What Starmer said, and didn’t say, in the Commons about the Mandelson saga

Keir Starmer has laid out a detailed timeline of events leading up to Peter Mandelson being refused security vetting and how the message was not passed to No 10. Here’s what his statement did tell us – and what it was more vague on.double quotation markI will now set out a full timeline of the events in the Peter Mandelson process.”In a statement that leaned heavily on Starmer’s time as a lawyer, and was framed almost as a prosecution opening case against the Foreign Office and its now-ousted head civil servant, Olly Robbins, the PM set out events from 18 December 2024, when the decision to appoint Mandelson was confirmed, to last Tuesday, when he finally learned that security vetting had been initially refused.This included moments when, Starmer argued, he or others should have been told about Mandelson initially being refused security vetting: the initial refusal; when the foreign affairs select committee was assured that normal procedures were followed; and when Starmer began a wider review into vetting this year

Starmer the Incurious asks no questions and sees no Mandy-shaped red flags

Things could be worse. The prime minister can still catch a break. Some had called Monday’s Commons statement Keir Starmer’s judgment day. But that was a category error. Many Labour MPs had long since made up their minds

Is Richard Tice’s picture AI-manipulated? Here are five giveaways

After Richard Tice posted a picture of an apparent Reform campaign event on Sunday, experts and social media detectives took a closer look and concluded from a variety of telltale signs that the image had either been edited or generated by artificial intelligence. Here are some of the elements that critics called into question.One woman has six fingers on one hand and extra long ones on the other. The man in the beige jacket has three extremely long fingers which look like sausages. AI often gets fingers wrong

Mandelson vetting saga reveals flaws in Starmer’s judgment, not process | Letters

The emerging account of Peter Mandelson’s appointment as US ambassador raises a question not of process, but of judgment (Revealed: Mandelson failed vetting but Foreign Office overruled decision, 16 April). The prime minister was warned repeatedly. Briefings in November and December 2024 flagged reputational risks, including well-documented associations and potential exposure if the appointment went wrong. Keir Starmer’s national security adviser raised concerns directly. Yet the appointment proceeded at pace

Starmer orders inquiry into any security concerns over Mandelson’s tenure in US

Keir Starmer has ordered an investigation into any security concerns relating to Peter Mandelson’s tenure as UK ambassador to the US, as he set out a series of practical measures in the wake of the controversy over Mandelson’s vetting.Setting out to the Commons what he called the “frankly staggering” way that Mandelson was appointed to the job despite initially being turned down for security vetting, Starmer said he had ordered a full review into the vetting system.He went on: “Separately, I have asked the government security group in the Cabinet Office to look at any security concerns raised during Peter Mandelson’s tenure.”The prime minister also set out how rules had been changed to make sure that, as happened with Mandelson, someone could not be publicly named as an ambassadorial appointee before they were vetted, even for a political choice like Mandelson.“I want to make clear to the house that for a direct ministerial appointment it was usual for security vetting to happen after the appointment, but before starting in post

What is ‘DV’? Key terms used in the Mandelson vetting row explained

The story of how Peter Mandelson failed his UK security vetting before he took up his post as ambassador to the US – and the overturning of the decision that he should not be given clearance – is full of the abbreviations of the British national security apparatus and the archaic language used to describe parliamentary process.Here are the key terms to understand about the story, as the prime minister, Keir Starmer, faces a vital appearance in the House of Commons in London about who in the government knew what, when.At the heart of the story is Mandelson’s application for a level of security clearance known as “developed vetting” (DV) made after his appointment as ambassador had been announced.According to a government guide to security clearance levels, officials in roles that require them to have “frequent and uncontrolled access” to top secret material and assets need to have DV. That could mean sensitive areas of government buildings as well as classified information

‘Dancing is resistance’: Zack Polanski and the Greens bring the party to the ravers

It was a Sunday evening at one of Leeds’ biggest nightclubs, hot and humid, like walking into a jungle. Dancers pulsated shoulder to shoulder along with the music, riding the optimism of a good night out to come.But the 2,000-plus crowd gathered at Beaver Works were not only there to enjoy house music and abandon themselves to whatever the evening held, they were there to support the local branch of their favourite political party.In a swirl of emerald disco lights, Zack Polanski stepped on to the stage in the main club room to deafening roars from the crowd.“Hey Leeds, how are you doing?” the Green party leader shouted, over rapturous cheers

Reform’s Richard Tice posts picture with telltale signs of AI manipulation, say experts

Deputy leader’s image on X was almost certainly generated or altered using AI, according to Peryton IntelligenceDo the sausage fingers point to sleight of hand?In a picture of a blue-skied day in Birmingham, a diverse group of Reform supporters gathered with placards and cheesy grins to knock on doors for their party. Richard Tice, the party’s deputy leader, posted the picture as evidence of the activists’ commitment through thick and thin.“That is what resilience looks like,” he wrote. “This is what belief looks like.”But on closer inspection, the image looks to many observers more like something else: sausage fingers, melted faces, and AI manipulation

Greens ‘have welcomed’ people expelled by Labour for antisemitism, Steve Reed claims

The Greens have welcomed activists kicked out of Labour for antisemitic views and people should be “very careful” who they vote for next month, one of Keir Starmer’s most senior ministers has said in a notable stepping-up of attacks on Zack Polanski’s party.In a double-pronged offensive against the two parties expected to make big gains in the elections on 7 May, Steve Reed also accused Nigel Farage of being more interested in talking to Donald Trump then representing his Clacton constituency.Speaking to the Guardian on his way to Clacton to view projects financed by the government’s Pride in Place scheme, the housing secretary said the Reform UK leader had not attended any of the 10-plus meetings of a local board set up to decide how to spend the £20m grant.And escalating Labour’s attacks on the Greens, who in a series of recent polls have been placed above Labour, Reed accused the party of failing to properly vet council candidates, and allowing in a stream of hard-left former Labour members, some with antisemitic views.If people were tempted to vote Green, Reed said, they should “look at what they put up, because some of them are not what you think – they’re not the fluffy people that care about the environment”