Decent or disastrous? Starmer’s judgment and leadership divide opinion | Letters
Polly Toynbee (It’s tragic that a decent PM will be brought down by Mandelson’s sleaze – but it’s a matter of when, not if, 6 February) says she cannot “understand the reason for this level of public dislike for a good and serious man”.Keir Starmer’s failure of judgment over Peter Mandelson’s appointment as ambassador to the US is just the last straw.Starmer’s accumulating failures have resulted from his complete lack of vision; there has been no inspiring “this is the kind of society we are going to create”.He has been leading the nation into a strategic vacuum.When the horses do not know which way to face, they all pull in different directions.
No wonder that the carriage does not progress,Never mind, say the prime minister’s supporters – he is so sound tactically, with his lawyer’s background, all the day-to-day decisions are in good hands,The mess of Mandelson’s appointment gives the lie to that,Starmer is as feeble tactically as he is philosophically,Anthony StampWormingford, Essex Could the level of public dislike for Keir Starmer come down to the continuing, and even strengthening, of Tory austerity? Continuing arms sales to a state committing genocide? Restricting the right to protest? Reneging on the pledges that got him elected as leader of the Labour party? Appearing to have no political vision or principles other than being in power just for the sake of it? Did you miss some of these, Polly?Antony DowdNottingham In my time as a non-executive director of an NHS trust, I quickly learned the difference between being reassured and being assured.
The former involves taking people’s word that all is well; the latter involves gathering evidence that it is in fact the case.I am surprised that this basic principle of effective management doesn’t seem to apply in the vetting of our ambassadors.How many other important appointments in public life are currently made on trust, I wonder?James LindesayLeicester It is disappointing that few are appreciating the UK’s good fortune to have as our prime minister Sir Keir Starmer, a man of integrity, decency and undoubted skill in manoeuvring this country through the maelstrom of disruption, malign indifference and ignorance emanating from the White House orange Voldemort.And why is it so little mentioned in the media coverage of the prime minister’s recent difficulties that most of the current scandal is precisely the consequence of an admittedly ill-advised choice of ambassador, when under considerable pressure to deal with the anticipated and now fully realised horrors of such global disturbance caused by the corrupt and malevolent president of the United States?Wendy JenrickSheffield If the Mandelson affair does unseat Keir Starmer, this will be the very worst of Peter Mandelson’s tawdry legacies.We stand to lose the first prime minister for many years who was not in politics for personal glory or gain.
An honourable, intelligent and very hardworking man who inherited a shambolic situation on many fronts and has not deserved the constant sniping from the press that has undermined him from the very start of his term of office.Kirsten Cubitt Thorley Sheffield Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
Austin Butler to play Lance Armstrong in big-screen biopic
The Oscar-nominated actor Austin Butler is scheduled to take on the role of the disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong in a buzzy new biopic.According to Deadline, the package has caused a “frenzied” bidding war in Hollywood with the Conclave director Edward Berger at the helm and King Richard’s Zach Baylin set to write the script.Producer Scott Stuber, who recently worked on Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere, has been working to secure Armstrong’s life rights for a while and a deal has now finally been agreed. Armstrong will be involved in the film but will not have a producing credit.The hope is for the film to be a cross between F1 and The Wolf of Wall Street
Stephen Colbert: ‘Trump would eat a bicycle tire if you put it on a bun’
On Thursday night, Stephen Colbert responded to White House adviser Paula White-Cain’s claims that Donald Trump is “the GOAT”, while Jimmy Kimmel and Seth Meyers addressed ICE and Jeffrey Epstein.Over on the Late Show, Colbert turned his attention to Trump’s appearance at the national prayer breakfast and his speech at the Washington Hilton hotel. Or as Colbert called the president’s 77-minute address, “special material just for the prayer munchers”.Ahead of his remarks, Trump was introduced by White-Cain, the White House senior adviser who Colbert called a “haunted Bloomingdale’s mannequin”. White-Cain introduced the president as “the GOAT: the greatest of all time”
Aacta awards 2026: horror film Bring Her Back and Jacob Elordi win big at Australian film and TV prizes
Bring Her Back has dominated at the 2026 Aacta (Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts) awards, winning 10 of 16 nominations, while Jacob Elordi has continued his recent awards buzz by taking home best lead actor for his performance in The Narrow Road to the Deep North.Bring Her Back, Danny and Michael Philippou’s horror-thriller about a sinister foster mother, emerged as the most awarded film of the night with 10 wins. This marks a major milestone for the Adelaide brothers, surpassing the eight awards they won for their 2024 global breakout, Talk to Me.Bring Her Back won best direction, best film, best leading actress in a film for Sally Hawkins and almost every technical category, including cinematography, editing, original score, sound, costume design, hair and makeup, and casting.Fresh from his Critics’ Choice Movie awards win for his portrayal of the Creature in Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein, Elordi won best lead actor in a drama for his portrayal of army surgeon Dorrigo Evans in the screen adaptation of Richard Flanagan’s Booker prize-winning novel The Narrow Road to the Deep North
Volcanic vulvas and hermaphrodite marble: Ovid’s Metamorphoses reshaped at the Rijksmuseum
Artists from Bernini to Louise Bourgeois are brought together in a new exhibition exploring the uncomfortable erotic parables of the ancient Roman poetOn three massive screens in a darkened room, snakes glide over the face of artist Juul Kraijer – covering her eyes, caressing her lips. She is the silent but terrifying snake-headed Medusa, and one of the surprises in an exhibition at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam revolving around Greek and Roman myths.While the show features rarely lent works from masters such as Caravaggio, Bernini, Rodin and Brâncuși, it marries them with modern artists who reinterpret the legends where male gods do all they can to get their wicked way and the powerless are punished. Transgender bodies, bare breasts and even a volcanic vulva appear in artworks inspired by Roman poet Ovid’s masterpiece, Metamorphoses.Taco Dibbits, general director of the Rijksmuseum, believes the 200 myths and legends from this ancient epic poem still speak to our uncertain times
Seth Meyers on Trump skipping the Super Bowl: ‘Of course he is worried about getting booed’
Late-night hosts looked into Donald Trump’s excuses for not attending a Super Bowl where he would be booed and the dubious audience scores for the Melania documentary.With the Super Bowl just days away, Seth Meyers looked into why Donald Trump, usually one for attention, does not plan to be in attendance. “Given Trump’s love of football and attention, you might have expected him to show up to the Super Bowl on Sunday, especially since he went to last year’s Super Bowl,” the Late Night host said.But Trump has told reporters that he won’t attend the game because it will be played in Santa Clara, California, outside San Francisco, which is “just too far away”, though he acknowledged that he had received “great hands [at] the Super Bowl. They like me,” he said, adding that he “would go if, you know, it was a little bit shorter”
‘It’s an opportunity for bonding’ – my quest to become a Black dad who can do his daughters’ hair
For me – and many other Black men – my experience of hair begins and ends in the barbershop. But as my two daughters get older, I’m determined to make ‘salon night’ pain free – and maybe even enjoyable The Guardian’s journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. Learn more.In the basement of Larry King’s salon in Marylebone, London, stylist and curly hair advocate Jennie Roberts is giving me a much-needed pep talk
Government on track to lower minimum age for train drivers to 18 in Great Britain
Mandelson revelations show need for tougher UK constraints to resist rule of the rich | Heather Stewart
‘It felt hypocritical’: child internet safety campaign accused of censoring teenagers’ speeches
‘I fell into it’: ex-criminal hackers urge Manchester pupils to use web skills for good
Super Bowl 2026: Seattle Seahawks v New England Patriots – live
Winter Olympics 2026: USA take gold in figure skating team event – as it happened