Brown’s allies could wreck Labour’s 2005 election hopes, Mandelson warned
Peter Mandelson warned Tony Blair not to allow Gordon Brown’s supporters to wreck Labour’s 2005 general election campaign from within, according to newly released government files.Relations between Blair and his chancellor were strained in the autumn of 2004 as Labour prepared to try for a third successive election victory.Brown and his allies believed the prime minister had reneged on a promise to step down towards the end of Labour’s second term to allow him to take over.In one file released to the National Archives in Kew, west London, the now Lord Mandelson warned Blair that such tensions would need to be carefully managed during the election campaign.Before leaving for Brussels to take up the post of Britain’s EU commissioner, the former cabinet minister said one of the challenges would be “agreeing where GB’s people can be included without giving them a veto or scope for insider demolition”.
While Brown would want to inherit a healthy Commons majority when he did eventually take over, he would not want Blair to get the credit, he wrote.“A big issue will be you personally.The media will want to bring pressure on you to a new level of intensity.Next door [Brown] will want a good majority but will not want you to do well.”In the event, the two men were able to patch up their differences sufficiently to campaign together, although the tensions quickly re-emerged once Labour was back in office.
Mandelson also stressed the need to woo “what passes for the ‘left’ media” after the bitterness over Britain’s involvement in the 2003 invasion of Iraq.Alastair Campbell, who had stepped down as No 10 communications chief amid controversy over the government’s infamous dossier on weapons of mass destruction, should be kept in the background, he advised.“You must be conscious of the need to create reasons for them to come back on side.Avoid things that will antagonise them (therefore be careful about AC – he is indispensable but must be equally invisible),” Mandelson said.
Eurostar services cancelled and delayed due to problem with overhead power supply in the Channel Tunnel – business live
Newsflash: Eurostar is advising customers not to travel on its service today, following a problem with the overhead power supply in the Channel Tunnel.Eurostar is “strongly” advising all its passengers to postpone their journey to a different date, due to the power problem and a “subsequent failed Le Shuttle train”.It is urging customers not to come to the station unless they already have a ticket to travel, and warning that trains could suffer severe delays and last-minute cancellations.Six trains this afternoon, from St Pancras, Brussels and Paris, have been cancelled (details here). Some other services have been delayed
Renewable energy project approvals hit record high in GB in 2025, data shows
A record number of renewable energy projects were given the go-ahead in Great Britain in 2025, after planning approvals almost doubled year on year, according to an analysis.The energy capacity of new battery, wind, and solar projects that received approval climbed to 45GW this year, 96% higher than in 2024, according to data from Cornwall Insight.The boom was driven by applications to build new battery storage, which almost doubled to 28.6GW this year from 14.9GW in 2024
Facebook slow to act on posts celebrating Bondi beach massacre, anti-hate group says
Facebook hosted terrorist propaganda that celebrated the murder of Jews and praised Islamic State, a leading anti-hate group has alleged.The posts included celebrations of the Bondi beach massacre that the Community Security Trust says Facebook has been too slow to take down. The posts were still on Facebook on 16 December, two days after the attack, and received shares and likes.Some accounts are Britain-based and those have been reported to counter-terrorism police in the UK as a matter of urgency.One post shows video of the aftermath of the Bondi beach attack, which was allegedly carried out by a father and son who were IS supporters, and says: “Allah is the greatest and praise to Allah
We must take control of AI now, before it’s too late | Letters
“When the AI bubble bursts, humans will finally have their chance to take back control”, says the headline on Rafael Behr’s article (23 December). I think it’s more likely that when the AI bubble bursts, the creators of the crisis, along with other wealthy economic actors, will be in the rooms with the politicians telling them how to “rescue” us all by transferring wealth in some way from average citizens to the already extremely wealthy. Just like they did during the financial crisis of 2008.We need to be ready with alternative plans. For example, world governments could coordinate to buy, for suitably low prices, majority shares in any crashing tech company that actually produces something useful, ensuring that those shares come with full voting rights
The Breakdown | ‘There is no ceiling for these players’: Jamaica targeting 2031 Rugby World Cup
Nigerian influence within English rugby union is strong and getting stronger. But could Jamaican rugby, in time, become just as significant?There is no shortage of talent. Jamaica UK Rugby, a club under the umbrella of the Jamaican Rugby Football Union, has 500 members and counting. There are youth sides and international pathways for sevens and 15s and volunteers, on both sides of the Atlantic, working to help their rugby grow.Phil Davis, a London-based youth coach, approached the Jamaican union in 2021 to see if there was a pathway to the 15s game for a promising young prop called Ben Hatfield
Online school and junior tennis: freedom, focus – and a quiet cost
Elite junior tennis players are flocking to online schools. The model offers flexibility and focus – but raises deeper questions about growth, pressure and childhoodIn a major study released recently in Epidemiology, conclusions were drawn – yet again – regarding how shutdowns and online learning were ultimately very damaging to kids’ emotional and mental health (obviously some cohorts of kids were more affected than others with financial security a big part of the calculation). This is no major surprise as parents and students alike weren’t happy with the remote learning environment.Yet despite this general consensus about online schooling not being as healthy as regular school, a new trend has exploded since Covid: the rapid growth of online schooling for tennis players and other athletes. Parents and their junior athletes feel that by being able to play several hours in the day instead of after school it will accelerate their progress in the sport while still leaving room for academics
Marks & Spencer launches ‘nutrient dense’ range for people on weight-loss jabs
Octopus Energy to sell stake in software spin-off Kraken at $8.65bn valuation
When swiping up doesn’t get you far | Letters
Cryptocurrency slump erases 2025 financial gains and Trump-inspired optimism
Five things England must do to make it two Ashes Test wins in a row in Sydney
Sharp shooters: the best sports photos of 2025 and the stories behind them