Andy Burnham responds to Piddington independence referendum after overwhelming result

Andy Burnham has responded to Piddington's independence referendum after residents voted to leave the UK.

The Oxfordshire village of 350 residents is fighting an extensive campaign against Labour's attempt to parachute 1,256 undocumented male asylum seekers into a nearby former Ministry of Defence base.

Locals have spoken out against fears of being outnumbered by the unvetted foreigners while women in the village have taken up self-defence lessons.

Ever since the result, pressure has been mounting on the Prime Minister to weigh in on the matter, who has now said he understands Britain's "strength of feeling" about migration.

With a staggering turnout of 92 per cent, 285 villagers backed "independence" while 26 residents voted against the motion.

This morning, he said: "The only thing to do is to get the number of crossings down. They are down - they are at a seven-year-low.

"We also made a commitment to people to end the use of hotels which needs to be honoured. I think majority of people says it needs to proceed. It involves difficult decisions.

"It's about fairness across the country. I will look at the issues being raised by people in Piddington and referendum - but needs to be a fair plan and keeping the numbers down."

FOLLOW ALONG FOR LIVE UPDATES THROUGHOUT THE DAY...

Andy Burnham left scrambling to fill £10bn hole as Britons warned 'tax rises or spending cuts inevitable'

Andy Burnham is scrambling to fill a £10billion hole in the public purse as Britons are warned that tax rises or spending cuts are "inevitable".

Ahead of the ever-looming Budget next month, Whitehall's money watchdog, the Office for Budget Responsibility, is currently examining the state of the UK economy.

Their assessment is then used to work out the price of debt interest, which then has a major impact on the Chancellor's plans.

A top Whitehall source said the timing of John Healey's inaugural Budget was "hugely challenging" due to rising pressures from the Iran war.

Now, leading financial experts have warned that the tax rises - or spending cuts - will be "inevitable" as Mr Healey looks for ways to expand his headroom, which is said to have dropped from £23billion to a mere £5billion.

In the public eye, the Chancellor has informed markets he would commit to a "buffer", although he is yet to expand on this promise.

The Budget will be held on October 28.

'People are sick of it!' Chris Philp tells Labour to 'wake up' and leave the ECHR following Piddington referendum

The Tories have told Labour to "wake up" and leave the European Convention on Human Rights following the Piddington "referendum".

Chris Philp, the Shadow Home Secretary, said: "Piddington’s villagers have spoken - not just for themselves, but for the whole country.

"People are sick of illegal immigrants being foisted on them – whether accommodated in expensive hotels, flats, or military sites.

"We know that these mainly young men have a high propensity to commit rape and sexual assault against women and girls as young as just 12. One illegal immigrant in an asylum hotel even murdered Rhiannon Whyte.

"The Government must now urgently wake up and adopt the Conservative plan to leave the ECHR so illegal immigrants can be rapidly deported – not foisted on communities around the country.

"This should also be a wakeup call for anyone who voted Lib Dem - a party even weaker on border control than Labour."

Zia Yusuf hits out at Labour's 'failure to stop the boats' following Piddington protest referendum

Zia Yusuf has condemned Labour's "failure to stop the boats" in light of Piddington villagers voting to leave the UK.

The small Oxfordshire village has been fighting back against plans to house 1,250 male, undocumented migrants in a former Ministry of Defence site.

Reform's Home Affairs spokesman said: "The result in Piddington is evidence that the British people are at breaking point with the illegal migrant invasion.

"Villagers chose to symbolically vote to leave the UK in order to force Labour to acknowledge the real human impact that its failure to stop the boats is having.

"When I visited, mothers told me they were taking self-defence classes with their daughters, while fathers said they were worried sick about the safety of their families.

"But this isn’t isolated to Piddington. In Portsmouth, we saw 140 illegal migrants arrive with a police escort. In Essex, hundreds of single male migrants are being housed at Wethersfield and transported into nearby towns every day.

"Working-class people have suffered illegals being dumped in their areas for years and the media has totally ignored it.

"Reform UK will ensure this ends. We will stop the boats in the first 100 days of a Reform Government and detain and deport all illegal migrants from Britain."

Zack Polanski delivers message to by-election voters... in FRENCH

Zack Polanski has delivered yet another controversial message to voters in the upcoming by-election.

This time, the Green Party leader opted to address the electorate in French despite a mere two per cent of the constituency's population speaking the language.

Still, it is an increase on the number of people who speak Urdu as their main language (139, as of 2021).

Mr Polanski was ridiculed after the former amateur hynotherapist decided to push out a Urdu campaign video on Monday.

Andy Burnham shares heartfelt message following father's death

Andy Burnham has shared a heartfelt message, thanking those who have shown "warmth and compassion" following his father's death.

This morning, he said: "We are grateful to everyone who has shared a kind message about my dad, particularly the leaders of the other parties.

"My family and I have been helped though this difficult time by people’s warmth and compassion. It means a great deal to us and we wanted to say thank you."

Lisa Nandy to consider new legislation to protect Britain's monuments after vandal who 'desecrated' Winston Churchill statue is cleared

Lisa Nandy has confirmed she will consider new legislation to protect the country's monuments after the "desecration" of the statue of Winston Churchill.

Speaking to GB News, the Culture Secretary declared the nation's "culture and heritage belongs to us" and should not be "defaced" by people on the left or the right.

The pledge comes after a Dutch activist who defaced Winston Churchill’s statue in London was found not guilty of criminal damage.

Olax Outis, who also goes by the name of Caspar San Giorgio, climbed the statue in London's Parliament Square in February and sprayed the words 'Free Palestine' and 'Zionist war criminal' on the monument of the former Prime Minister.

WATCH THE INTERVIEW HERE.

Labour branded 'amateurs with a bunch of pet projects' as inflation rises to 3.1% - 'Every family is paying the price'

Labour has been branded "amateurs with a bunch of pet projects" as inflationi rises to 3.1 per cent.

Andrew Griffith MP, the Shadow Chancellor, said: "Inflation is now at 3.1 per cent meaning that every family is paying the price for Labour’s choices.

"Labour's jobs tax and employment red tape are being passed on to consumers in the weekly shop and their mad energy policies are pushing up costs and leaving Brits exposed.

"In difficult times, we need a serious government with a plan, not amateurs with a bunch of pet projects."

Labour REFUSES to rule out tax hikes ahead of mounting fears Britons could be in for bludgeoning Budget

Labour has persistently refused to rule out tax hikes ahead of mounting fears Britons could be in for a bludgeoning Budget next month.

At the start of September, during Andy Burnham's first Prime Minister's Questions, he was accused of dodging questions on possible tax rises.

The "King of the North" repeatedly grilled by Tory leader Kemi Badenoch over a £14billion blackhole in public finances.

Mrs Badenoch, who warned the Prime Minister his "honeymoon is over", said: "The markets are clearly worried that we now have a spendthrift Prime Minister who wants to say yes to everyone but cannot tell us where the money is coming from.

"He needs to pay for all his new promises and he has a choice: higher taxes, more borrowing or spending cuts.

"Yesterday, he said change begins with honesty. So will he be honest and tell us is he preparing to raise taxes again, yes or no?"

Mr Burnham replied: "I’m not going to do what any Prime Minister has done and is write the Budget here.

"But can I also say to her and indeed to the whole of her new Shadow Cabinet, the majority of whom were part of a Government that lasted for 49 days, a short-lived Government that crashed confidence in the economy, hammered people’s mortgages.

"She took a decision at the weekend, she removed a shadow chancellor who said that the Truss mini-budget was a mistake and she replaced that shadow chancellor with one that helped write the Truss mini-budget and dare I remind the House that the leader of the Opposition is on record as saying that Liz Truss is 100 per cent right?"

Inflation rises AGAIN as CPI rate hits 3.1% in cost of living blow

The UK's consumer price index (CPI) inflation rate for 12 months to August jumped to 3.1 per cent per cent, according to the latest data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

This is a slight jump from July's 2.9 per cent rate and is attributed to a rise in transport costs, particularly motor fuels, towards the end of summer.

Today's figure comes as a blow to Prime Minister Andy Burnham and Chancellor John Healey ahead of the latter's Budget statement next month on October 28.

It also comes the day before the Bank of England's next base rate update, with many analysts pricing in four hikes to the cost of borrowing over the next 12 months.

READ THE WRITE-UP HERE.

Andy Burnham to face Donald Trump in person for first time amid Falklands and Northern Ireland rows

Andy Burnham is set to face Donald Trump in person for the first time next week amid recent rows over the Falkland Islands and Northern Ireland.

The face-to-face talks are expected to take place on Tuesday while both leaders are in attendance at the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

Although the pair have not met in person, they spoke over the phone shortly after the Prime Minister replaced Sir Keir Starmer at No10 in July.

The US President described the call as "interesting", and revealed that the two discussed North Sea oil, trade, the military alliance and the Strait of Hormuz.

READ MORE HERE.

BRITAIN'S WORK (FROM HOME) FORCE: Labour to make remote working even easier with pro-union 'shirkers' charter'

Labour has pledged to make it even easier to work from home by tightening rules around employers' ability to reject workers' requests.

First Secretary of State Louise Haigh told delegates at the Trade Unions Congress (TUC) in Brighton that firms would need to show they had "properly" weighed up an employee's application before turning it down in future.

"If an employer wants to turn down a request, they will have to sit down with their employee, properly consider and explain why," she said.

"There's kids to pick up. Parents to look after. Families who rely on us at short notice. And sometimes, a little bit of flexibility can make all the difference."

Labour is believed to be planning further legislation under the Employment Rights Act to bolster workers' protections while "flexible working".

READ MORE HERE.