UK politics: Your Party’s Sultana suggests ‘electoral alliances’ could help stop Farage – as it happened

Zarah Sultana, who co-founded Your Party with former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn over the summer, said “there has to be conversations around electoral alliances” as she suggested this could help stop Nigel Farage, the Reform UK party leader, from becoming prime minister at the next general election.

Young people on benefits will be offered job opportunities in construction and hospitality in an attempt to halt the rise in youth unemployment. Ministers have announced an £820m package aimed at helping almost one million get off benefits and into work. However, a thinktank has warned the overall effects of the scheme could be harmful if the threat of sanctions pushes people into unsuitable or insecure jobs.

The former head of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, Lady Kishwer Falkner, said she is “confused” why Nigel Farage cannot “just offer an unreserved apology for any distress caused” over his alleged behaviour as a schoolboy at Dulwich College, telling Sky News “that would be the most genuine thing to say if he’s genuinely not a racist”.

The shadow work and pensions secretary, Helen Whately, was also asked about the Guardian’s investigation into Farage’s alleged racist and antisemitic behaviour as a teenager towards fellow Dulwich college pupils. She suggested that the Reform UK leader appears not to be giving “straight answers” when asked about his past behaviour and needs to be honest with the public.

The prime minister, Keir Starmer, has predicted that Angela Rayner will return to the cabinet, calling his former deputy, who resigned in September after underpaying stamp duty on a property purchase, “hugely talented”.

Thanks for joining us. We are closing this blog now. You can find all our latest coverage of UK politics here.