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.

[Stanley]

See THIS for ther latest twist in the Mandelson affair. Posted 3 hours ago...
The Foreign Office's top civil servant is leaving his post after his department did not inform the prime minister that Lord Mandelson had failed security vetting for the role of US ambassador. The BBC understands Sir Keir Starmer and Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper have lost confidence in Sir Olly Robbins, and he has effectively been sacked. It comes after the government confirmed the Foreign Office went against the recommendation of the vetting agency and allowed Lord Mandelson to take up the post. A spokesperson said neither Sir Keir nor any minister were aware Lord Mandelson had failed the vetting process until earlier this week.

See THIS for Chris Mason's assessment of this latest twist in the story....
41 minutes ago
The prime minister's decision to send Lord Mandelson to Washington is like a horror film for Sir Keir Starmer, stuck on repeat. The whole saga has now cost another person their job – Sir Olly Robbins, the most senior civil servant in the Foreign Office. And there are some, both on the opposition benches and within the Labour Party, who think it might yet cost the prime minister his. Let me walk you through the extraordinary twists and turns of Thursday afternoon and evening. Shortly after 15:00 BST, the Guardian published its story, external saying that Lord Mandelson had failed his security vetting clearance, but the decision had been overruled by the Foreign Office. I immediately made calls to the Foreign Office, Downing Street, the then Foreign Secretary David Lammy's team and the Cabinet Office. None of them engaged, for nearly three hours. Usually, when a story isn't right or has perhaps leapt to conclusions seen to be unreasonable, my phone will be ringing in seconds. But it didn't.
There is much more in the online assessment.
Starmer's prospects in the May Council elections have always been bad. This does nothing to help him.

[Stanley]

THIS is the main message in the politics thread this morning....
Updated 45 minutes ago
Sir Keir Starmer has said it's "staggering" that he, as prime minister, was not told about Lord Peter Mandelson failing to pass initial security vetting checks. The prime minister is facing calls to resign over the revelation that vetting officers recommended against Lord Mandelson's being appointed as US ambassador, but that recommendation was overruled by the Foreign Office. Sir Olly Robbins, who was two weeks into the job heading up the Foreign Office at the time, was effectively sacked by Sir Keir last night. Opposition parties are calling for Sir Keir to resign, with Tory leader Kemi Badenoch saying the explanation so far is "completely preposterous" and "all roads lead to resignation". At a press conference in Westminster, she said Sir Keir "cannot hope" to continue leading the country due to his "incompetence," accusing him of being "so blinded by his own righteousness that he cannot see what everybody else can see". The Tory leader said she was "considering every parliamentary option" for removing the prime minister but called on Labour MPs to "do the right thing" and get rid of him. "I do not have enough Conservatives MPs to win a vote of no confidence," she said. "The people who can do that, who can make this happen are Labour MPs."

[Stanley]

THIS article on the Mandelson affair is perhaps worth reading.....
Laura Kuenssberg
Everyone's cross. The prime minister's furious. Whitehall's angry. Labour MPs are frustrated. But giving a top official, Sir Olly Robbins, the boot has not brought an end to this fiasco, nor to the political blowback for Sir Keir Starmer. As one party insider suggests in disbelief: "There's no point Keir saying again and again he's angry, when that's exactly how the public feels about him!" The prime minister's original decision to give Peter Mandelson the US ambassadorship, one of the best jobs in the land, had risks from the start that could be seen from space. Now we know the former Labour minister didn't clear security checks, perhaps it was even, in the words of one government source, "absolutely mental" - a disastrous episode of "don't ask, don't tell" spreading political poison months on. First you have to understand, I'm afraid, the labyrinth of Whitehall's process. As we revealed in September, No 10 was warned about Peter Mandelson's links with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein before giving him the job. Those warnings were in the first government report that checked out the Labour peer's background, produced by the Cabinet Office's Propriety Department. Starmer's team asked Mandelson three further questions after that report and were satisfied with his answers, although they now believe he misled them. Step two: crucially after the prime minister had given the former Labour minister the job, there was a security check, known as developed vetting. As we reported in the autumn, that's a standalone confidential process, which involved an in-person interview, financial checks, and "ought to have been completely forensic", said one senior figure. To protect confidentiality, the details of those investigations would not have been passed on to No 10 or ministers.
There is of course much more. It sheds some light on a worsening situation as far as Kier Starmer is concerned....

[Stanley]

See THIS BBC update on today in Parliament....
1 hour ago
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is set to face a packed Commons later where he will address questions over Lord Mandelson's vetting. Sir Keir repeatedly told MPs that "full due process" was followed when Lord Mandelson was appointed as US ambassador in December 2024. The prime minister said he was "staggered" to find out last week that civil servants in the Foreign Office withheld information from him about red flags in the initial vetting process. Amid calls for him to resign from every opposition leader, Sir Keir pledged "true transparency" as he tried to set out what happened. Here are the main questions he needs to answer.
Who'd want to be in his shoes today?

[Stanley]

See THIS report on Starmer in Parliament yesterday defending himself....
Sir Keir Starmer has accused officials in the Foreign Office of deliberately and repeatedly withholding the fact Lord Mandelson initially failed security vetting for the role of US ambassador. Giving a statement to MPs, the prime minister said if he had known, he would not have gone ahead with the appointment. Sir Keir found out last Tuesday the Foreign Office had gone against the recommendation of the security vetting agency and cleared Lord Mandelson for the job. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has called for the PM to resign, saying he had "thrown his staff and officials under the bus" rather than "taking responsibility". She accused Sir Keir of misleading the House of Commons when he previously told MPs "full due process" was followed during the appointment and said he should have corrected the record last week "at the earliest opportunity". The PM insisted he did not mislead the Commons. The Ministerial Code states that ministers who knowingly mislead Parliament are expected to resign, while any inadvertent error should be corrected "at the earliest opportunity".

[Tripps]

This should clarify things. . . .

[Stanley]

David.... That is absolutely brilliant and it reminds me how good 'Yes Prime Minister' was...
However we have to deal with the current version....
Have a look at THIS.....
Former senior official Sir Olly Robbins has accused Downing Street of taking a "dismissive attitude" to vetting during Lord Mandelson's appointment as the UK's ambassador to the US. Sir Olly was sacked as Foreign Office boss last week after it emerged he had cleared Lord Mandelson to take up the role despite officials raising security concerns, without telling Sir Keir Starmer. But in front of MPs, Sir Olly defended his actions, insisting he had followed the proper process while under "constant pressure" from No 10 to get Lord Mandelson in post. No 10 denied claims of a dismissive approach towards vetting, and said it was reasonable to ask for updates on the appointment.
I hope this clarifies things for you.......

[Whyperion]

Things are more confusing than enlighting.
I understand the FO makes the decision and thus does not NEED to tell the PM. On the Traffic Light System Mandleson got a Red (not for relationship with Epstien which appears not to have been discussed at all) but Robins considered, after "pressure" from No 10 (McSweene - we might know on Monday Afternoon) that a Yellow watch with caution could be granted. Somehow (how. from whom?) this was translated into Full Clearance granted.
Starmer has appeared to insist Due Process Followed though Robins claimed Cabinet Office had suggested with Mandleson a Lord and Privvy Counsellor this would not be needed (which rather asks a question of should DV or similar be applied to elevation to such posts in the first place.
Should procedure change with DV first before an appointment notice of a civil servant is made - this is not quite the same as a provisional job offer subject to DV that might be made to an in place or incoming Civil Servant.

PMQs today Mandelson appeared to have his timeline defence fairly robust BUT it seemed his quotes from Robbins were from an earlier evidence ( December / Jan ?) rather than monday unless I missed the detail of the committee meeting in only seeing on line summaries.

Overall I am told the whole Mandleson situation is not relevant for most voters for the upcoming local elections
Reform's polling had dropped , its back up again to 27percent , but I doubt that is across all wards in the UK. Greens also up , Libs remain unmoved with dips for Lab and Con. I suspect local turn out is going to be 39 to 43 percent . Oddly about the same percentage of young people prepared to undertake military action for King and Country.
There are going to be a lot of councils NOC or depending on casting vote of chair.
I had my postal vote . mum not got hers . are they normally entrusted to the Royal Mail on the same day or sent in batches ? (sticky machines for mailings ?)

[Stanley]

See THIS for evidence that the Mandelson Affair is far from over....
The prime minister's former chief of staff Morgan McSweeney will give evidence to MPs on the Foreign Affairs Committee next week about his role in the security vetting of Lord Mandelson. McSweeney, who advised the prime minister to appoint Lord Mandelson as the UK's ambassador to the US, is likely to face questions about whether he put pressure on civil servants to speed up the vetting. It comes after former senior Foreign Office civil servant Sir Olly Robbins accused No 10 of a "dismissive" attitude towards the process - a claim Downing Street has denied. Cat Little, the most senior civil servant at the Cabinet Office, will appear before the committee on Thursday. Last week, Little told Sir Keir Starmer that the UK Security and Vetting (UKSV) team had raised concerns about Lord Mandelson, but the Foreign Office had still granted him security clearance. Committee chair Dame Emily Thornberry has said the Foreign Office's Chief Property and Security Officer Ian Collard and former Foreign Office top civil servant Sir Philip Barton have also been asked to give evidence.
The general consensus seems to be that 10 Downing Street is the root of the problem, incredibly bad management as evidenced by the rapid turnover of senior posts.....

[Stanley]

THIS caught my attention this morning....
US President Donald Trump has said next week's state visit from King Charles and Queen Camilla could help repair relations with the UK. When asked in a phone interview with the BBC whether the visit could help repair the relationship, Trump said: "Absolutely. He's fantastic. He's a fantastic man. Absolutely the answer is yes." "I know him well, I've known him for years," he said. "He's a brave man, and he's a great man. They would absolutely be a positive." The president also spoke about his relationship with UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, who he said could only "recover" if he changed course on immigration. The King and Queen will travel to the US for a four-day visit beginning on Monday, and will meet with Trump at the White House. The King will have a private meeting with the president and also deliver an address to Congress. After two days in Washington DC, they will travel to New York, Virginia and Bermuda before returning to the UK. The Foreign Office said the trip would mark the 250th anniversary of US independence, and would celebrate a partnership of "shared prosperity, security and history".
Does this reassure you at all?

[Stanley]

See THIS assessment from Chris Mason of the Starmer situation......
This was the week questions about the future of the prime minister took a turn for the worse for Sir Keir Starmer. If you had asked me a fortnight ago about the sentiment we were picking up from Labour MPs about Sir Keir's future in Downing Street, I would have told you that pressure from them appeared to have eased. Perhaps, some pondered, after the prime minister's political near death experience in February - the moment the Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said the party "looked over the precipice" - the appetite to take another peek over the edge had gone, at least for now. Labour MPs were still looking towards the elections around Britain a week on Thursday with trepidation bordering on horror, but many talked with pride about how their leader was handling the war in the Middle East and the fervent leadership chatter had eased, at least a bit. But all of this was before mid-afternoon on Thursday of last week, when the Guardian's investigation about Lord Mandelson's security vetting dropped. Since then, an unremittingly, relentlessly, incessantly grim story, if you think of it from the perspective of the Labour Party, has been squatting on the news agenda, expelling the potential for anything they would rather be talking about getting any attention. And yes, just days before those crucial elections to the Scottish and Welsh parliaments and to many English local authorities.