Farage’s partner refuses to confirm how she paid for house in his constituency

Nigel Farage’s partner, Laure Ferrari, has refused to confirm how she paid for a house in the Reform leader and MP’s constituency of Clacton, adding “there’s more than one way to pay for a house”.In an interview with French publication Le Monde, Ferrari was questioned over revelations in the Guardian that she had purchased a house in her name in Clacton after Farage had claimed to be the buyer.Farage initially said the arrangement was for “security” reasons. Some months later, he told reporters that Ferrari came from “a very wealthy French family and can afford it” – although a subsequent BBC investigation raised further questions about the size of her family’s alleged wealth.Quizzed by Le Monde on the issue, the publication said she “dodged” the question

‘Close to zero impact’: US study casts doubt on effect of phone ban in schools

Strict bans on mobile phones in schools have “close to zero” impact on student learning and show no evidence of improvements in attendance or online bullying, a study has found.Researchers at US universities including Stanford and Duke looked at nearly 1,800 US schools where students’ phones were kept in locked pouches and found little or no differences in outcomes compared with similar schools without strict bans.The report concluded that among schools instituting a ban: “For academic achievement, average effects on test scores are consistently close to zero.”The results will come as a disappointment to teaching unions and campaigners in England who backed the government’s recent move to restrict the use of mobile phones in schools. A ban is likely to come into force next year

Greens must take immediate action against antisemitism in party, says Lucas

The former Green leader Caroline Lucas has called for the party to take immediate action against candidates who have made antisemitic comments or posts, following a series of cases before Thursday’s elections.Lucas, who led or co-led the party for six years and served as its first MP, said that while the number of such cases was limited, they could not be ignored.“Statements that have now come to light from a handful of @TheGreenParty candidates are totally unacceptable & require immediate action,” she wrote on X. “There’s no place for antisemitism or any hate speech in the party. This is a society-wide problem and needs to be rooted out wherever it’s found

Vote Lib Dem or ‘regret it’ living under a Reform council, Davey tells voters

Voters in the home counties will “regret it for a long time” if they do not back the Liberal Democrats and wake up to a Reform-led council, Ed Davey has said.The Lib Dems leader has identified five councils – East Surrey, West Surrey, Hampshire, West Sussex and Huntingdonshire – where his party could win overall control, as well as swathes of the former “blue wall” where Davey said it was a “straight fight” between his party and Reform at the English local elections.More than 5,000 councillors will be elected on Thursday, with more than half of these being in either London or the south-east. Some projections show the Lib Dems gaining 500 seats, with Labour losing as many as 1,800. The Greens are also expected to gain hundreds of seats, with top projections putting the figure at 1,700

Reform UK plan to set up migrant detention centres in Green-voting areas condemned by other parties – as it happened

A Reform UK proposal to prioritise places that vote for Green councils or MPs when it sets up detention centres for migrants facing deportation has been denounced as “abhorrent” from opponents across the political spectrum.Reform says it would deport “all illegal migrants” and, to make this possible, it has announced plans for deportation centres holding up to 24,000 people.In a post on social media, Zia Yusuf, Reform’s home affairs spokesperson, said that these would be located in Green-voting areas. He explained:double quotation markSo here’s our promise:A Reform government will not put any migrant detention facilities in any constituency with a Reform MP.Nor will we put them where Reform controls the council

Be careful who you vote for in local elections on Thursday | Brief letters

There is much in the news about people using the local elections on 7 May to send a protest message to the government and to Keir Starmer in particular. I would urge people to remember that this election is for councillors to run local services. Their remit will be to deliver services including social care, schools, housing, planning, waste collection and pest control. Do you really think that parties such as Reform UK have the skills or mindset for this? Be careful what you wish for, and save any protest vote for the next general election.Viv PertLondon These are such uncertain times, especially for Keir Starmer (Labour MPs say ‘endless drama’ of leadership speculation must stop, 4 May)

Saplings in prisons and bogs on military ranges: Labour’s plans for nature-friendly state land

Tree nurseries could be built at prisons, and military ranges could be turned into heathland or peat bogs as part of an ambitious plan to make government land more nature-friendly, the environment secretary has said.Speaking before elections this week in which Labour is under pressure from the Green party, Emma Reynolds said such projects showed the government’s intent in restoring natural habitats.Under a scheme due to be confirmed in the coming weeks, land owned by the Department for Transport around roads and rail lines would have more “green bridges” to help wildlife move safely. Another possibility would be a greater use of solar panels on government buildings.The projects would aim to bring wider improvements, with the tree nurseries on Ministry of Justice land intended to also help with prisoners’ welfare

Why UK voters are impossible to satisfy | Brief letters

Zoe Williams is right to question if voters can ever be satisfied (Are our prime ministers the problem – or is the UK ungovernable?, 27 April). The problem governments face is trying to make social promises of quality public services through an economic model that doesn’t work for the majority. Unless we can ditch neoliberalism, which rewards capital not labour, inequality will continue to frustrate voters and defeat governments.Rosie SmithsonFelixstowe, Suffolk I was entertained by Donald Trump’s accusation that “so many people are incensed by [Jimmy] Kimmel’s despicable call to violence”, while Melania explained “Kimmel’s hateful and violent rhetoric is intended to divide our country” (Jimmy Kimmel defends Melania ‘widow’ joke after the Trumps call for him to be fired, 28 April). A case of the Potus calling the Kimmel black

Starmer adviser held 16 undisclosed meetings with top US tech bosses

An influential government adviser close to Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves held 16 undisclosed meetings with top US tech executives, the Guardian can reveal.The No 10 business aide Varun Chandra discussed regulatory changes, AI and Donald Trump’s second administration with tech corporations during confidential meetings between October 2024 and October 2025. In one meeting he offered to help a top executive meet the prime minister directly.Chandra’s dealings with six major technology companies – Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Oracle, Apple and Meta – took place as the government developed policies to secure investment from Silicon Valley, including multimillion-pound energy subsidies and preferential planning approval for datacentres in what ministers have called AI growth zones.While largely unknown outside Westminster, Chandra, who ran a corporate intelligence firm founded by former British spies before joining government, is a central figure in Downing Street and is a key champion of the government’s push for economic growth