister has insisted the “whole Labour family” will get behind the party’s candidate in Makerfield – even if it’s Sir Keir Starmer’s leadership rival Andy Burnham.

Security minister Dan Jarvis praised Mr Burnham’s “outstanding record of achievement as the mayor of Greater Manchester.

“Whoever the candidate is in MakerField, the whole Labour family will get behind that candidate,” he told Sky News.

“And we’ll all be knocking on doors in Makerfield to make sure that we return the Labour MP to make sure that we beat Reform.”

Downing Street did not rule out the prospect of Labour pledging to rejoin the EU ahead of the next election, while Sir Keir Starmer has also raised the prospect in what has been seen as a move to undermine Andy Burnham.

The prime minister said that a debate on Brexit “might happen years down the line”.

Meanwhile, the Greater Manchester mayor has attempted to distance himself from his Remain stance, given that he is standing in the Makerfield by-election which has a vote-Leave supporter base.

Speaking at the Great North summit in Leeds on Monday, he said he “respects” Brexit and told the crowd: “Britain will be stuck in a permanent rut if we’re just constantly arguing and people are pulling away from each other.”

Sir Keir Starmer will assemble his new-look Cabinet for the first time on Tuesday after insisting again that he would not “walk away” from Downing Street.

Tuesday’s regular Cabinet meeting will be the first since Wes Streeting resigned as health secretary and called on the Prime Minister to quit last week.

It also follows Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham’s announcement that he intends to fight the Makerfield by-election.

The rate of UK unemployment rose to 5 per cent in the three months to March, up from 4.9 per cent in the three months to February, the Office for National Statistics said.

Meanwhile in a positive for Reeves, UK average regular earnings growth fell to 3.4 per cent in the three months to March and was 0.3 per cent higher after taking Consumer Prices Index inflation into account,

Nigel Farage faces further calls for “transparency” over a £5 million gift from a Reform UK donor following reports questioning his claim he bought a house using the fee from a reality TV appearance.

Labour chairwoman Anna Turley said: “It’s clear he’s treating the public for fools and thinks he can just brush this scandal under the carpet. He can’t.

“First, the reason why a Thai-based crypto-billionaire gave him a multi-million pound donation changed, and now the claims about how he paid for one of his houses is being called into question.

“His story just keeps on changing.

“One thing is clearer than ever – Farage is just in it for himself and isn’t on the side of working people.”

Shadow cabinet office minister Alex Burghart said the gift from Christopher Harborne “looks ever more suspect”.

He added: “This extraordinary sum of money is more than most people will see in a lifetime.

“His excuses for taking it keep changing.

“The public deserve full transparency about who has put money in Farage’s private accounts and the influence they have bought with that cash.

“He must come clean.”