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Liz Webster
21, April

Liz Webster: The Intelligence and Security Committee…

🚩🚩🚩 The Intelligence and Security Committee has issued a scathing update on the Mandelson papers. They had to drop everything to review them: The govt has still not provided all requested documents. None of the first batch even related to Mandelson’s vetting. The first two vetting documents only arrived yesterday. Even Parliament’s own security oversight body is now publicly complaining about obstruction. This scandal gets worse by the hour. #MandelsonEpstein
Andy Ngo
21, April

Andy Ngo: A Muslim migrant extremist from Bangladesh…

A Muslim migrant extremist from Bangladesh who was convicted for plotting to blow up the London Stock Exchange was allowed to stay in the UK based on a human rights ruling by a court. Shah Rahman applied for asylum after serving his sentence, and the court found that his human rights were at risk if he was deported. He went on to marry another Muslim extremist foreigner who was caught with ISIS material on her electronic device.
Alex Wickham
21, April

Alex Wickham: Olly Robbins’ evidence and where it leaves Keir Starmer…

Olly Robbins’ evidence and where it leaves Keir Starmer — The top line of Robbins’ testimony is damning and on the worse end of expectations for the prime minister. He accused Downing Street of having a “dismissive approach” to vetting and creating an “atmosphere of pressure” by pressing ahead with the appointment and announcement before vetting had been completed. That is strong language that Starmer will have to answer. — Robbins directed his criticism at the PM’s private office, accusing them of putting his team under “constant pressure” to “get it done” with “an atmosphere of constant chasing.” The Cabinet Office had argued Mandelson didn’t even need to be vetted, he said. He didn’t name them but his testimony puts scrutiny on the PM’s then principal private secretary Nin Pandit and his PPS for foreign affairs Alisa Terry. — In a further revelation, he said No10 pushed for Starmer’s former communications chief Matthew Doyle to be found an ambassadorial role. Doyle has since been suspended from Labour over his links to a sex offender. — However, there were several complicating factors to Robbins’ evidence which exacerbate the mess of the last week. He said there have been a series of misunderstandings about what had gone on. — Robbins confirmed he did not tell the PM, then cabinet secretary Chris Wormald or then chief of staff Morgan McSweeney about the issues with Mandelson’s vetting. That clears Starmer of the original main charge from opponents that he knew what had gone on and lied. Robbins insists he was bound by confidentiality rules governing the UKSV process not to tell anyone. — Robbins also laid out a different series of events surrounding Mandelson’s vetting. He said in fact Mandelson did not “fail” his UK Security Vetting process, and neither did security officials make a firm recommendation against the appointment. Instead, he says UKSV were leaning against recommending that Mandelson get clearance. Robbins and the FCDO security team were then able to put mitigations in place to clear Mandelson for Developed Vetting, he said. He argued that was appropriate and followed the correct process. — Robbins said that despite the pressure he felt from No10, it did not impact the FCDO’s decision to approve clearance for Mandelson. He stood by that decision and implied he would make the same judgment again. He suggested Starmer could have cancelled the appointment once the Cabinet Office Propriety and Ethics due diligence report threw up publicly known issues with Mandelson, but that there was no reason to deny him clearance. Essentially he sought to downplay the whole furore about Mandelson’s vetting issues and his own role and decisions. — So in conclusion Robbins’ evidence is he came under pressure from No10 to “get it done,” clearly not “due process,” yet in terms of his own decision to approve clearance for Mandelson, due process was followed. That leaves a complete mess that is extremely damaging for the government and for Labour MPs to weigh as they consider Starmer’s future.
Alex Wickham
21, April

Alex Wickham: Keir Starmer state of play tonight…

Keir Starmer state of play tonight: A brutal 48 hours leaves the PM weaker than ever, but he stays for now. Process aside, Labour MPs are ultimately weighing the bigger question: is the disastrous appointment of Peter Mandelson reason enough to cost Starmer his job and plunge Britain into a new period of political chaos? Most Labour MPs, ministers and aides who spoke to Bloomberg say they don’t think there will be a move against Starmer before May 7. But they warn the scandal increases the chance of a challenge afterwards and sinks his hopes of using Iran to rejuvenate his premiership. One MP says the events of this week leave Starmer suspended above an elephant trap. There has been no knockout blow, yet, though any further revelations could deliver one, they say. The government is concerned that fresh Mandelson developments could emerge in the coming days and weeks which might push Starmer over the edge. Another tranche of internal documents is expected to be published after the local elections at the moment of maximum danger. However, another MP argues that while the Robbins’ testimony was damning, the facts surrounding Mandelson’s vetting remain extremely complicated and too messy to be used as a reason to move against him. While there is no doubt Starmer made a terrible political error in appointing Mandelson, after the last two days it isn’t clear cut who between No10 and Robbins is right when it comes to his vetting, they say. And then there is the crucial problem of timing. Wes Streeting and Angela Rayner don’t want to blow up the government two weeks before Labour councillors try to keep their seats, MPs say. Rayner backs Starmer tonight, saying there are “more important questions” than the Mandelson process row. Allies suggest she does not want to be the one who wields the knife and she still hasn’t resolved her tax problems. Supporters of Streeting on the right of the Labour Party are wary that Rayner would likely be the favourite in a contest right now, perhaps dissuading him from moving. And some MPs on the left prefer Andy Burnham as their choice of successor to Rayner, meaning they are inclined to wait until he gets to Parliament. No-one is confident they’d get the successor they want and everyone fears a messy and protracted contest, one of the MPs says. So despite the Mandelson mess, Starmer stays for now. With @Joe_Mayes
Philip Proudfoot
21, April

Philip Proudfoot: Whenever heads of state have to comment on…

Whenever heads of state have to comment on, or meet Trump, I think a lot about something @ByYourLogic said about the US president. Trump is the result of all the American stupids finding their ultimate form — the most Stupid of the Stupids — and then making him their king. Then, as king, world leaders are forced into a kind of ritual humiliation, where they must bow before the stupid. Act as if he’s not stupid. Subjugate themselves before the stupid. Share tips on how to placate the stupid. Give the stupid gifts and trinkets. Ensure they avoid his wrath. Anyway, just think that’s very accurate.
Dale Vince
21, April

Dale Vince: What’s interesting in this story...

What’s interesting in this story is that 'UK and European stocks lost billions’ in the last week after the government announced it was going to ‘break the link’ - presumably now the detail is out and it’s not actually breaking this link - stocks will rebound in value. That tells us all we need to know - real breaking of the link would have been bad for big business - this mere weakening of it is just bad for consumers - same as it ever was.
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