NewsPoliticsNigel FarageLIVEUpdated just nowNigel Farage will break cover to hold a press conference at 11am today - it will be the first one in London held by the Reform UK leader for months, and comes amid ongoing questions about his financesNigel Farage has faced pressure over his finances in recent months(Image: James Veysey/Shutterstock)Under-pressure Nigel Farage will break cover to hold a press conference at 11am today.It will be the first London press conference held by the Reform UK leader for months. Mr Farage has been laying low since he last month dramatically quit as the MP for Clacton to trigger a by-election in the area.This time last year, Reform UK was holding weekly press conferences over the summer. But in recent months, as pressure grows over Mr Farage's finances, the party has scurried away from scrutiny.A standards investigation into Mr Farage's failure to declare a £5million gift from Thai-based cryptocurrency billionaire Christopher Harborne has been paused since he quit as an MP. It will be restarted if he is re-elected as an MP in next week's Clacton by-election.Follow live updates below...‌Today09:51 BSTLabour descends on Reform over bid to 'distract from growing sleaze scandals'Labour has descended on Reform, saying the party is trying to "distract from growing sleaze scandals" with its "reheated" small boats proposal.A spokesperson for the party said: “Reform have reheated an old announcement in their latest desperate bid to distract from their growing sleaze scandals. Anger and easy answers won’t bring crossings down. The serious action we’ve taken have started to have a real impact and has led to 46,000 attempted crossings stopped, and 70,000 people with no right to be here removed.“We know there’s more to do on this complex issue. What is far less complicated is Nigel Farage’s brazen attempts to dodge scrutiny over his secret £5 million gift from a crypto billionaire. It’s time he stopped the distraction tactics and came clean with the public.”(Image: James Veysey/Shutterstock)Today09:43 BSTInside the 'Burnham bounce' sending Labour past ReformFor the first time since March last year, the Labour party is finally ahead of Reform in the polls.On Monday a poll by More In Common put Labour four percentage points ahead of Reform, with 28% to 24%. And the following day separate polling by Survation also suggested Labour under Andy Burnham has pulled ahead of Nigel Farage's party, on 26% compared to 24%. On Friday a third poll showed a five point lead, with Labour on 28% and Reform on 23%.The week also saw Labour to victory in the Greater Manchester Mayoralty election, with Bev Craig winning 309,525 votes, beating Reform's Sian Astley on 157,178. A comfortable win, it means Reform has lost six by-elections in a row, plus a Mayoral race.This “Burnham bounce” comes at a time when things are also looking up for the Tories, who seem to be winning back some of the voters who fled for Reform.Today09:39 BSTCount Binface could score 20 percent of Clacton vote, new poll findsCount Binface could score up to 20 percent of the vote in Clacton, a new poll has found.The poll, from Survation, found that Farage would win 73 percent following the byelection later this month, on a low turnout. The share is just 7.9 percent less than the 27.9 percent the Conservatives won in 2024, and just under half of the 46.2 share Farage won.Count Binface could come in second in the by-election(Image: Getty Images)Today09:28 BSTEx-Royal Navy commander's brutal takedown of Farage small boat planTom Sharpe, a former commander of the Royal Navy, has brutally taken down Reform's small boats plan, saying the vital arm of the UK's military is "not best used ferrying people around".Content cannot be displayed without consentToday09:24 BSTPolice 'probe £500k donations to Reform by mum of convicted fraudster'Police are reportedly investigating donations totalling £500,000 made to Reform UK by the mum of a convicted fraudster, it emerged last month.Detectives are understood to be probing two payments of £250,000 by Fiona Cottrell, whose son George is a key ally of Nigel Farage. It is reported that investigators are looking at whether the true source of the money was concealed and if the sum came from an impermissible donor. This could include people who are not registered to vote in the UK and companies based overseas. Political parties are legally obliged not to accept money from such sources.Data from the Electoral Commission shows Mrs Cottrell, 67, made two £250,000 donations to Reform UK ahead of the general election. These were registered on May 9 and 29 2024. They were the first political donations made in her name, and last year she donated a further £250,000.Read the full story here.Today08:48 BSTNigel Farage pressure over £5million giftNigel Farage has in recent months faced increasing pressure over his personal finances - as well as how Reform UK is funded.The Reform UK leader has faced questions over a £5million gift he received and failed to declare from Thai-based cryptocurrency billionaire Christopher Harborne has been paused since he quit as an MP.A standards probe into the gift was launched in May into whether he broke broke Parliamentary rules requiring new MPs to declare any potentially relevant gifts or donations received in the 12 months before they enter the Commons. It will be restarted if he is re-elected as an MP in next week's Clacton by-election.Mr Farage had insisted the cash was to pay for his security. However, in interviews since, the rattled Reform leader said it was not the public's business how he spends the £5million and that he was free to splash it on Ferraris or betting on horseracing if he wanted.He triggered a by-election in Clacton after facing mounting pressure over the gift, claiming that it was up to his constituents to judge him. None of the other major parties are standing candidates in the race as they dismissed it as a "gimmick" and a "stunt".Today09:19 BSTNigel Farage to hold press conference todayNigel Farage will break cover to hold a press conference at 11am today.It will be the first London press conference from the Reform UK leader for months. Mr Farage has been laying low since he last month dramatically quit as the MP for Clacton to trigger a by-election in the area.This time last year, Reform UK was holding weekly press conferences over the summer. But in recent months, as pressure grows over Mr Farage's finances, the party has scurried away from scrutiny.Read our piece here on all the scandals that led to the bombshell by-election announcement.‌