Friday evening news briefing: We’ll stop taking free clothes, say Starmer and Rayner

Good evening. Sir Keir Starmer, Angela Rayner and Rachel Reeves will not accept free clothing in the future.

Elsewhere in today’s newsletter, Nigel Farage has admitted that “amateurism” cost Reform UK at the general election, and a top Hezbollah commander has been killed in a “targeted” airstrike in Beirut.

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We’ll stop taking free clothes, say Starmer and Rayner

Number 10 sources have confirmed that the Prime Minister, the Deputy Prime Minister and the Chancellor will make the change. It comes after Labour MPs called for Sir Keir to vow to stop taking gifts following days of negative headlines about his use of donations, including for clothes. The Labour leader and his wife had accepted money from the Labour peer Lord Alli for clothing, with Sir Keir also getting donations for new glasses.

Farage: ‘Amateurism’ cost Reform UK at general election

The party leader said: “At that stage of our development, we weren’t big enough, wealthy enough, professional enough to vet general election candidates properly, and that amateurism let us down.” Mr Farage said having Zia Yusuf as the new Reform chairman “has already made a massive difference” in making Reform more professional – follow live updates.