Reform UK is a party that’s vying for attention and is not ashamed of how it gets it.

With political support from Elon Musk this week amplifying Reform UK talking points on his platform X, the party has been able to make a splash in the new year ahead of the government.

Already this month the party has had two conferences in two days, and with only a handful of MPs there is opportunity for all of them to speak. With one notable exception – James McMurdock MP.

Despite being the MP for South Basildon and East Thurrock, he isn’t on the schedule for the East of England conference, with Sky News initially told he wasn’t planning on attending.

Controversy has surrounded the politician since it was unveiled that he was jailed nearly two decades ago for repeatedly kicking his then girlfriend in 2006 while drunk outside a nightclub – something not made public when he was standing to be an MP.

When it emerged last July that he had been jailed for attacking someone, he downplayed the incident as a “teenage indiscretion”.

When spotted strolling around the conference on Saturday, Sky News asked Mr McMurdock whether he regretted that term.

The MP would not apologise for the phrase and said he hadn’t lied or ever changed his story.

“I would like to do my best to do as little harm to everyone else and at the same time accept that I was a bad person for a moment back then,” he said.

“I’m doing my best to manage the fact that something really regrettable did happen.”

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The MP also wouldn’t say whether the party knew about his conviction prior to becoming a candidate, but leader Nigel Farage has previously said he “wasn’t vetted”.

Mr McMurdock still has not been suspended for the conflicting accounts of what happened and the party hasn’t commented on whether he would pass their new vetting system which they say is now in place for new council candidates.

One Labour MP has urged parliament and the government to make mandatory Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks for any prospective parliamentary candidates in the future.

While speaking to Sky News, Mr McMurdock said he would support that motion, though no Reform MP voted for it in an early day motion when it was laid in parliament.

Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer has announced he will resign in the coming days after talks on forming a new government failed for a second time.

His declaration on Saturday came after the People’s Party and the Social Democratic Party continued coalition talks, a day after the liberal NEOS party’s surprise withdrawal from discussions.

“Unfortunately I have to tell you today that the negotiations have ended and will not be continued by the People’s Party,” Mr Nehammer from the conservative People’s Party said.

He claimed “destructive forces” in the Social Democratic Party had “gained the upper hand” and that the People’s Party would not sign on to a programme that is reportedly against economic competitiveness.

Social Democratic Party leader Andreas Babler said he regretted the decision by the People’s Party to end the negotiations, adding: “This is not a good decision for our country.”

Mr Babler said that one of the main stumbling blocks had to do with how to repair the “record deficit” left by the previous government.

He added: “I have offered to Karl Nehammer and the People’s Party to continue negotiating and called on them not to get up.”

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The next government in Austria faces the challenge of having to save between €18bn to €24bn, according to the EU Commission.

Austria has also been in a recession for the past two years, is experiencing rising unemployment and its budget deficit is currently at 3.7% of Gross Domestic Product – above the EU’s limit of 3%.

The talks have dragged on since Austria’s president, Alexander Van der Bellen, tasked the conservative chancellor in October with putting together a new government.

The request came after all other parties refused to work with the leader of the far-right Freedom Party, which in September won a national election for the first time with 29.2% of the vote.

An amber warning for snow and ice, with the risk of freezing rain, covers most of Wales and central England until midday on Sunday.

Freezing rain, which makes up what are commonly known as ice storms in North America, is a rarity in the UK because the conditions for it are quite specific, according to the Met Office.

But what is it and how is it different to snow?

Freezing rain is rainfall that has become “supercooled” as it falls from the sky.

Up to 30cm of snow expected in parts of UK – follow live

It starts when snow, ice, sleet or hail high up in the atmosphere melts into rain when it falls through the layers of warmer air below.

If the rain then passes through a sub-zero layer of air just above the ground, it can remain liquid and instead become “supercooled”. This is the key to freezing rain.

Supercooled water will freeze on impact – forming a clear layer of ice on cold surfaces such as trees, roads and power lines.

Why is it dangerous?

It’s once it hits the surface and turns to ice that it can pose a real threat.

The ice is very clear, often referred to as black ice, because it is so difficult to see, making it treacherous for pedestrians and drivers.

Sky News meteorologist Kirsty McCabe explains: “The supercooled rain hits the ground and freezes instantly on impact, and that creates a thin layer of ice, also known as glaze, and it’s clear, so you can’t see the ice, which makes it really treacherous.”

If it hits power lines or tree branches, depending on how much rain there has been, the weight of the ice can cause them to break off because they can’t support the weight.

It can also make it difficult to open your car door if there is enough of it.

Get the five-day forecast where you are

Where is it expected to fall?

From 6pm on Saturday to midday on Sunday an amber warning for snow and ice, with the risk of freezing rain, covers most of Wales and central England, including the Midlands and Liverpool and Manchester in the North West.

But McCabe says it’s Wales where people should be particularly wary of freezing rain.

What precautions should people take?

The best thing people can do is take extra care when travelling. As it is so hard to see, it’s difficult to judge just how icy road surfaces are.

The RAC says freezing rain is arguably the most treacherous of all conditions for motorists.

They urge people not to drive unless necessary, but say those who do need to should check they have plenty of fuel and oil and check their tyre treads.

They also encourage drivers to make sure their lights are working and check they have screenwash.