Exclusive: Nigel Farage's "physical altercation" during the State Opening of Parliament was with the Lib Dem MP Caroline Voaden - and has caused an major row between Reform and the Lib Dems. Lib Dem sources say Voaden was left "shocked and shaken" after he "shoved" her to secure a place in the procession of MPs to the King's Speech. Video from the Commons Chamber that day shows Farage and Voaden making their way down from their benches together. Voaden reported the incident to the Serjeant at Arms and says Farage was asked to apologise - but hasn't. A Reform spokesman denies any wrongdoing by Farage, saying "it was the Lib Dem MPs being aggressive towards Nigel". Lib Dems say that is "utter nonsense" Farage said yesterday that the "physical altercation" was the reason he didn't put up a fight to be in the Chamber for the Budget after his prayer card to save a space was removed. He said he thought that after the row with Voaden, it was "better to avoid conflict". But in a further twist, a Commons spokesman says Farage's card was only removed because it didn't have a date stamp, which are required to reserve a spot. Top work by @hope_sapphire here:

Exclusive: Britain’s welfare bill is set to continue to rise even after Andy Burnham’s reforms next year. *Burnham is planning a new welfare bill to cut benefits early next year - probably at the start of a new parliamentary session in April *Around the same time, ministers will announce the Milburn reforms to encourage young people back to work and improvements to disability benefits *The fiscal scorecard for these changes will not be published until the Spending Review later in the year *Under current plans, the upfront cost of Milburn reforms will outweigh any benefit savings for at least two financial years *This means the overall welfare budget will not see any savings until 2030 at the earliest *This timeline pushes back any savings (and reallocation of money eg for defence) until well after the next election Story:

Andy Burnham has held a call with Donald Trump: A Downing Street spokesperson said: “The Prime Minister spoke to the President of the United States, Donald Trump, this afternoon. “The Prime Minister began by wishing President Trump a happy Labor Day. “Turning to the economy, the Prime Minister congratulated the President on the latest US employment figures and noted the positive signs of growth within the UK's own economy. The Prime Minister said the government was building more positivity about the UK and that he was making progress, but with more still to do. “On Ukraine, the two leaders agreed on the need to continue working towards a ceasefire that prevented more loss of life. The Prime Minister reiterated the UK's support for Ukraine and for recent US-led peace negotiations. “On the Middle East, the Prime Minister set out the UK's commitment to working towards peace and security in the region, stressing the importance of the Two-State Solution, the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, and ensuring that Iran never acquires a nuclear weapon. “The leaders looked forward to speaking again soon.”

Exclusive: Iran shut down a British power plant for four days in an unprecedented cyber attack, @Telegraph can reveal tonight. It is thought to be the first time that hackers affiliated to the Iranian regime have succeeded in closing down such a facility in the UK, and believed to be the most successful cyber attack of its kind. The incident took place at the same time as a series of attacks on US water infrastructure that affected 12 states last month. The British attack was on a small electricity producer and had no adverse effect on national power generation or supply. But it demonstrates the power of Iranian hackers to infiltrate and shut down national infrastructure. In response, the Government has briefed energy CEOs on how to keep their facilities safe. Story w/@RozinaSabur and @mattotele