The last remaining potential rival to Andy Burnham as the next Labour leader and prime minister has revealed he will not stand against the Makerfield MP.Former defence minister Al Carns has told Sky News he will back Burnham instead, clearing the way for a “coronation”, not a contest.Any prospective candidates have until next Wednesday at 6pm to get the required 81 backers but if no other challengers come forward, Burnham will become Labour leader two days later. Earlier, Nigel Farage has formally resigned as an MP after Rachel Reeves approved his request to allow the formal mechanism for him to step down, but said he was creating a “farce”.“If he wants to spend the summer arguing with a bin, I won’t stop him,” the chancellor said.Satirical candidate Count Binface appears to be Mr Farage’s main electoral rival in the Clacton by-election as Labour, the Conservatives, the Liberal Democrats, the Green Party and Restore Britain are refusing to stand candidates.Subscribe here to get the latest updates from The IndependentIceland boss issues invitation to BinfaceThe boss of the Iceland supermarket chain has invited Count Binface to the town’s store “to talk about the local issues that really matter”.Richard Walker told him in a social media post: “You’ve promised Clacton at least one affordable house. We specialise in affordable family meals and emergency election snacks, so we have common ground.”Jane Dalton8 July 2026 19:35Al Carns says he will not challenge BurnhamThe last remaining potential rival to Andy Burnham as the next Labour leader and prime minister says he will not stand against the new Makerfield MP.Former defence minister Al Carns has told Sky’s The Cathy Newman Show he will back Burnham instead.He said: “The time right now is not for a contest.” If no other challengers come forward, Mr Burnham will become Labour leader next Friday. Jane Dalton8 July 2026 19:33Jane Dalton8 July 2026 19:00Jane Dalton8 July 2026 18:30Count Binface would be barred from Commons in costumeIf Count Binface won the Clacton by-election, he would not be allowed to sit in the House of Commons in his space-warrior costume. MPs are expected to wear “business-like attire” in the chamber, according to parliamentary guidance, which says clothing should demonstrate respect for the house.It says uniforms, large slogan-bearing items and other forms of demonstrative dress are generally not considered acceptable. Count Binface won 95 votes in Makerfield last month (Reuters)Jane Dalton8 July 2026 17:58Why support from George Cottrell is under scrutiny Mr Farage’s long-term ally George Cottrell, a crypto-gambling entrepreneur, reportedly recruited and paid three staff to work on his social media before the general election, and has continued to allow him to use a five-storey Georgian property he rented near Buckingham Palace.New MPs are required to register any gifts worth more than £300 they received in the previous 12 months, except where the gift “could not be reasonably thought by others” to relate to their political activities.Mr Cottrell, seen walking ahead of Mr Farage, is a crypto-gambling entrepreneur (Kirsty O’Connor/PA) (PA Wire)Jane Dalton8 July 2026 17:25Clacton voters set to go to polls on 6 AugustReform UK says it is proposing the by-election in the Clacton seat vacated by Nigel Farage be on 6 August, which is the earliest date possible.The chief whip of whichever party held the seat chooses when to start the process of a by-election. Because Mr Farage was a Reform UK MP, the chief whip of Reform has “moved a writ” in the Commons telling the returning officer for that constituency to hold an election.The Commons must pass a motion for the Speaker to make out the warrant for the issue of a writ. The timetable for by-elections is 21 to 27 working days to allow the poll to be held on a Thursday. Jane Dalton8 July 2026 17:09Jane Dalton8 July 2026 16:46Jane Dalton8 July 2026 16:18In the Room: The real reason Nigel Farage fired himselfDespite claiming that ‘nobody owns him’, Nigel Farage has only ever proven himself to be “up for sale”, former No 10 special advisor Cleo Watson has said on the latest episode of In The Room. Watch it in full below.Dan Haygarth8 July 2026 15:58