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A record 34 candidates have registered to stand against Nigel Farage in the Clacton by-election, including 20 independents and several openly joke candidates. The contest on 10 October is shaping up to be one of the most chaotic in recent British political history.

Andy Burnham has talked tough on stamp duty and council tax, calling both systems broken. But what would a Prime Minister Burnham actually do — and can he afford to?

Residents near Middlesbrough say a spate of violent incidents is tearing their community apart, with locals reporting they’re too afraid to go out after dark. One shopkeeper says he’s losing £300 a week closing early, as calls for police action grow louder.

After Andy Burnham’s commanding by-election victory, Labour’s internal polling has hit record lows and the talk of Keir Starmer fighting on is fading fast. The question inside the party has shifted from whether he can recover — to when he’ll go.

The prime minister has warned the NHS faces collapse without urgent social care reform, telling the BBC he won’t leave office without delivering substantial change. It’s the most direct public statement yet on a crisis costing hospitals 13,500 bed days every single day.

The European Commission has presented its long-awaited Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform, channelling €50 billion towards semiconductors, biotech and clean tech investments.