Image source, Getty

The architect of the government's welfare reforms has been promoted as David Cameron made more appointments to his first Conservative-only administration. Lord Freud, who recommended wide-ranging reforms to the benefits system in 2007 and was later recruited to government to push through his ideas, moves up from a junior ministerial post in the Department of Work and Pensions to minister of state under Secretary of State Iain Duncan Smith.

Other appointments include hereditary peer Earl Howe, who is made deputy leader of the Lords and moves from the Department of Health to the Ministry of Defence.

Lord Freud, in case you're wondering, is the great-grandson of Sigmund Freud, widely known as the father of psychoanalysis.

In other news, BBC royal correspondent Peter Hunt says the publication of private letters sent by the Prince of Wales to Labour ministers a decade ago offers "the briefest of glimpses of Charles, the lobbying prince".

Clarence House said the move would "only inhibit" the prince's ability to express concerns.

In one letter to the prime minister, the prince said the armed forces were being asked to do a challenging job "without the necessary resources".

Release of the letters, external follows a decade-long campaign by the Guardian, external .

The 27 letters to seven government departments on wide-ranging subjects , including the dominance of supermarkets, badger culling and the herbal medicine sector, were written between September 2004 and April 2005.

Get the full story here .

Standing in a library of sorts, Mr Burnham gets across his message in one minute and 34 seconds, saying his party needs a leader whose voice can carry into all the nations and regions of the UK.

Mr Burnham says Labour has "lost its emotional connection" with millions of voters. "The way to get it back can't possibly be to choose one group of voters over another - to speak only to people on ZHCs [zero-hour contracts] or only to shoppers at John Lewis," he says.

Image source, You Tube screen grab

Here's the video of Mr Burnham, external announcing his intentions to run for the Labour leadership.

The BBC's Tim Reid reports that Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and Scottish Secretary David Mundell have held their first conversation by phone - ahead of talks between Ms Sturgeon and the prime minister.

Shadow health secretary Andy Burnham announces that he's standing for the leadership of the Labour Party. In a video, Mr Burnham says Labour wins elections when it speaks for every nation. "It needs a leader whose voice can carry into all the nations and regions of the UK," he says.

Scottish Labour leader Jim Murphy is confident he'll remain in his post, despite the party's disastrous election performance - including the loss of his seat at Westminster. He says he still wants to do the job and is determined to face down calls for his resignation. The Scottish Labour Party Executive is due to meet on Saturday to review the results of the election, which saw Labour lose 40 seats to the SNP.

Kent Police's initial inquiries into those electoral fraud allegations in Thanet South have so far found "no evidence", the force says.

So, this is how the Labour leadership contest is shaping up:

Friday, 15 May: The formal election period opens

Monday, 8 June: Parliamentary Labour Party will stage hustings for the contenders

Tuesday, 9 June: More hustings for the deputy leader contenders. Nominations for both posts open.

Monday, 15 June: Nominations for leader will close at midday

Wednesday, 17 June: Nominations for their deputy will close at midday

Wednesday, 12 August: Deadline for people to join the Labour party

Friday, 14 August: Ballot papers sent out by post

Thursday, 10 September: Polling will close at midday

Saturday, 12 September: Winners announced at special conference

Sunday, 27 September: Labour's party conference begins

Back to South Thanet where UKIP's Nigel Farage was pipped to a seat by Conservative Craig Mackinlay. Police there are making inquiries into a report of electoral fraud and the complaint is thought to have come from a member of the public. But Mr Mackinlay says he is "absolutely and completely" sure he was elected fairly, adding:

Under new rules, there will be no block votes as Labour chooses its new leader. Instead, it is "one person, one vote". And, according to Harriet Harman, 30,000 more people have just bought themselves a vote.

"More than 30,000 new members have joined the party in the last few days and I hope many more members and supporters will take this opportunity to have their voice heard," she says.

Of the leadership contest, acting Labour leader Harriet Harman says:

Read more in our story here.

Some familiar faces turn up at Labour's London headquarters for the National Executive Committee meeting.

Image source, EPA

Image source, EPA

Image source, EPA

More on the story that Kent Police are making inquiries into a report of electoral fraud in South Thanet, the seat contested in the general election by Nigel Farage.

The UKIP leader failed to win the seat, losing out to Conservative candidate Craig Mackinlay. Mr Farage secured 16,026 votes, with Mr Mackinlay achieving 18,838.

The result was not declared at the count at Margate's Winter Gardens until about 10.35 GMT on Friday, hours later than expected.

BBC reporters were told by officials at the time the delays were caused by the sheer volume of ballot papers and problems verifying the postal vote. Turnout was 69%, up from 65% in 2010.

Claims of suspicious behaviour appeared on social media following the delays.

A spokeswoman for Kent Police said "inquires were ongoing" and the force could not say any more at this stage.

As your early team of reporters prepare to hand over to the late team, here's a quick recap of the day's events so far.

The government has announced new powers to tackle radicalisation. David Cameron claimed the UK as been a "passively tolerant society" for too long.

Tim Farron, an MP with the Tories' former coalition partners the Liberal Democrats, called the plans "authoritarian and Orwellian".

New figures showed unemployment in the UK has continued to fall. Politicians welcomed the statistics though Labour called on the government to more to help the young unemployed.

Labour's National Executive Committee is expected to draw up a timetable for the race to replace Ed Miliband as party leader today.

A major stand-off has developed between senior UKIP figures and the party's only MP, Douglas Carswell, over public money they are entitled to receive.

Kent Police announce the force is making inquiries into a report of electoral fraud in one of UKIP's target election seats: South Thanet, where party leader Nigel Farage stood.

And private letters sent by the Prince of Wales to Labour government ministers a decade ago have been published after a lengthy legal battle.

More on the Labour leadership - nominations will close on 15 June for the leader and on 17 June for the deputy. So wannabes have just over a month to throw their hat into the ring.

Members and supporters who sign up by 12 August will be entitled to vote.

Labour's new leader will be named on 12 September, following an election period beginning on 15 May, the party announces.

BBC Monitoring

North Korean news agency KCNA reports that the country's premier, Pak Pong Ju has sent a congratulatory message to David Cameron upon his re-appointment as Prime Minister.

The message expressed belief that the relations between the two countries would develop on good terms, wishing him success in his work for the development of the country.

Foreign minister Ri Su Yong sent a similar message to Philip Hammond upon his re-appointment as UK Foreign Secretary, the North Korean agency adds.