Dan Woodland
Live reporter

Image source, Jeff Overs/BBC

Another week, another action packed episode of Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg - here's a reminder of what we heard:

Reform's Treasury spokesman Robert Jenrick insisted Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has broken 'no rules whatsoever' following allegations he failed to declare benefits provided by ally George Cottrell.

Farage's spokesperson has denied the allegations.

Jenrick admitted Farage did receive support from Cottrell and stayed at his house "a couple of times" - but stressed that this happened before the Reform leader became an MP for Clacton.

He also dismissed the story as "another attempt" to try and bring Farage down, saying the Reform leader is "not going anywhere" and the party is ready for an early general election.

Health Secretary James Murray was also in the hot seat. He was asked about the use of AI on the NHS app and US-firm Palantir's involvement in the health service.

Murray said Palantir's contract with the NHS is under review and he would like to see more UK firms taking up a role in the health service.

He also reflected on the findings of a review into failings of maternity units in Nottingham and said it was "unacceptable" some senior clinicians refused to take part in the report.

We're ending our live coverage now, we'll be back next week for another instalment of Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg.

On Andy Burnham, the likely next Labour leader and prime minister, Jenrick says he is appearing on the programme today to warn that Burnham will hike taxes.

He says Burnham is not prepared to "cut the ballooning benefits bill" to pay for defence or better public services.

Burnham doesn't have the mandate to raise taxes, Jenrick says, adding the new Makerfield MP should call a general election.

"The country is going down and down and down and that's why we need Reform," he says.

Reform is preparing for an early general election, he adds, vowing the party would be ready to govern if it wins.

"[Farage is] not going anywhere, sorry to disappoint you," Jenrick concludes.

That's all from Reform UK's Robert Jenrick. We'll shortly bring you a recap of all the key points from the programme.

Reform's Treasury spokesman Robert Jenrick is asked about the fresh allegations facing Farage over reports the MP failed to declare benefits provided by an ally who was once convicted of fraud in the US.

The Sunday Times claims Cottrell supplied support for Farage, including security and social media staff and that the Reform leader used a property rented by Cottrell near Buckingham Palace.

Jenrick says Cottrell is an old friend of Farage's and admits he gave the now Reform UK leader support before he became MP for Clacton.

He adds that no rules have been broken "whatsoever" and claims this is a "very old story dredged up" by the Sunday Times to drag Farage down.

When pressed further, Jenrick admits Farage stayed with Cottrell a "couple of times" and Cottrell also paid for Farage's staff before he was an MP.

"You don't have to declare things where they are purely personal," he tells Kuenssberg, again insisting no rules had been broken.

Jenrick says Farage is "without question" the "most endangered person in public life" and needs security as authorites have chosen to do "next to nothing" to help him.

Image source, Getty Images

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has denied allegations he has broken parliamentary rules after a report in the Sunday Times that he had failed to declare benefits provided by ally George Cottrell.

The Sunday Times says George Cottrell supplied support, external including security and social media staff who worked on Farage's online content in the year before he was elected. It also claims Farage used a property rented by Cottrell near Buckingham Palace.

Cottrell, 32, who admitted a count of wire fraud in the US in 2017, is a long-standing ally of Farage. He was involved with UKIP as a volunteer in the run-up to the Brexit referendum.

Separately, Farage is already facing a parliamentary probe over a £5m gift from a billionaire Reform UK donor which was not registered. He has argued that money was for personal security and was not political because it was received when he was not involved in politics.

Image source, Jeff Overs/BBC

Murray is then asked about Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, who has denied new claims that he had broken parliamentary rules following a report in the Sunday Times that he'd failed to declare benefits provided by an ally.

"I think there are a lot questions for him to answer," says Murray.

He says he hasn't read the Sunday Times report, but says the Reform leader has "a bit of a flexible relationship with transparency".

And that's all from the health secretary. Reform's Treasury spokesman will be in the hot seat shortly.

Kuenssberg next asks Murray about a review led by senior midwife Donna Ockenden into the running of maternity units in Nottingham, which found mothers and babies suffered potentially avoidable harm or died due to "deeply embedded systemic failures".

• The review's key findings at a glance

Murray says he visited families in Nottingham a week before the review was published and found their stories of the pain they suffered "really numbing".

He adds that it is "unacceptable" that senior clinicians in Nottingham refused to be involved in the report.

Murray says he would like them to give evidence to the health select committee and warns people could face up to two years in prison if they do not take part in future reviews under the upcoming Hillsborough Law.

Image source, Jeff Overs/BBC

In a back-and-forth about US-firm Palantir's involvement in the NHS, Murray says the "on principle" he wants to see more involvement from British firms in the NHS.

Palantir is a US-headquartered analytics company which won a contract worth up to £330m with NHS England for its Foundry "federated data platform" (FDP) at the end of 2023, which will be up for renewal at the start of next year.

The FDP software is designed to link up otherwise-incompatible databases, fixing an issue that has hampered the NHS, where unrelated IT systems are used in different locations, such as a patient's GP, clinic and hospital.

Murray says involvement from a UK firm in how NHS handles its data will "give people confidence" and "strengthen our sovereignty".

"Trust is so important when we are handling people's data," he adds

Kuenssberg starts by asking the health secretary about the government's "AI triage" announcement, asking if this means a computer is going to decide if patients get to see a doctor?

"No", says Murray, adding that it means investment will be put in to "modernise" the NHS and ensure benefits are are spread out "around the country".

He says AI triage will operate through the NHS app, and will be able to provide advice via AI and reduce waiting on the phone at 08:00.

Murray says it has already been trialled at a GP surgery in Sussex, which saw queues for the 08:00 appointment booking phone call drop by "almost a third".

• For context: Artificial intelligence will be used on the NHS app to determine which service is most appropriate for patients in England, the health service has announced

The programme is under way and Kuenssberg has just sat down to interview Health Secretary James Murray after a short discussion with the panel on Andy Burnham's to-do-list if he becomes PM.

We'll bring you the key lines from the show, and you can watch live above - stay with us.

Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg is about to get under way.

In the hot seat this week it's Health Secretary James Murray and Reform's Treasury spokesman Robert Jenrick.

You can follow the action as it unfolds over the next hour by clicking the watch live button at the top of the page.

A rapid review by Baroness Valerie Amos into NHS maternity services in England found too many women were not being "listened to, heard or believed", with racism and discrimination "embedded throughout the system".

Speaking in the House of Commons, Health Secretary James Murray - who will be fielding questions from Kuenssberg this morning - said the report painted a "bleak picture" of failings across maternity services.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme on Tuesday, Baroness Amos said the system was "not fit for the now and it's not fit for the future".

"We need national standards to frame maternity and neonatal care against which we can then test how trusts are doing, how care is being delivered," she added.

• You can read more about the findings of the review and the eight recommendations to improve services in our news story

There are "significant causes for concern" that police leadership in England and Wales needs a "fundamental overhaul", according to Lord Blunkett.

The former Labour home secretary, who has co-authored a report into police leadership, says the service in England and Wales is "not good enough" and its leadership needs an "ethical reset".

"At the moment, the morale and motivation of many of those working in the service needs a reset," Lord Blunkett tells Laura Kuenssberg.

The report, to be published on Monday, will recommend a "root and branch modernisation" of recruitment, development and monitoring within the service.

• Read the full story of Kuenssberg's sit-down with Lord Blunkett

Jack Grey
Live reporter

It's been just under two weeks since Keir Starmer announced his resignation as prime minister and attention is turning to what's next for the Labour Party, and the country.

On Friday, in his first interview since resigning, Starmer told the BBC about how "intensely personal" and "really tough" it was to accept that his political career was "over".

He also warned that Burnham, his likely successor, would have to have to spend as much time dealing with global turmoil as he had.

What else happened in politics this week?

Defence spending: Starmer set out the UK's defence investment plan, including a £15bn increase in military spending, funded by cutting investment budgets in other areas. This funding uplift has left a shortfall of £4.7bn over the next few years.

Maternity care review:NHS maternity services in England need a radical overhaul, the government says following a damning report found women and babies were being failed "on a scale that shames our society".

Fresh Farage allegations:The Reform UK leader has denied new claims that he had broken parliamentary rules following reports he'd failed to declare benefits provided by an ally.

Image source, PA Media

With only a few weeks to go before Parliament's summer recess, it's the turn of Health Secretary James Murray to field questions from Laura Kuenssberg.

His appearance on the show comes days after a review into NHS maternity services in England found the system is "not fit for the now and it is not fit for the future".

Reform UK's Treasury spokesperson Robert Jenrick and former Labour home secretary Lord Blunkett will also be on the show.

Speaking exclusively to Laura Kuenssberg ahead of the publication of a major report he co-authored on police leadership, Blunkett says thepolice service in England and Wales is "not good enough" and its leadership needs an "ethical reset".

Broadcaster Christiane Amanpour, former Housing Secretary Michael Gove and former No 10 director of communications under Keir Starmer, Steph Driver, will be on the panel.

You can watch Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg live at the top of the page from 09:00 BST.