Starmer says ‘vast majority’ of Labour MPs still support him, despite Mandelson controversy – as it happened
Good morning and welcome to today’s live coverage of UK politics.Despite several calls for his resignation from within his own party, Keir Starmer told the Sunday Times that the “vast majority” of the Labour party are supportive of his leadership.“In politics, you get this sort of thing all of the time,” he said.“There is always talk.What you never hear from are all the people who are supportive, loyal and just want to get on with the job.
And that is the vast majority of people in the parliamentary Labour party.“They’re pleased to be in power.They’ve waited a long time to be in power.And they just want to get on with their job.They don’t make a lot of noise about it.
They don’t talk to journalists about it,It’s really important that is reflected in these debates,”As the pressure continues to build over his decision to appoint Peter Mandelson as ambassador to Washington despite vetting officials recommending that he be denied security clearance, Starmer maintained that he believed Labour can still win the next general election under his leadership,“We didn’t wait 14 years to get elected, we didn’t change the Labour party, we didn’t do all that it entailed to win the election and the mandate for change, not to deliver on it,” he said,On Tuesday, Starmer’s former chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, is expected to appear before the foreign affairs committee to be questioned over Mandelson’s appointment.
McSweeney resigned in February over his role in the hiring of Mandelson.Last week, Olly Robbins, the former top official at the Foreign Office, told the committee that No 10 had created an “atmosphere of pressure” that made it almost impossible to deny clearance for Mandelson.Stay tuned for more.Keir Starmer and the Labour party continue to fight to maintain control in the aftermath of the Mandelson controversy.Starmer spoke to the Sunday Times about how he believed that the vast majority of Labour still supports him and that his party can still win in May.
Darren Jones, the chief secretary to the prime minister, took to the morning shows to defend Starmer and Labour, noting that in his work abroad and campaigning around the country, Mandelson is rarely mentioned and that particularly during a town hall yesterday with constituents, “Peter Mandelson didn’t come up once”,“People are more worried about the impact of the Middle East on their energy bills,” Jones said,Chris Philp, shadow home secretary, said that if Starmer doesn’t resign, “Labour backbenchers and ministers should develop a backbone and get rid of him”,SNP also called for Starmer’s resignation on Sunday in response to a Daily Mail story quoting Labour insiders as saying that the prime minister was considering sacking chancellor Rachel Reeves,“Keir Starmer is living on another planet if he thinks he can save his skin by sacking everyone else,” said Kirsty Blackman, SNP chief whip.
Kirsty Blackman, SNP chief whip, responded on Sunday to a Daily Mail story quoting unnamed Labour insiders as saying that Keir Starmer is considering firing chancellor Rachel Reeves in a cabinet reshuffle in the aftermath of the Mandelson scandal.“This reeks of desperation,” Blackman said in a statement.“Rachel Reeves has been a disaster as chancellor but Keir Starmer is living on another planet if he thinks he can save his skin by sacking everyone else.”Blackman criticised the Labour party for being “completed distracted” by Mandelson “at a time when families need a government that is fully-focused on the cost of living emergency”.“That is entirely on Keir Starmer.
He has fatally damaged public trust in the Labour government and is now throwing everyone under the bus instead of taking responsibility himself,” Blackman said.“If Starmer won’t do the decent thing and quit, people in Scotland can show him the door by voting SNP on 7 May to sack Keir Starmer and secure a fresh start with independence.”Other issues coming up on the morning shows today are the King’s upcoming visit to the US and the Falkland Islands, following the release of an internal Pentagon email that discussed reassessing US diplomatic support for longstanding European “imperial possessions” such as the British overseas territory.“The Falkland Islands are British territory and the only people that get to decide the fate of that are islanders themselves,” Darren Jones, chief secretary to the prime minister, said on Sky News.When asked by Laura Kuenssberg on if his party was playing games around Mandelson, Chris Philp, shadow home secretary, said that integrity matters and that “Keir Starmer is the one who cloaked himself in a mantel of moral superiority” only to find himself in this situation.
“Keir Starmer should resign because he appointed Mandelson in the first place…and if not, Labour backbenchers and ministers should develop a backbone and get rid of him,” Philp said,Darren Jones, chief secretary to the prime minister, spoke to Laura Kuenssberg on her Sunday show this morning about the focus on Peter Mandelson and calls from the opposition party for a parliamentary inquiry into the whole situation,“We’re not arguing about the judgement,The prime minister has said he’s made the wrong call,He’s apologised,” Jones said.
However, Jones said in his work abroad and campaigning around the country, Mandelson is rarely mentioned and that particularly during a town hall yesterday with constituents, “Peter Mandelson didn’t come up once”,“People are more worried about the impact of the Middle East on their energy bills,” Jones said,Jones went on to say that the opposition is “just using tactics to distract from the fact that the government is doing good work” ahead of the May election,He acknowledged the frustration that his colleagues are feeling that “there is so much time being spent on this” as they campaign around the country and noted that a parliamentary inquiry was up to the speaker of the house,Keir Starmer began the day with a statement about the shooting incident at the White House correspondents’ dinner:“I am shocked by the scenes at the White House correspondents’ dinner in Washington overnight,” Starmer posted on X.
“Any attack on democratic institutions or on the freedom of the press must be condemned in the strongest possible terms,”Starmer added that it was “a huge relief” that Donald Trump, the first lady and all those attending were safe,Good morning and welcome to today’s live coverage of UK politics,Despite several calls for his resignation from within his own party, Keir Starmer told the Sunday Times that the “vast majority” of the Labour party are supportive of his leadership,“In politics, you get this sort of thing all of the time,” he said.
“There is always talk.What you never hear from are all the people who are supportive, loyal and just want to get on with the job.And that is the vast majority of people in the parliamentary Labour party.“They’re pleased to be in power.They’ve waited a long time to be in power.
And they just want to get on with their job.They don’t make a lot of noise about it.They don’t talk to journalists about it.It’s really important that is reflected in these debates.”As the pressure continues to build over his decision to appoint Peter Mandelson as ambassador to Washington despite vetting officials recommending that he be denied security clearance, Starmer maintained that he believed Labour can still win the next general election under his leadership.
“We didn’t wait 14 years to get elected, we didn’t change the Labour party, we didn’t do all that it entailed to win the election and the mandate for change, not to deliver on it,” he said.On Tuesday, Starmer’s former chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, is expected to appear before the foreign affairs committee to be questioned over Mandelson’s appointment.McSweeney resigned in February over his role in the hiring of Mandelson.Last week, Olly Robbins, the former top official at the Foreign Office, told the committee that No 10 had created an “atmosphere of pressure” that made it almost impossible to deny clearance for Mandelson.Stay tuned for more.
Cannes AI film festival raises eyebrows – and questions about future
In Cannes’ darkened screening rooms, the supposed future of cinema flickered into life this week and it was strange. The first edition of the World AI film festival (WAIFF) showcased visions of men with fish scales erupting from their necks and seaweed from their mouths, a heroine with a heart beating outside her body and so many massed armies of AI-generated tanned men sweeping across battlefields that David Lean would have blushed.Last week the Cannes film festival, entering its 76th year, banned the emerging technology from its Palme d’Or competition, insisting “AI imitates very well but it will never feel deep emotions”. But this week the Croisette was taken over by the upstart AI film movement and their big-tech backers amid increasing investment and attention from the Hollywood studios. A “nouvelle vague”, they said, is coming
Facing AI and a tough job market, gen Z turns to entrepreneurship: ‘I have to prove myself’
When Ashley Terrell graduated from the University of Hawaii in 2024, she planned to find a job in marketing, maybe for a tech company. She had a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a college résumé that included a student marketing job for Red Bull. But after months of applying, her only offer was to work in the power tools section at Home Depot. “It was quite a shock,” she told the Guardian. “I searched for jobs every single day in that Home Depot bathroom
TikTok and Visa launch debit card to speed payouts to UK creators
TikTok and Visa have launched a debit card for content creators in the UK which they say will allow people to quickly access their earnings from the platform.The creator card is designed for the growing numbers of people making money through TikTok Live, a livestreaming feature where creators receive virtual gifts from viewers that are later converted into cash.The two companies said the card, which links to a user’s creator account on TikTok, was designed to address cashflow issues faced by users who often wait days or weeks for payments to clear.Launched in 2020, TikTok Live is a section of the app where users can broadcast to viewers in real time. According to TikTok, more than 15 million people broadcasted via its platform in Europe in 2025
Officials hugely underestimated impact of AI datacentres on UK carbon emissions
The UK government vastly underestimated the climate impact of artificial intelligence, it has emerged, after officials raised their estimate of carbon emissions from AI by a factor of more than 100.According to new data quietly published this week, energy use by AI datacentres in the UK could cause the emission of up to 123m tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO₂) – about as much as generated by 2.7 million people – over the next 10 years.That latest figure replaces a previous estimate – since deleted – that claimed emissions would reach a maximum of 0.142m tonnes of CO₂ in a single year
‘Look, no hands’: China chases the driverless dream at Beijing car show
At the world’s biggest car fair, which opened in Beijing on Friday, there were hundreds of manufacturers, more than 1,000 vehicles, hundreds of thousands of enthusiasts – and hardly anyone behind a wheel.China’s car companies have cornered the domestic electric vehicle market, and are increasingly visible on the global stage. Now they are turning their attention to what they are betting is the future of mobility: autonomous driving.At the Beijing Auto Fair, officially called Auto China 2026, a huge industry event that covers 380,000 square metres on the outskirts of the capital, the country’s carmakers showed off a range of intelligent driving technologies.In China’s cut-throat domestic market, nearly every big carmaker is investing heavily in the software and computing power needed to make “hands-free” driving a reality as they compete to offer additional perks and find new ways to generate revenue
What is a passkey, how does it work and why is it better than a password?
The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre has called time on the password – from now on, you should use a passkey.The NCSC said this week it would no longer recommend using passwords where passkeys were available. They should be consumers’ first choice of login across all digital services because passwords were not secure enough to stand up to modern cyber threats.Security officials describe a passkey as a “digital stamp” that allows you to sign in to apps and websites and is stored on your device.It is a password-free form of login
Shell to buy Canadian shale producer ARC Resources for $16.4bn
Goldman raises oil price forecasts as Iran war deadlock continues; Shell buying Canada’s ARC in $13.6bn deal – as it happened
Musk and Altman’s bitter feud over OpenAI to be laid bare in court
UK departments at odds over energy demands of AI datacentres
Higgins ends O’Sullivan’s attempt for eighth world snooker title as Selby blasts ‘horrific’ conditions
‘I can run 1:58’: Sabastian Sawe sets new target after historic London Marathon win