Labour calls on Farage to ‘come clean’ over £5m gift and work with crime agency over money laundering concerns - UK politics live

Lib Dems tell Reform UK leader ‘the game is up’ as political rivals vow to boycott ‘stunt’ Clacton byelection

• Revealed: Farage’s £5m gift reported to UK crime agency over money laundering concerns

Peter Walker is a senior Guardian political correspondent.

Zack Polanski has called for more devolution of powers to an ultra-local level as a way to combat populism and extremism, using a speech at the annual gathering of council bigwigs to argue that too many voters currently felt disconnected from people who govern the country.

I don’t believe that single-handedly will tackle homophobia, racism or indeed any hate crime. But I do strongly believe that returning power back to people’s hands is a huge part of the role we should all be playing as elected public servants – and it’s how we build trust again.

We care deeply about the people of Clacton and Tendring, and we have no intention of helping to legitimise a by-election that appears designed not to serve local residents but to serve Nigel Farage’s personal political ambitions.

We will not stand in this political circus of a by-election.