Nigel Farage has broken parliamentary rules by filming on the roof of the Palace of Westminster, The i Paper can reveal.
The Reform UK leader marked his return to Westminster, after being re-elected in the Clacton by-election last month, with a 37-second social media clip on the roof just below Big Ben, which he said was “bonging” as he spoke.
Parliamentary authorities do not allow unauthorised photography or filming anywhere on the parliamentary estate.
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Caption: In this frame grab from a video, passengers wearing life jackets wait atop a capsized passenger vessel to be rescued off the coast of Girne, in the Turkish-occupied northern part of Cyprus, Sunday, Aug. 30, 2026. (DHA via AP)
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news
Children among 20 missing after Cyprus ferry sinking
A specialist team equipped to search deep waters was due to arrive from Turkey on Tuesday as emergency crews pressed on with efforts to find 20 people missing after a ferry capsized off northern Cyprus.
What happened?
Caption: In this frame grab from video, rescued passengers wearing life jackets are evacuated by boat after a passenger vessel capsized off the coast of Girne, in the Turkish-occupied northern part of Cyprus, Sunday, Aug. 30, 2026. (DHA via AP)
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Source: DHA
A ferry carrying 267 people capsized and sank off the coast of northern Cyprus on Sunday.
The Filo Jet left the town of Kyrenia and soon started to take on water.
Survivors reported the ferry moving erratically, with its last hard impact with the water’s surface breaking the bow of the vessel.
Everything we know so far
There are still 20 people unaccounted for, including an unknown number of children.
Passengers interviewed in local media claim they begged the captain to turn around, then were left scrambling for life jackets.
Captain Mustafa Oz, 66, and seven crew members have been arrested over the incident.
Caption: KYRENIA, TRNC – SEPTEMBER 1: TCG Isin takes part in ongoing search and rescue operations by sea and air for 18 people who went missing after a passenger vessel capsized off the coast of Kyrenia in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) on September 1, 2026. Search and rescue efforts continue without interruption to locate the missing people. (Photo by Harun Ozalp/Anadolu via Getty Images)
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2 min read
Search efforts continue
Visiting Kyrenia on Monday, Tufan Erhürman, president of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, which is not recognised by the UK, said the search would “continue with the same intensity, with no interruption, through the day and night”.
A mother, Ayten Bicer, felt her 12-year-old daughter slip from her hands and disappear as the ferry capsized. Her daughter and son, six, are among the missing.
Caption: KYRENIA, TRNC – AUGUST 31: President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), Tufan Erhurman, delivers a statement regarding the passenger vessel that capsized off the coast of Kyrenia, in Kyrenia, TRNC, on August 31, 2026. (Photo by Harun Ozalp/Anadolu via Getty Images)
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Caption: People react as they await news of their loved ones outside the port in Kyrenia, in the self-proclaimed Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), recognised only by Turkey, on August 30, 2026, after a ferry capsized off the coast. A passenger ferry capsized and sank off Northern Cyprus on August 30, killing at least seven people and leaving 23 missing, officials said, as a rescue operation was under way. (Photo by Jewel SAMAD / AFP via Getty Images)
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politics
Badenoch’s Tory reshuffle – what you need to know
After she took over as leader of the Tory Party almost two years ago, Kemi Badenoch pledged not to hold a reshuffle before the next general election.
That she has now broken her pledge and dispatched Mel Stride and Priti Patel shows, insiders say, that she is finally strong enough to create a top team in her own mould.
What are the big changes?
Badenoch has ruthlessly dispatched Stride as shadow chancellor.
Patel has also been replaced as shadow foreign secretary.
MPs Andrew Griffith and Tom Tugendhat will replace them.
Damien Hinds has been selected as the new shadow Health Secretary, while Katie Lam comes in on housing.
3 min read
Tories stuck in the polls
One reason for the shakeup is the Conservatives’ position treading water in the shallow end of the polls.
“It’s partly because the Tories are stuck in the polls and can’t budge forward, so they hope a refreshed team will do it. Only time will tell,” one Tory source said.
The latest BMG poll for The i Paper, published this weekend, puts Labour on 27 per cent, Reform on 23 per cent and the Tories on just 18 per cent.
The contradiction for Badenoch is that her personal ratings are improving.
Stride biggest casualty of reshuffle
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Handout photo issued by the House of Commons of Shadow Chancellor Sir Mel Stride speaking as
Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves makes an economic update statement to MPs on the Middle East in the House of Commons, London Picture date: Tuesday April 21, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: House of Commons/PA Wire
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Stride was one of the biggest names relegated to the backbenches. One insider revealed: “Mel isn’t well liked across the party and hasn’t really waded in on big things.”
They added, though, that he had been held back by a lack of staff – which will need to be remedied if Griffith is to perform better.
Big Read
5 min read
Everything else to know
Chris Philp survived the cull to remain as shadow Home Secretary. One insider said he “works hard” and had begun to get some traction on illegal immigration.
Lam has become the new shadow Secretary for Housing. She replaces James Cleverly, who announced on Saturday that he was quitting to run in the next London Mayor election.
The appointment of Griffith as shadow Chancellor shows Badenoch plans to prioritise the economy in her next election pitch.
news
Trump may review US stance on Falkland Islands
A return to military conflict seems unlikely, but Argentina is using diplomatic and economic pressure to build their case for ownership of the islands. (Photo by Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images)
Donald Trump has indicated he is reviewing the US stance on Britain’s sovereignty over the Falkland Islands.
The US has typically remained neutral on the Falkland Islands, while recognising British administration of them.
What did Trump say?
I always review every position. That’s just one of many.
Trump said the US stance on the status of the Falklands is “one of many” positions he is considering.
In April, a Pentagon memo was leaked suggesting the US could recognise Argentina’s claim to the islands to punish Britain for not joining the war on Iran.
US officials also reportedly considered including the option as a way to pressure the UK to hit its Nato spending targets.
Caption: WASHINGTON, DC – AUGUST 31: U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a healthcare affordability event in the Oval Office at the White House on August 31, 2026 in Washington, DC. President Trump announced that nearly a dozen pharmaceutical manufacturers have agreed to lower the price of their medications to match their prices outside of the United States. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
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The British response
Chancellor John Healey told The Times he was not aware of a suggestion that the US position could change.
“The Falkland Islands will remain British as long as the Falkland Islands want that to happen,” he added.
Caption: The Falklands Conflict, April – June 1982, Naval Party 8901, the Royal Marine garrison of the Falkland Islands evicted by the Argentine invaders, with the Falkland Islands flag outside Government House, Port Stanley, after the Argentine surrender, June 1982. (Photo by Royal Navy Official Photographer/ Crown Copyright. Imperial War Museums via Getty Images)
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Caption: TOPSHOT – Argentina’s midfielder #11 Giovani Lo Celso adjusts a banner reading “The Malvinas (Falkland Islands) belong to Argentina,” after winning the 2026 World Cup football tournament semi-final match between England and Argentina at the Atlanta Stadium in Atlanta on July 15, 2026. (Photo by Jewel SAMAD / AFP via Getty Images)
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But last week, a US official told The Telegraph that Washington may change its position over the islands if the UK doesn’t meet its defence spending commitments.
Trump wades into Falkands dispute
It’s the first time Trump has commented on the islands’ sovereignty.
The UK would struggle to defend the Falklands if Trump followed through on threats to withdraw US support for British sovereignty, analysts have warned.
Analysis
2 min read
Explained
4 min read
Uk politics
Starmer to step down as MP and trigger by-election
Sir Keir Starmer gives a final speech outside 10 Downing Street after resigning as prime minister (Photo: Wiktor Szymanowicz/Getty)
Former prime minister Sir Keir Starmer is to quit Parliament, saying he felt it was the “right time” to step down as an MP just weeks after leaving Downing Street.
His resignation will trigger a by-election in his Holborn and St Pancras constituency, where Starmer’s majority was cut by 17 per cent in the 2024 election amid anger over Gaza.
What we know so far
Starmer told the Camden New Journal he had spent the summer reflecting and decided it was the “right time” to go.
He said he intends to focus on international affairs – including defence, security, trade and technology.
Green Party leader Zack Polanski could use the by-election to make a run for Parliament.
3 min read
What has Starmer said?
It has been a huge honour and privilege to represent the best constituency in the country and to have taken over from Frank Dobson, who was such a great constituency MP and a member of the last Labour government.
keir starmer in the camden new journal
Caption: LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 5: Labour leader Keir Starmer speaks after winning the constituency of Holborn and St Pancras during the UK general election on July 5, 2024 in London, England. Labour Leader Sir Keir Starmer holds Holborn and St Pancras with 18884 votes. (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)
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What next for the former PM?
Starmer said he intends to pursue a career working on international affairs and continue his long-running campaign against violence against women and girls.
He has already been linked with the post of NATO secretary-general when Mark Rutte’s term ends in 2028, although there is no suggestion that he has formally put himself forward for the position.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks with the media as he arrives for a NATO summit (Photo: AP)
3 min read
MPs are normally allowed to film clips or take photos at fixed points around Westminster. But the roof is particularly sensitive due to safety and security reasons.
The i Paper understands that no permission to film on the roof was sought by or granted to Reform or Farage.
A House of Commons spokesperson said: “Unauthorised photography or filming is not permitted on the parliamentary estate.
“Where it is seen or reported to be happening, the individual in question will be asked to stop and reminded of the rules.
“Where breaches are observed or reported, the Serjeant at Arms will discuss with (or write to) the Member involved to clarify, remind of and reiterate the rules.”
While Farage and his party are likely to receive a slap on the wrist for the breach, his fellow MP Lee Anderson was reprimanded by Parliament’s standards commissioner in 2023 for filming on the roof.
Daniel Greenberg accepted that the breach was “inadvertent” but ordered Anderson, then the Tory party deputy chair, to apologise and undertake to not repeat it.
Farage was sworn back in as an MP in the Commons on Tuesday following his Clacton by-election win (Photo: House of Commons/PA)
Farage posted his video on X underneath the caption: “Guess who’s back.”
In it he said: “Well it’s the first day back in Parliament after the by-election, Big Ben bonging. And have a look at where we are – I mean this whole building is extraordinary.
“And yes, it needs a fortune spending on it to keep it up to speed, but it is a magnificent place.
“I’m pleased to be back with an increased majority and more votes than we got in the general election, and what a day because it’s going to be Andy Burnham’s first speech to Parliament as Prime Minister.
“You never know, I might get my chance to ask him a question.”
Farage thanked the voters of Clacton and added: “I will do my best.”
Reform has been contacted for comment.