UK politics: Farage insults female reporter as Braverman says Reform UK wants to scrap Equality Act – as it happened

From left, Zia Yusuf, Robert Jenrick, Nigel Farage, Richard Tice and Suella Braverman Photograph: Sean Smith/The Guardian

5.40pm GMT

Afternoon summary

• Nigel Farage has unveiled the first part of Reform UK’s frontbench team, saying it shows that the party is no longer reliant entirely on him – while also warning that he will not tolerate any dissent from his colleagues.

• Keir Starmer is facing a mass resignation of Labour councillors in one of England’s poorest areas over a “betrayal” of funding for children in care.

• Unemployment in the UK has risen to 5.2%, the highest level in nearly five years, while wage growth continues to slow, raising the prospect of another cut to interest rates in the spring.

• A Cheshire council leader is being urged to resign after it emerged he had written a letter backing a new town of 20,000 homes for the area, which led to it being listed on the government’s list of proposed sites and has since sparked a huge backlash.

For a full list of all the stories covered on the blog today, do scroll through the list of key event headlines near the top of the blog.

5.35pm GMT

Here is John Crace’s sketch of Nigel Farage’s press conference.

And here is an extract.

Meet the Fockers. The shadow cabinet from hell. Rejects, losers and deadbeats. A freak show. A tribute act.

Reform have often been called a one-man band. The Nigel Farage party. So to counter this narrative, Nige took over Church House in Westminster and turned it into a tacky gameshow set. A remake of The Weakest Link. All to parade his new top team. The lucky men and women whose one job is to try not to fall out with one another in the next few years. No chance.

Farage took centre stage; despite pretences, this was still all about him. His team were here entirely at his whim. Without him they would be nothing. The spotlight would remain on him throughout the 75-minute presentation. His appointees would only get their turn under lights for their five-minute introductions. Then they would be cast back into the shadows. Start as you mean to go on.

Updated at 7.00pm GMT