Menzies claims should be investigated by police, Labour says as Starmer has ‘full confidence’ in Rayner – live

Mark Menzies is alleged to have used thousands of pounds given by donors to fund medical expenses and to have made a late-night call to a 78-year-old aide asking for help because he had been locked up by “bad people” demanding money for his release.

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Mr Menzies is the Ayrshire-born Tory MP for Fylde, Lancashire, who won his seat at the 2010 general election.

The University of Glasgow graduate spent years at some of Britain’s biggest supermarkets including Marks & Spencer, which he joined as a graduate trainee in 1994 .

He has been an active member of the Conservative Party since 1987 and was president of his university’s Conservative Association.

More than three-quarters of people fear misinformation and deepfakes will affect forthcoming elections and interfere with the democratic process, according to a new report.

The Future Of Trust study, carried out by tech firm Adobe, found that 94 per cent of people it surveyed in the UK want the government to work with tech companies to regulate artificial intelligence (AI) because of fears around misinformation.

The survey of 2,000 UK adults found that 81 per cent agree that misinformation is one of the biggest threats facing society, with 76 per cent saying they currently find it hard to verify whether online content they see is trustworthy.

A number of high-profile UK politicians, including prime minister Rishi Sunak, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer and London mayor Sadiq Khan, have been the subject of deepfakes in attempts to spread misinformation about them online.

Angela Rayner will reportedly claim that she was not required to pay capital gains when she sold her former council house because the tax was offset with a kitchen renovation.

The Times reports Labour’s deputy will say that the property revamp meant that there was no tax to pay.

Greater Manchester Police has launched an investigation into the saga and is said to be looking at multiple allegations.

Britain needs to boost its economic defences to counter the “security risks” of globalisation, the deputy prime minister is set to warn.

In a speech on Thursday, Oliver Dowden is expected to set out plans to bolster the UK’s ability to deal with “economic security shocks” such as the rise in energy prices following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

He was expected to announce new curbs on trade and investment with China and other countries with frosty relations with the UK.

Labour leads the Conservatives on every major political issue, according to new poll revealing the scale of the challenge facing Rishi Sunak at the general election.

A poll by Tory peer Lord Ashcroft for the Daily Mail found the Tories trailing Labour on the cost of living, NHS and social care and immigration and asylum and other areas traditionally seen as Conservative strengths, such as crime and national security.

Some 34 per cent of voters said Sir Keir Starmer would make the best prime minister, against 19 per cent for Rishi Sunak.