Labour MP turns on Keir Starmer in extraordinary attack - 'He doesn’t seem up to the job'

Decision to sack Lord Mandelson 'rightly taken', says Yvette Cooper

Yvette Cooper has said the decision to sack Lord Mandelson as US ambassador was “rightly taken”.

The newly-appointed Foreign Secretary said: "That decision has rightly been taken, and now our focus continues to be on the work that we will continue to do, not just with the US government, but with governments across the world under the Prime Minister’s strong leadership, as we’ve seen here in Ukraine.”

Ms Cooper was speaking from Kyiv where she is on her first overseas visit in her new role as Foreign Secretary.

Andy Burnham campaign group launches scathing attack on Keir Starmer's leadership - 'It could break the Labour Party'

A new group within Labour, spearheaded by Andy Burnham, has warned Keir Starmer risks "breaking" his own party.

Mainstream, which launched earlier this week with the backing of the Greater Manchester Mayor, has raised concerns about the political judgement of the Prime Minister.

It was set up amid concern the left of the party was being sidelined by Downing Street following the resignation of Angela Rayner.

READ THE FULL STORY HERE

MP accused of promoting safety on streets of his constituency by posting 'picture of Japan'

Labour MP for Chatham and Aylesford, Tristan Osborne, has been accused by social media users of posting a picture of Japan to promote a street safety initiative in his constituency.

Mr Osborne posted information about the School Streets programme - which involves pedestrianising streets around schools in his constituency area - to X this morning.

Many social media users have however questioned if the promotion features a picture taken in Japan.

One person wrote: "Doesn't look like any part of Medway I know. Unless there's a Medway in Japan....."

Another commented: "Japan?"

Foreign Secretary insists information on Lord Mandelson's ties to Epstein emerged after his appointment 

Newly-appointed Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper has insisted information on Peter Mandelson's ties with Jeffrey Epstein emerged after he was appointed as US ambassador.

Asked why Lord Mandelson was appointed to the role given the guidance on the relationship between him and the convicted sex offender, the Foreign Secretary said: "The decision was taken because new information came to light that wasn't available at the time of his appointment."

When pressed on whether there were alarm bells about Lord Mandelson, she said: "Clearly as we set out yesterday, new information came to light that was not available at the time of the appointment."

Israel is 'running out of friends', says Nigel Farage 

Nigel Farage has met with Israeli President, Isaac Herzog, and said the country is "running out of friends".

The Reform UK leader wrote to X: "I met with President Isaac Herzog of Israel.

"They are running out of friends as they take on the Hamas terrorists."

Emily Thornberry demands answers from Foreign Secretary on vetting process for Lord Mandelson

The chairwoman of Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee has written to Yvette Cooper demanding answers on the vetting process for Lord Peter Mandelson’s appointment as US ambassador.

Dame Emily Thornberry wrote to the newly appointed Foreign Secretary asking for clarification on what security concerns were raised during the process and how the Foreign Office responded to those concerns.

She also asked whether the Foreign Office felt the concerns represented a “potential barrier” to Lord Mandelson’s appointment and whether any conditions were imposed on his remit as ambassador.

The letter read: “It has been suggested by a number of media outlets that security concerns were overlooked during the appointments process, and that such decisions may have been taken by actors outside of the Foreign Office, perhaps senior people in No10.

“These allegations are potentially very serious… As chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, it is my responsibility to ensure that the House of Commons receives a thorough response to a number of important unanswered questions.”

Irish leader and PM discuss plans to 'increase pressure on Putin's regime' during meeting today 

The Prime Minister and Taoiseach (Irish leader) Micheal Martin discussed the "intolerable" situation in Gaza at a meeting today.

Sir Keir Starmer hosted Mr Martin at Chequers in Buckinghamshire, as the two Governments continue to hail an improvement in relations following Brexit.

The leaders discussed the "very strong" relationship between Britain and Ireland, a Downing Street spokesman said.

The statement from No10 added: "Turning to the Middle East, the leaders said they were appalled by the strike in Doha this week and the intolerable scenes in Gaza.

"They agreed it was essential to end the man-made famine, get aid in at scale, release the hostages and find a pathway to a two-state solution to deliver peace for Israelis and Palestinians.

"The Prime Minister condemned Russia’s increased recklessness in recent weeks, including the outrageous violation of Poland’s airspace and attacks on the British Council and EU delegation buildings in Kyiv.

"He committed to working with partners in the Coalition of the Willing, including Ireland, to step up support for Ukraine and increase pressure on Putin’s regime."

'Keir Starmer doesn't seem up for the job', backbench Labour MP says 

Sir Keir Starmer "doesn't seem up to the job" of Prime Minister, a backbench Labour MP has said.

Clive Lewis, MP for Norwich South, told the BBC’s The Week In Westminster programme: “You see a Labour Prime Minister who feels that he’s lost control within the first year.

“This isn’t navel-gazing. This is me thinking about my constituents, this country, and the fact that the person who is eight points ahead of us is Nigel Farage. That terrifies me."

He added: “We don’t have the luxury of carrying on this way with someone who I think increasingly, I’m sorry to say, just doesn’t seem up to the job.”

WATCH: Maxwell Marlow says that a new report reveals one in five cars is bought through a Motability scheme

GB News host Alex Armstrong has hit out at the "bogus" Motability Scheme following a new report, which found people claiming brand new cars for conditions including "acne".

The report, published by the Adam Smith Institute, also found that one in five cars bought by the scheme are exempt from VAT.

Motability helps people with various disabilities lease cars, however the study revealed that only 12 per cent of their fleet of cars are adapted for wheelchair users.

READ THE FULL STORY HERE.

Kemi Badenoch says Starmer should 'never have appointed' Lord Peter Mandelson

Kemi Badenoch said the Prime Minister “should never have appointed” Lord Peter Mandelson, who has been sacked as ambassador to the US over his close relationship with paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.

The Conservative leader said: "What this is showing is that he (Keir Starmer) had very bad judgment and he was only forced into sacking Peter Mandelson because I raised those questions at Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday and a lot of his backbenchers heard how bad it was and put pressure on him.

"It is unfortunate that this is now happening just before a state visit.

"We now don’t have an ambassador in place. All of that is Keir Starmer’s fault, not anyone else’s."

Tom Tugendhat blasts 'absurd' strikes as he takes aim at Sadiq Khan

Tom Tugendhat has blasted Sadiq Khan as a "failure" following a week of Tube strikes in London.

The Conservative MP for Tonbridge wrote in The Telegraph: "This Government has shown that it never wanted to govern for the country, just for its Union paymasters. That’s costing us all.

"The demands the RMT have set out would be around £200 million a year, not including the ridiculous 75 per cent discount on rail fares it thinks it’s owed. That’s absurd.

"As Mayor Khan said, in his own words, strikes are a sign of failure. He’s right. And he holds the record for the most number of days on strike out of any Mayor of London."

Labour is about to bare its soul to the outside world. Reform's true influence will be revealed, writes Paul Embery

Trade unionist and activist Paul Embery has warned that Labour must not be aping Reform UK foing into its party Deputy Leadership contest.

He wrote: "An undue focus on, say, Net Zero or LGBT rights or any of the other high-status beliefs peddled by the liberal class, and many of these voters will just roll their eyes and switch off.

"That does not mean aping Reform UK, whose small-state, Thatcherite, slash-and-burn economic philosophy risks laying waste to working-class communities, just as it did in the 1980s, and is not what most working-class voters are looking for right now."

GB NEWS MEMBERS CAN READ PAUL'S EXCLUSIVE ANALYSIS HERE.

Keir Starmer stands by Chief of Staff amid Lord Mandelson fallout

Downing Street said Sir Keir Starmer still had confidence in his "top team" follow questions over his chief of staff Morgan McSweeney, who was reported to have lobbied for Lord Mandelson’s initial appointment.

Asked if the Prime Minister still had confidence in Mr McSweeney’s judgment, his spokesman said: "Of course the Prime Minister has confidence in his top team.

"They are getting on with the important work of this Government, which has seen us deliver more than five million extra NHS appointments, new NHS league tables to drive up standards for patients, the new defence industrial strategy, which has included things like the £10billion frigate deal with Norway."

Downing Street says Mandelson sacking was 'balancing exercise'

Downing Street has said the sacking of Lord Mandelson was "a balancing exercise".

A spokesman said: “The Prime Minister made a balanced judgement based on what he saw as being in the UK’s national interest"

While the Prime Minister's spokesman said Downing Street has an "excellent relationship with the White House", they did not confirm or deny whether Trump was spoken to about the sacking.

Keir Starmer's reign 'effectively over' as No10 faces ‘sacrificial lamb’ moment amid Lord Mandelson scandal

Former Conservative adviser Oscar Reddrop has delivered a damning verdict of the Labour Government following Peter Mandelson's dismissal as US ambassador, declaring the party "effectively over" and predicting someone will need to become "a sacrificial lamb" within No10.

Speaking about the latest crisis to engulf Keir Starmer's administration, Mr Reddrop suggested the Prime Minister faces mounting pressure from all directions after Lord Mandelson's sacking over newly discovered emails concerning his relationship with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

Mr Reddrop told GB News: "Because this was already known, why was he chosen?

"It’s interesting that allies of Mandelson, quoted in The Times, have said it was made clear and widely understood. That suggests the chances of Mandelson going quietly are slim."

Theresa May leads opposition to 'licence to kill bill' during Lords debate

Theresa May has opposed the “licence to kill bill” during a debate on assisted dying in the House of Lords.

The former Prime Minister is leading opposition to the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill during its second reading in the Upper House.

Baroness May said: "I do not believe the safeguards in the Bill will prevent people from being pressurised to end their lives, sometimes for the benefit of others."

She added that "people will feel they must end their lives because they feel they are a burden on others."

WATCH: Nigel Farage reacts to Peter Mandelson's sacking, calling Keir Starmer's judgement into question

Nigel Farage announces Reform's candidate for Caerphilly by-election

Nigel Farage has announced Llŷr Powell as Reform UK's candidate for the upcoming Caerphilly by-election.

Mr Powell becomes the fourth candidate confirmed for the by-election which was called following the tragic death of Hefin David.

The candidates announced so far are:

• Gareth Potter (Conservative)
• Richard Tunnicliffe (Labour)
• Lindsay Whittle (Plaid Cymru)
• Llŷr Powell (Reform UK)

Pressure mounts on Keir Starmer over botched Lord Mandelson appointment

Sir Keir Starmer is facing increasing pressure with MPs asking questions his political judgement after the botched Lord Mandelson appointment.

The former US Ambassador told his vetting officer that he had continued his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein for many years and that he deeply regretted doing so, adding that he now feels ill treated by the Prime Minister.

One cabinet minister told The Times: " It was obvious from the start that he [Mandelson] was the wrong choice. It was just a matter of time. It’s so damaging.

Another added it should have been "obvious" that Lord Mandelson’s resignation was inevitable.

The Times reports Lord Mandelson refused to resign so the Prime Minister sacked him, as there was concern in the Foreign Office he would "not go quietly."

Labour leader of Caerphilly Council quits Keir Starmer's party ahead of crunch by election

The Labour leader of Caerphilly Council has quit the party in a bombshell resignation ahead of a key Senedd by-election.

Sean Morgan has told the BBC that he expects Plaid Cymru to win and Reform to come second, describing his former party as a "busted flush."

Mr Morgan added he would be voting for Plaid candidate Lindsay Whittle.

A Labour spokesman told The Spectator: "We have robust due diligence processes in place agreed by the Welsh Executive Committee to ensure everyone selected to stand for the Labour party is shares the party’s values."

​Alex Burghart said there are 'huge questions' for everyone involved in Peter Mandelson appointment

Shadow Duchy of Lancaster Alex Burghart said there are "huge questions" for everyone involved in the botched appointment of Peter Mandelson as US Ambassador.

The MP for Brentwood and Ongar told GB News Breakfast: "It become clear overnight that the vetting process did throw up a whole load of problems with the appointment.

"It's incredibly unlikely PM and his team wouldn't have known what we all know now and they still appointed him.

"We in the Conservatives are calling on the PM and the Government to publish all this stuff right now and get it on the table."

Nigel Farage to announce by-election candidate in Caerphilly

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage will announce his party's candidate in the Caerphilly by-election today.

The Senedd by-election, called after the sudden death of Hefin David has kicked off ahead of polling day on October 23.

The Welsh parliamentary constituency has been held by Labour since its creation in 1999, however both Reform UK and Plaid Cymru are eying up the seat.

Zack Polanski says 'multiple' Labour MPs are considering defecting to the Greens

Green Party leader Zack Polanski said he has spoken to "multiple" Labour MPs who are considering defecting to his party.

Mr Polanski said his party would "absolutely" welcome disillusioned MPs, as long as they share the party’s values.

He told The Independent: "Undoubtedly, there are Labour politicians that I would accept defections from. Not all of them, it’s really important to point out that caveat.

"It’s also important to point out that it wouldn’t be my decision; it would be a democratic decision made by an elected body, but that’s quite a technical answer.

"So I’ll answer a question directly: would I accept, as in would I encourage defections? Absolutely."

He cited Norwich South MP Clive Lewis and Nottingham East MP Nadia Whittome as people who he would welcome into his party.

Labour minister says MPs are 'despondent' following double departure

Douglas Alexander said he understood that Labour MPs would be “despondent” in the wake of the departure of Angela Rayner and Peter Mandelson.

The Scotland Secretary told BBC Breakfast: “Many of us were devastated by Angela Rayner’s departure from the Government last week.

“She’s an extraordinary woman who’s overcome the most extraordinary challenges and we are grieving and feel quite acutely that sense of loss.

“Now to have the dismissal of Peter Mandelson just the next week, I totally get it, of course Labour MPs will be despondent that in two weeks in a row we have seen significant resignations from public service.

“These are not the headlines any of us in Government or in Parliament would have chosen or wanted. But the fact is when the evidence emerged, action had to be taken and we are looking forward, therefore, to moving on.”

Former Conservative Adviser Oscar Reddrop believes that Keir Starmer’s Labour Government 'is done'

UK economic growth FLATLINES in hammer blow to Labour's core manifesto pledge

Britain's economy flatlined in July after a mere 0.4 per cent expansion in June, the Office for National Statistics has said.

In a hammer blow to Labour's core manifesto pledge, the economy recorded zero growth for the last month on record.

"Kickstart economic growth" was the first of the party's five key pledges ahead of last year's General Election.

READ THE FULL STORY HERE.

Morgan McSweeney pushed for Keir Starmer to hire Mandelson

Sir Keir Starmer's chief of staff Morgan McSweeney was pushing for the Prime Minister to hire Lord Mandelson as US Ambassador.

A party source told Politico: "Everyone was like, this is looking really bad for the Prime Minister and Morgan was like, no, we need to defend him."

One Labour insider told the Mail "Morgan was very insistent", with a backbench MP telling the i the Prime Minister "needs better advisers" while another told the Guardian that some in Downing Street "think it’s OK for their mates to do bad things."

Fresh wave of sanctions placed on Russia

Britain announced a new package of Russia-related sanctions on Friday, including 70 new specifications and 30 new designations, a government statement said.

It comes as Russia and Belarus began a major joint military exercise on Nato's doorstep on Friday that will involve drills in both countries and in the Baltic and Barents seas, the Russian defence ministry said.

The "Zapad-2025" exercise - a show of force by Russia and its close ally, is taking place at an exceptionally tense moment in the Russia-Ukraine war, two days after Poland, with support from its NATO allies, shot down suspected Russian drones over its airspace.

Nigel Nelson says questions for Keir Starmer 'will not end here'

GB News Senior Political Commentator Nigel Nelson said questions for the Prime Minister "will not end here."

Describing him as the "best political brains I have ever encountered", Nigel described how he fired Mandelson during his time editing the Sunday People

He added: "Peter’s problem is that he is not so good at advising himself."

GB NEWS MEMBERS CAN READ NIGEL'S ANALYSIS HERE.

Keir Starmer has got just SIX MONTHS to prove he has got the right stuff to be PM, claims Labour peer

Sir Keir Starmer has six months to prove that he has got what it takes to be Prime Minister, a leading Labour peer who is close to figures in 10 Downing Street has said.

Lord Glasman, the founder of the Blue Labour group which represents Labour supporters in areas targeted by Reform UK, told Chopper's Political Podcast that Mr Starmer "may or may not" survive as leader at the next election expected in 2029.

The peer said: "What I see with him is that he genuinely wants to be a national leader... he's making a drastic transition from being basically a human rights lawyer to being a national politician, being a Prime Minister.

READ THE FULL STORY HERE.