POLITICS CORNER

[Stanley]

THIS earth-shattering news is my hot political news for this morning....
2 hours ago
Marmalade has long been a quintessential British condiment, with some recipes handed down between multiple generations. But jars of the fruity spread could look a little different on shop shelves under the UK government's planned EU food deal, it has emerged. The breakfast favourite will have to be sold as "citrus marmalade" if the agreement goes ahead, when Britain will readopt new EU food regulations in a bid to boost trade and reduce red tape for British exporters. The name change is required because Brussels is relaxing its labelling rules, widening the legal definition of marmalade across Europe for the first time.

[Stanley]

See THISintersting revelation....
"Our system is not fit for purpose." And with this description of parts of the Home Office in 2006, the then-Home Secretary John Reid minted a phrase that has lodged in the lexicon of British politics. He was speaking a few months after thousands of foreign-born prisoners had been released from British jails without first being considered for deportation. Lord Reid has previously attributed the four-word phrase to an unnamed senior civil servant. Now in a three-part series about the Home Office, the Newscast podcast can reveal the identity of its author. It was the permanent secretary in the department at the time, Sir David Normington. "It is my phrase, but it was written in a private memo to the Home Secretary, John Reid, just after he had arrived. [It was] me saying, 'This is what the Home Office is like,'" he told us. Sir David accompanied Lord Reid as he uttered the now infamous form of words to a House of Commons committee two decades ago. "With me sat beside him, to rearrange my face as he described all 70,000 civil servants in the Home Office as not fit for purpose," he recalled. "That was a difficult moment and the civil service said to me: 'Well, why don't you stand up and tell him it's not true?' "The trouble was… it was my phrase."

[Stanley]

See THIS headline inPolitical News this morning....
Pepsi has announced it is withdrawing as main sponsor of the Wireless Festival in London this summer after news that Kanye West is to headline the three-day event. The US rapper, now known as Ye, has drawn widespread criticism for antisemitic comments he made in recent years and for which he issued an apology in January. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said earlier that it was "deeply concerning" West was set to headline Wireless. In comments first reported by the Sun on Sunday, external, Sir Keir said that West had been booked "despite his previous antisemitic remarks and celebration of Nazism". "Antisemitism in any form is abhorrent and must be confronted firmly wherever it appears," the prime minister said. "Everyone has a responsibility to ensure Britain is a place where Jewish people feel safe."
Why do we need to import acts like this? Banning such performances seems like a no-brainer.....

[Stanley]

See THIS report on oil prices....
Oil prices saw choppy trading on Monday after US President Donald Trump threatened to destroy critical infrastructure in Iran unless it allows ships to cross the Strait of Hormuz. In remarks, Trump said the US would attack power plants and bridges unless the two sides reach a deal by late Tuesday US time, repeating a threat he made over the weekend on social media. Brent crude rose above $110 (£83.38) a barrel after that post, then eased after a report of US-Iran talks over a potential ceasefire. Oil and gas shipments from the Middle East have been severely disrupted as Tehran threatens to attack vessels that try to use the strait in retaliation for US and Israeli airstrikes since 28 February. Iranian media have reported that leaders had so far rejected the terms of the ceasefire, pushing for a more lasting peace plan. Trump on Monday said talks were making progress but Iran's counter-proposal was "not good enough". "We have to have a deal that's acceptable to me and part of that deal is going to be, we want free traffic of oil," he said at a later press conference. "They're negotiating, we think in good faith — we're going to find out," he added of the discussions. Oil prices will remain volatile and swing with each headline of the war's escalation and easing, said Sushant Gupta from consultancy Wood Mackenzie.
Not a lot of cheer there.... I heard a commentator yesterday saying that later in the year food price inflation will be more than 5%. Deep Joy!

[Stanley]

THIS seems like a very sensible decision......
This summer's Wireless Festival has been cancelled after headliner Kanye West was blocked from coming to the UK. The government refused permission for West, now known as Ye, to travel to the UK after backlash to his planned set at the London festival this summer. For the last several years, West has caused outrage for a string of antisemitic, racist and pro-Nazi comments. In a statement, Wireless Festival said it was cancelled and refunds would be issued to all ticket holders. It added that "multiple stakeholders" had been consulted ahead of booking West, "and no concerns were highlighted at the time". It continued: "Antisemitism in all its forms is abhorrent, and we recognise the real and personal impact these issues have had. "As Ye said today, he acknowledges that words alone are not enough, and in spite of this still hopes to be given the opportunity to begin a conversation with the Jewish community in the UK."

[Stanley]

HERE'S a statement of the bleeding obvious from our PM.....
Sir Keir Starmer has said there is a "lot of work to do" to make the two-week ceasefire between Iran and the US hold and to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. The prime minister arrived in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday as part of a visit to Gulf allies to discuss diplomatic efforts to support and uphold the agreement. He said fully reopening the vital shipping route to restore oil and gas supplies would help "stabilise" prices in the UK. The ceasefire comes after US President Donald Trump threatened a "whole civilisation" would "die" if Iran did not agree to end the war and unblock the strait - comments that led Downing Street to call again for "de-escalation". Sir Keir said there was a sense of "relief" following the ceasefire but he acknowledged it was "early days". His remarks came as Iranian media reported that oil tankers had stopped passing through the strait, as Israel said it had hit Lebanon with the "biggest strikes" since its ground operation began.

[Stanley]

See THIS report of the latest pronouncements by our PM.....
1 hour ago
The UK must become more resilient to deal with a "volatile and dangerous" world where "shocks" like the conflict in Iran are frequent, the prime minister has warned. Writing in The Guardian, Sir Keir Starmer said he was "thinking about the long-term, and remaking this country" so that people "are not at the mercy of events abroad". Separately, he told ITV's Talking Politics podcast he was "fed up with the fact that families across the country see their bills go up and down... because of the actions of Putin or Trump". The prime minister is currently on a three-day trip to the Gulf to meet regional allies.

[Stanley]

THIS report surprised me....
Lord Peter Mandelson is set to be fined up to £300 for public urination in London; however Kensington and Chelsea council is unable to find a suitable address to send the fixed penalty notice to. The council has told the BBC it is "looking to issue" a fixed penalty notice to Lord Mandelson after the incident in November last year but "just can't find an address". Lord Mandelson was sacked as the UK's ambassador to the US last year over his ties to the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein and is under criminal investigation over allegations he passed market-sensitive government information to Epstein. The BBC has approached Lord Mandelson for a response. The former US ambassador was spotted urinating in a street in Notting Hill, west London after a late night visit to the home of former Conservative chancellor George Osborne. The Daily Mail, external reported pictures of Lord Mandelson being caught short and relieving himself against a wall in the upmarket London area after leaving Osborne's home. The council said street enforcement officers were not at the scene of the alleged urination, so could not issue a fine at the time. But, given the images and public quotes made about the offence, the authority said it was looking to issue a fine. Without an official address for Lord Mandelson, the fine has not yet been issued. The fixed penalty notice carries a fine of up to £300, reduced to £150 if paid within two weeks.
What on earth was he thinking about?

[Stanley]

See THIS update on the Chagos Islands.....
Sir Keir Starmer has shelved his Chagos Islands deal amid worsening relations with Donald Trump after the US failed to formally confirm its approval. Trump had urged Starmer to scrap the deal despite earlier expressing support for the treaty. In January the president called the plan an "act of total weakness". UK government officials have said they are not entirely abandoning the agreement - which would hand sovereignty of the British territory to Mauritius - but have run out of time to pass legislation before Parliament is prorogued in the coming weeks. However, a new Chagos bill is not expected to feature in the King's Speech in mid-May. It is understood the UK has still not received a formal exchange of letters from the US - a legal necessity required for the treaty to be enacted.

[Stanley]

See THIS for more bleeding obvious statements from our PM.

[Tizer]

Whatever next? "Trump attacks God" perhaps? There are about 70 million Catholic people in the US so Trump might have just lost a few voters...
`Trump attacks Pope over criticism of Iran war' LINK
Donald Trump has launched an unusual and scathing attack on Pope Leo over his opposition to US immigration policy and the war in Iran. The US president accused the pontiff of being "WEAK on Crime and terrible for Foreign Policy" in a Truth Social post, later telling reporters he was "not a big fan"....
The US president wrote in Sunday's post that Pope Leo "should get his act together" and said he was "weak on nuclear weapons", apparently referring to Tehran's attempts to become a nuclear power, cited as one of the reasons for the US and Israel going to war with Iran....
...He also suggested that the pontiff was elected "because he was American, and they thought that would be the best way to deal with President Donald J Trump". "If I wasn't in the White House, Leo wouldn't be in the Vatican." Asked by reporters later to explain the post, he said: "I don't think he's doing a very good job, he likes crime, I guess."

[Stanley]

I saw that report and had the same reaction Peter. See also the retraction of the Truth Social post depicting him as a Jesus-like healer.....

[Stanley]

See THIS latest assessment from the IMF....
The energy shock from the Iran war will hit the UK the hardest of the world's advanced economies, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has forecast. In its latest World Economic Outlook, the IMF cut its estimate for UK growth this year to 0.8%, from the 1.3% prediction made in January before hostilities began. The Fund said the downgrade was due to the war, fewer interest rate cuts, and the expectation that the impact of higher energy prices would linger into next year. It also warned the war threatened to throw the world economy "off course" and a prolonged conflict risked a global recession. The IMF urged central banks to be cautious over raising interest rates to counter higher inflation. The UK's downgrade of half a percentage point is the largest of the world's advanced economies, with the UK now earmarked to have middling growth this year compared to its peers. The revision is similar to that made by the OECD, which last month also predicted the UK would face the biggest hit to economic growth of the G20 major economies from the Iran war.
All thanks to the buffoon in the White House..... And the Royal visit seems to be still on......
Hands up anyone who thinks the UK is being governed efficiently.......

[Stanley]

See THIS message from the Home Secretary....
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has promised that "sham lawyers" who facilitate abuse of the asylum system "will face the full force of the law". It comes after a BBC investigation revealed how law firms and advisers are charging thousands of pounds to help migrants pretend to be gay in order to stay in the UK. The Home Office is investigating the individuals highlighted in the BBC's reporting as part of a wider investigation prompted by officials noticing a growing trend of fake claims from people pretending to be gay. However, the Conservatives said the system "must be totally overhauled" so only those facing real personal persecution are granted asylum. The BBC has uncovered how migrants whose visas are due to run out are being given fake cover stories and instructed in how to obtain fabricated evidence, including supporting letters, photographs and medical reports. They then apply for asylum claiming to be gay and in fear for their lives if they return to Pakistan or Bangladesh. The UK's asylum process offers protection to people who cannot return to their home countries because they would be in danger, for example in countries like Pakistan and Bangladesh where gay sex is illegal. But the BBC News investigation reveals the process is being systematically exploited by legal advisers extracting fees from migrants who want to stay in the country. These are often people whose student, work or tourist visas have expired, rather than those who have just arrived in the country on small boats or through other illegal routes. This group now makes up 35% of all asylum claims, which topped 100,000 in 2025.