Housing Secretary Steve Reed has wrapped up his round of quickfire BBC local radio interviews. Here are some of his key lines from them:

• Kicking things off, Reed was asked about Andy Burnham as a potential challenger to the Labour leadership. Downplaying speculation, he says Burnham has been doing a "fantastic job as mayor of Manchester" and has a "few more years to run in that job"
• Addressing the government's new £5bn investment for 339 "overlooked" communities across the UK, Reed says local people will have more power to decide what their High Street looks like - from limiting numbers of vape or betting shops to the compulsory purchase of empty shops

• Reed was asked if he was "backing a loser" with his support of Sir Keir Starmer amid concerns of illegal migration and the rollout of compulsory ID cards. "We're already starting to see change happen," he says, adding Starmer had "picked the Labour Party off the floor and led us to a landslide"

Challenged about the digital ID's effectiveness, Reed says it would make it harder for illegal migrants to come to the UK and "settle, find work, to get a home, without being found out".

He also says a rise of antisocial behaviour in the south of England is "out of control" and called for more police intervention. He says government funding to take over empty shops and turning them into things like youth centres could help get young people off the streets.

That brings us to the end of our live coverage, thanks for staying with us.

Concerns that digital ID could create extra bureaucracypublished at 12:05 BST

12:05 BST

Elly Zaniewicka
Political reporter

Steve Reed has been facing lots of questions about the government’s hastily announced plan for digital ID.

There seems be some confusion over exactly how this new digital identity document will be used, with critics suggesting it won’t make a difference to people working in the "shadow economy".

On BBC Bristol, Steve Reed was challenged over how effective the new digital ID can be unless it’s required to open a bank account too.

The housing secretary suggested it could be necessary in many areas of life, so it’s harder for someone here illegally to “to settle, to find work, to get a home, without being found out”, and said he didn’t see why someone couldn’t be asked to show it to open a bank account too.

The aim is to make it harder for people to come to come to the UK and “disappear”, he said, but there will also be concerns it could create extra bureaucracy for law-abiding citizens.

Lewis Adams
BBC Essex

Now talking to BBC Essex, Reed denies purposely not awarding funding to areas in Nigel Farage’s Clacton constituency.

Clacton-on-Sea and Jaywick, on the north-east Essex coastline, are among the county’s most deprived areas.

“It was strictly based on deprivation criteria,” Reed insists to presenter Ben Fryer.

Handouts worth £20m have been given to the Greenstead estate in Colchester, Shoeburyness and in the Chalvedon and Laindon areas of Basildon.

Thurrock has also been awarded £1.5m.

“We have to start trusting people and give them the resources they need to change things,” Reed continues.

“People living in Shoeburyness will know far better than me what needs to happen in their local area.”

The government wants to stop the High Street scene being “vape shop after vape shop, bookies after bookies”, Reed adds.

Curtis Lancaster
BBC Radio Solent

“It is out of control,” Steve Reed tells BBC Radio Solent’s Katie Martin, when questioned about a rising tide of antisocial behaviour in the south of England.

He says it will “deter people from wanting to go and spend time in the area” if young people are “running wild”.

He calls for more police intervention and adds that a lack of “pride in the area” is what can lead to this sort of behaviour.

He announces that the government plans to give up to £20m to some communities so that local people can take over empty shops and use them for things like youth spaces to get young people off the streets and out of trouble.

Regional inequality problems are deep-rootedpublished at 11:49 BST

11:49 BST

Ewan Murrie
Political reporter, Westminster

Throughout his round, Steve Reed has been insisting that new government cash for deprived communities could help voters feel less “powerless” about local decline.

But tackling regional inequality will take more than hanging baskets or a new sports centre - the problems are deep-rooted and structural.

While no community will turn down money to improve the public realm, ministers are more likely to be judged on progress with the cost-of-living crisis and immigration.

Liam Barnes
BBC Leicester

The housing secretary repeats his defence of the government’s new plans for spending money to develop some of the poorest communities in the country.

Speaking to Ben Jackson on BBC Radio Leicester, Steve Reed says the announcement is “a very different approach” that works directly with residents rather than leaving it to local councils.

“People feel powerless as they see their local High Street [or] town centre slide into decline,” he says.

“Places that used to be very, very vibrant are now boarded up, full of litter and it makes people angry, so what we’re saying to people is, we’re going to give you the resources in terms of funding and the power to turn your high street around.”

Jonathan Holmes
BBC Bristol

BBC Radio Bristol’s John Darvall presses Reed on government plans to introduce new compulsory digital ID.

“People often ask why do illegal migrants come to the UK? And it’s easier to disappear once you’re here," Reed says.

“It’s easier to get a home and housing because we don’t have ID in the same way as France or Germany. The level of illegal migration is a political concern."

“The previous government didn’t tackle it, and digital ID will make it far more difficult for people to settle without being found out.”

Darvall questions if it will work, saying: “If you’re somebody who is employing someone illegally, you’ll be paying them cash in hand," to which Reed replies: “I don’t see why, if you have a digital ID, that you won’t need to show it to open a bank account as well.”

Reed is also asked if he is “backing a loser” with his support of Keir Starmer.

“People wrote Kier Starmer off during the election, but he picked the Labour Party off the floor and led us to a landslide. It takes more than a year to turn things around, but we’re already starting to see change happen.

“Wages have gone up, there’s five million more NHS appointments, and we’ve speeded up the removal of people who don’t have the right to be in this country."

Reed pushes back on Burnham as challenger to Starmerpublished at 11:37 BST

11:37 BST

Elly Zaniewicka
Political reporter

There was a slight hesitancy when Steve Reed started answering questions about a potential challenge to Keir Starmer's leadership from Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, even though it’s been the biggest political talking point of the last few days.

His response? "Andy is never slow coming forward with his views," quickly adding "and that's welcome" and that he's doing "a fantastic job as mayor of Manchester".

Reed also tried to push back at the suggestion Burnham should be viewed as a possible challenger to Keir Starmer, repeating that the now prime minister "picked the party up off the floor" and led Labour to a historic victory.

There's no doubt senior figures in Labour are aware of the frustration many people feel at the pace of change since the election.

Reed has been repeating that “change takes time", but will voters be willing to show that patience in upcoming local elections?

Ewan Murrie
Political reporter, Westminster

Steve Reed suggests on BBC Radio Derby that community cash from the government will be allocated more effectively than it was under the Conservatives.

The Tories, he adds, forced councils to submit “bids” for funding which was often costly, time consuming and ultimately fruitless if a bid were to be rejected.

But having a few hundred "overlooked" towns selected in advance doesn't take away from the fact that many "left behind" communities across the country will still miss out.

George Torr
BBC News, Derby

Speaking to Ian Skye on BBC Radio Derby, Reed says pots of money from the government would be allocated by a “community board and not a council”, and communities would have “more direct control”, which includes the compulsory purchase of empty shops.

Reed also says these boards would have the ability, alongside the council, to “block the proliferation of certain shops” like vape shops and betting shops.

“We’ve identified over 300 of the poorest communities in the country, the areas that have been the most held back during the years of austerity," he says.

“Communities can start to take back control of declining High Streets that make people have pride in their area… people will have more power to decide what their High Street looks like.”

Sarah Spina-Matthews
BBC News, Manchester

Steve Reed is asked for his thoughts on recent speculation around Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham’s potential bid for the Labour leadership, as well as comments Burnham has made himself, where he declined to rule out challenging Keir Starmer for the top job and said the government needed a plan to get people back behind the Labour party.

Reed tells BBC Radio Manchester’s Phil Trow that while Burnham’s ideas were “absolutely welcome”, he was doing a “fantastic job as mayor of Manchester”.

“He’s got a few more years to run in that job,” Reed says.

“I’m now working very closely with him as the secretary of state of housing, communities and local government.

“I think there’s a lot that we can learn from what Andy’s done [in Greater Manchester]... that a lot of areas could look at how they could adapt for their areas.”

The first of the BBC local radio rounds for Housing Secretary Steve Reed has kicked off - first up, he's on BBC Radio Manchester.

We'll bring you text updates here, and you can watch live above.

Housing Secretary Steve Reed will shortly be speaking on BBC Radio Manchester for the first in a series of quickfire interviews on local BBC radio stations over the next hour.

You can follow along by tapping the watch live button at the top of this page.

A new political term: After a summer dominated by criticism over the use of asylum hotels, Starmer launched into “phase two" of his government. Darren Jones - formerly of the Treasury - was made chief secretary to the PM as part of a rejig of his inner circle.

Rayner out: Confronted by a barrage of awkward questions, Starmer's second-in-command, Angela Rayner, resigned after failing to pay enough stamp duty on a flat she bought.

Phase two, mark two: Cue almighty cabinet reshuffle. David Lammy was made deputy PM and Yvette Cooper was moved to the Foreign Office. What about the others?

Mandelson sacked: Days later, Starmer lost another senior ally. Lord Mandelson was removed as US ambassador, after revelations emerged about his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein.

Trump gets a second state visit: After two days of pageantry, politics and crucial face time with the US president, the verdict from the PM and his team was one of delight and relief.

UK recognises a Palestinian state: Starmer called this significant change in policy a "pledge to the Palestinian and Israeli people that there can be a better future", after nearly two years of devastating war in Gaza.

Burnham's provocation: Speculation grew over a possible leadership challenge from Andy Burnham following a series of media appearances in which he did little to dampen rumours.

On the horizon: Labour’s party conference and November’s Budget loom; two major set-piece events in the political calendar seen typically as a chance for the government to grip the narrative.

The local radio round has been a pre-conference tradition for many years, and the leaders of all of Westminster's main parties are being given a similar opportunity.

We've already heard from Lib Dem leader Ed Davey and Reform UK's Richard Tice, ahead their respective annual gatherings. Next will be the Greens followed by the Tories.

Out to bat for the government today is Housing Secretary Steve Reed - stay tuned.

Image source, PA Media

Housing Secretary Steve Reed is about take part in a series of back-to-back interviews on BBC local radio stations, ahead of Labour's party conference in Liverpool this weekend.

After a difficult few weeks for Prime Minister Keir Starmer, today is our chance to quiz one of his top team on the challenges facing the government, its policies and the progress it's made more than a year on from taking power.

First on Reed's schedule is BBC Radio Manchester - he's due shortly after the bulletin at 11:00 BST.

He'll then blast through appearances on BBC Radio Derby, BBC Radio Bristol, BBC Radio Leicester, BBC Radio Solent and BBC Essex.

Stay with us for updates and analysis on all the key lines. To follow along, tap the watch live button at the top of this page.