The UK Statistics Authority has ruled that Sir Keir Starmer's claim that Labour would spend "£270 billion more on defence" was "incorrect and misleading", a finding that also drew in the Ministry of Defence and the Wales Office, as the Home Office published figures showing referrals to the Prevent counter-terrorism programme at a record high and Norfolk Police handled a second night of anti-immigration disorder in Thetford in which a female officer was seriously bitten. This is UKFCP's Thursday 24 hours in politics round-up.
The ruling reaches back into the Starmer years at a moment when Andy Burnham's government is barely a fortnight old, having taken office on 20 July, and eight days out from the Clacton by-election, where Nigel Farage is standing to return to the Commons against a record field of 34 candidates. Immigration, policing and the integrity of government numbers ran through the day, while the Burnham administration's own announcements were largely domestic: mental health walk-in centres, heat planning for the NHS and renters' rights funding in London.
Watchdog finds defence spending claim 'incorrect and misleading'
The UK Statistics Authority upheld a complaint over how defence spending had been presented, concluding that the former prime minister's wording misrepresented the figure. Sir Keir told MPs in March that Labour would spend "£270 billion more on defence than we would otherwise have done" over this Parliament.
The authority found the £270bn referred to total planned defence expenditure across the parliamentary term, not an additional increase. In a letter published on Tuesday, the authority's interim chair, Penny Young, said the wording was "incorrect and misleading", adding that statisticians inside the Ministry of Defence had raised concerns with communications officials.
"Labour's lies on defence spending have been completely exposed," said shadow defence secretary James Cartlidge, who complained to the watchdog.
Cartlidge made the comments to the Telegraph. The Wales Office was also drawn in after a post on X said the government was "increasing defence spending by £270bn over this Parliament to strengthen our national security". The department told the authority the figure "was a mistake, and was amended as soon as it was noticed", and on 5 June posted instead that the government is "investing £270bn in defence over this Parliament". It said it had reviewed its press office lines and quality assurance process on the subject.
Full Fact has previously established that the yearly planned totals for the Ministry of Defence between 2025/26 and 2028/29 add to £272.2bn — a total, not a cumulative uplift. The Institute for Fiscal Studies had earlier described a related £13.4bn figure as "misleadingly large", arguing that moving from 2.3% to 2.5% of GDP was worth about £6bn a year.
No response from Sir Keir Starmer, Downing Street, the Ministry of Defence or the Treasury had been issued by Thursday afternoon. The department whose statisticians raised concerns was until last month run by John Healey, whom Burnham moved to the Treasury as Chancellor.
Prevent referrals reach record 10,293
The Home Office published new Prevent statistics on Thursday showing 10,293 referrals covering 9,957 people in the year to September — a 39% rise on the 7,408 recorded in the previous 12 months, and the highest annual figure since records began in 2015. Hundreds of children under 10 were among those referred.
Ethnicity is not mandatory on the referral form. Of the 5,315 referrals where it was recorded, 52% of the total, 3,600 (68%) were white, 949 (18%) Asian, 401 (8%) black and 365 (7%) recorded as "other".
The Home Office said the 10-year high could be attributed in part to the 2024 Southport attacks, according to BBC News — a shift from the previous release, when the department said trends "cannot be directly attributed to the Southport attack".
Funding has moved in the opposite direction. GB News reported in June that Home Office spending on Prevent had fallen from £41m in 2021-22 to £25m this financial year, a drop of 39%, with only eight of London's 32 boroughs now receiving Prevent funding, down from 21.
Officer bitten as Thetford disorder enters second night
Two men were arrested after a second consecutive night of anti-immigration disorder in the Norfolk town, in which a female officer was seriously bitten and a male officer struck with a rock. Two officers were taken to hospital.
Norfolk Police said officers were called at about 9.30pm on Wednesday to reports that a group on Clover Way were "trying to gain access to a residential property", and that members of the group became physically aggressive.
Brian Thompson, 68, of Fairfields, Thetford, has been charged with possession of an offensive weapon, namely a wooden bat, and released on bail to appear at Norwich Magistrates' Court on 25 August. A man in his 40s remained in custody. A man in his 30s arrested over Tuesday's incidents was released with a conditional caution.
On Tuesday, the force said, a group who did not live at an address on St John's Way "attempting to get inside and smashed a window, and damaged a fence panel and letter box", with a resident reporting between 30 and 50 people. Windows were smashed at a second address, and on Elm Road a smaller group entered a property, forced out the resident and stole their mobile phone.
Reports circulated locally that asylum seekers had been moved into a house in the area by the Home Office, a claim the department has not confirmed. Terry Jermy, Labour MP for South West Norfolk, said: "People have been pulled from their homes – a place of safety – and forcibly removed", adding: "I utterly condemn this behaviour."
Assistant Chief Constable Julie Dean said: "We will always facilitate and support the right to peaceful protest." The force added: "We will not stand by and allow violence to take place."
Reform UK pledges jail for bosses and cash for tip-offs
Reform UK said it would jail company bosses and fine firms 10% of their global revenues for employing illegal migrant workers, holding employers liable even if unaware of a worker's immigration status. Directors and chief executives would face criminal liability under a strict liability system the party likened to Financial Conduct Authority rules on financial misconduct.
The party also announced a public phone line for reporting suspected illegal working, which police and bodies such as trading standards would be required to follow up, with informants receiving a share of any resulting fines. Zia Yusuf said the exact percentage "will be in the final legislation that we pass".
"Under a Reform government, Britain will have the harshest penalties in the world for employing illegal migrants," Yusuf said. "There are companies whose entire business model is based on profiting from illegal working." He accused Labour and the Conservatives of making Britain "the softest-touch country in the world for illegal migrants to undercut British workers".
A Home Office source called some of the proposals "empty posturing". A spokesperson pointed to existing fines of up to £60,000 per illegal worker, business closures, licence revocations and prison sentences of up to five years, with right-to-work checks being extended to the gig economy and delivery sector. Departmental figures published in January showed 12,791 visits and arrests linked to illegal working in 2025, up 57% from 8,122.
Separately, a BBC investigation found more than 1,900 mini marts, vape shops and car washes remain licensed to sponsor foreign workers under a specialist scheme, despite rules tightened in July 2025 to restrict the route mostly to graduate-level jobs paying at least £41,700.
Backbench pressure on the Chancellor over student loans
More than 120 MPs and peers have written to Chancellor John Healey calling for an "urgent review" of student loan repayments, describing repayment rates as an "unsustainable burden", according to BBC News. The signatory count and any Treasury response could not be independently confirmed. It is the first significant backbench test of Healey's Treasury.
Also on Thursday
- Kemi Badenoch said she was concerned child sex offenders could be freed from jail early, calling the release of "serious criminals" a "betrayal of victims", according to BBC News.
- The health secretary said the NHS must plan for heatwaves as it does for winter, after a surge in patients and problems with equipment in high temperatures. The government also announced plans for a network of nearly 200 specialist walk-in mental health services in England, sited in locations including banks and libraries.
- Mayor of London Sadiq Khan announced funding to help private renters in the capital use their new rights under the Renters' Rights Act and challenge rogue landlords.
- Green Party leader Zack Polanski defended Cambridge professor Jason Arday, who resigned amid a new investigation into his qualifications, Sky News reported.
- A Reform UK constituency Facebook page criticised a Plaid Cymru minister for speaking publicly about her husband's death, according to BBC News.
- UK police confirmed that Ugandan boxers were unaccounted for after failing to return home from the 2026 Commonwealth Games.
Looking ahead
The Clacton by-election is held on Thursday 13 August, with every other main party boycotting the contest against Farage. The Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards' investigation into an undeclared £5m gift, suspended when he resigned the seat on 8 July, resumes if he returns to the Commons.
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