It’s amazing how much damage Kemi can do to herself in five minutes on local radio | John Crace

It was the sort of day that every politician dreads. One where you can’t not say and do something. The pressure to come up with the right words. The knowledge that even if you do find the right words, they still won’t be enough.Nothing anyone can say can mitigate the horror of the latest antisemitic attacks in north London on Wednesday

Senior UK ministers deride Rachel Reeves’s reported plan of year-long rent freeze

Senior ministers have poured scorn on the idea of freezing private sector rents for a year, less than 48 hours after the Guardian revealed Rachel Reeves was considering it.Steve Reed, the housing secretary, and Matthew Pennycook, the housing minister, became the latest government figures to criticise the idea, which has since been ruled out by No 10.The government’s split over the idea has fed speculation about Reeves’ job after reports over the weekend that Keir Starmer was intending to sack her after the local elections.Keir Starmer failed to guarantee she would remain in place during Wednesday’s Prime Minister’s Questions, though Downing Street insists she retains the prime minister’s support.Pennycook said on Wednesday about the rent freeze: “We are not doing this

Starmer sees off major Labour rebellion over call for Mandelson inquiry

Keir Starmer has seen off a major Labour rebellion over a bid to force a parliamentary investigation into his appointment of Peter Mandelson, but many of his own MPs warned he was running out of political capital.After Downing Street deployed its full weight to force Labour MPs to block a referral to the privileges committee over the scandal, some angrily accused Starmer of leaving them facing accusations of a “cover-up”.Previously loyal MPs warned the prime minister to tread carefully, particularly after what are expected to be a damaging set of election results for Labour next week.“He’s in the last-chance saloon and the last few days haven’t improved his prospects of survival,” one minister said, while another added: “Keir only has so much credit in the bank with the backbenches now, so he needs to spend it wisely.”On a day of high jeopardy on Tuesday, Starmer’s former chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, and the Foreign Office’s former permanent secretary, Sir Philip Barton, prompted yet more questions over how much pressure had been put on officials to accelerate Mandelson’s posting to Washington

No 10 dismisses Reeves’s reported plan for freeze on private rents

Downing Street has dismissed the idea of a freeze on private sector rents even as Rachel Reeves left the door open to such a move, after the Guardian revealed the chancellor has been considering it as an option to cut the cost of living.A No 10 spokesperson said on Tuesday that freezing private sector rents was “not the approach we will be taking” after sources told the Guardian it was Reeves’s preferred solution for dealing with a spike in housing costs in the wake of the Iran war.They added: “We have no plans to implement this. Our focus remains on cutting bills and backing renters alongside lower energy prices.”Reeves, however, failed to rule out the idea when asked about it in the Commons, telling the Labour MP Yuan Yang: “I will do everything in my power and use every lever we have to bear down on the cost of living, including for people in the private rented sector

Drop the ‘toxic hot potato’: what Barton and McSweeney really revealed about the Mandelson scandal

The latest two witnesses to testify to parliament over Peter Mandelson’s appointment had plenty to offer headline writers. “A toxic hot potato” was how Philip Barton, the former top civil servant in the Foreign Office, described Mandelson’s links with Jeffrey Epstein, a view he would have shared with Downing Street if only he had been asked.“A knife through my soul” was how Morgan McSweeney, the prime minister’s former chief adviser, described the moment he found out the true nature of Mandelson’s relationship with the convicted child sex offender.But the most interesting parts of both men’s evidence on Tuesday were those that addressed the question at the core of the scandal: was the Foreign Office’s decision to grant Mandelson security clearance against the advice of the vetting agency influenced by pressure from Downing Street?Both Barton and McSweeney agreed there was pressure put on the department over Mandelson’s security vetting. Both, however, maintained it had no bearing on the decision in late January 2025 to grant Mandelson clearance

Shabana Mahmood’s frustration with immigration debate is understandable | Letter

Zoe Williams criticises Shabana Mahmood’s recent language as showing “contempt for the values of her own party”, but I disagree (Shabana Mahmood’s expletive was shocking. But not for the reason you think, 23 April). In today’s polarised climate, too many on the progressive side treat any divergence on issues like immigration as indistinguishable from Reform UK. That simply isn’t true.Mahmood’s language may have been coarse, but her frustration is understandable