Andy Burnham latest: Labour MP’s last potential leadership threat Al Carns backs PM-in-waiting

The 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.

If no other challengers come forward, Mr Burnham will become Labour leader next Friday.

If 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.

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.

Reform 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.

Despite 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.