Former Labour MP calls for Starmer to face Commons committee over Mandelson vetting
A former Labour MP has joined opposition parties calling for Keir Starmer to face a Commons committee to examine whether the prime minister misled parliament as the government’s crisis surrounding the appointment of Peter Mandelson as ambassador to Washington continues.Karl Turner, who lost the Labour whip last month after making a series of interventions criticising Starmer and No 10, has written to the speaker of the Commons urging him to refer Starmer to the privileges committee, the same body that found Boris Johnson had lied in the Commons over the lockdown parties scandal.In a letter to the speaker posted on X, which has since been deleted, he wrote that he was raising a “matter of serious concern regarding the conduct” of Starmer during prime minister’s questions on Wednesday.Turner, who now sits as an independent MP, said it was “clear that the prime minister’s characterisation of that evidence is, at best, inaccurate and, at worst, misleading to the House”.In the X post accompanying the letter, Turner said: “Let me be clear, I’m not accusing the PM of deliberately misleading the House of Commons.
However, there are evident inconsistencies between statements made during PMQs, and the evidence given by Oliver Robbins,”Turner followed the deleted post with a statement on X saying that posting his letter to the speaker about Starmer had been an “administrative error”, adding that he had apologised to the speaker,MPs who want to raise an allegation of contempt of parliament with the speaker are required to do so privately,During PMQs, Starmer said no pressure had been put on the Foreign Office to approve the vetting of Mandelson, using quotes from Olly Robbins, the former Foreign Office permanent secretary,Robbins, who was sacked by Starmer last week after the Guardian disclosed he had overturned a recommendation from UK Security Vetting (UKSV) to deny clearance for Mandelson, told MPs on the foreign affairs committee on Tuesday that “constant pressure” was applied.
It comes as divisions emerged in cabinet over Starmer’s decision to sack Robbins – with some in Labour feeling Starmer was wrong to fire him so quickly.The Conservatives, with the support of the Liberal Democrats and the SNP, have been pushing for the privileges committee to intervene in the crisis, and are understood to be exploring a Johnson-style motion whereby all MPs could vote on whether the committee should explore if Starmer was in contempt of parliament.The shadow chancellor, Mel Stride, said on Thursday that the privileges committee should examine if Starmer had misled parliament, saying testimony by Robbins on Tuesday “directly contradicts” assurances given by the prime minister in the Commons.“Our belief is that the prime minister has misled parliament, because what he’s said in parliament is that pressure was not applied, and he’s been contradicted by Olly Robbins,” Stride told GB News.During Cabinet Office questions, the shadow Cabinet Office minister Alex Burghart repeated the claim that Starmer had misquoted Robbins’ evidence.
“Yesterday the prime minister also told the house Sir Olly was absolutely clear that nobody put pressure on him to make this appointment, but this is not what Sir Olly said to [the] committee,” Burghart said to the chief secretary to the prime minister, Darren Jones,Last week, the Liberal Democrat leader, Ed Davey, said: “We need to get to the bottom of exactly what Keir Starmer knew when, and whether he intentionally misled parliament over this appalling scandal,The public deserves the truth, not another cover-up,”The prime minister’s spokesperson said Starmer had not misled the house, and was “being very specific in terms of talking about the allegation that there was pressure around taking up the role regardless of the vetting outcome”,They added: “We’ve been very clear that wasn’t the case.
”
Parents: have you noticed younger children wanting to try skincare products?
Children as young as two are appearing in TikTok videos demonstrating their skincare routines, a Guardian investigation has found, raising concerns about the beauty industry’s reach. Dermatologists say children do not need multi-step skincare and warn the trend may be fuelling anxiety about appearance from an early age.We want to hear from parents of children of primary school children or younger. Have your children asked for skincare products or felt pressure to follow routines they’ve seen online or heard about from friends? Have you noticed changes in how they think about their appearance? Do you have concerns?You can share your submission in the form below or by messaging us. We won't use your response without contacting you first
One person diagnosed with cancer every 80 seconds in UK, report reveals
The number of people in the UK being diagnosed with cancer has reached a record high, with one person diagnosed every 80 seconds, a report reveals.Cancer Research UK found that more than 403,000 people were being diagnosed with the disease each year. The rise is largely due to a growing and ageing population, as people are more likely to develop cancer as they get older.The NHS is struggling to cope with rising demand for care. Cancer waiting times across the UK are among the worst on record, according to the report
HRT maker censured by UK regulator for ‘systemic failures’ that put patients at risk
One of the biggest producers of hormone replacement therapy has been censured by regulators for “systemic failures” that jeopardised patient safety.Theramex, the UK producer of HRT drugs Evorel and Intrarosa, was found to have breached fundamental compliance standards including not updating crucial prescribing information – in some cases for several years – and not making it clear that a drug must not be used during pregnancy.The Prescription Medicines Code of Practice Authority (PMCPA), the UK drug industry’s self-regulatory body, issued the public reprimand against Theramex after its own staff blew the whistle over “alarming” compliance issues and incomplete prescribing information for Evorel and Intrarosa that “jeopardise patient safety”.Evorel patches – which contain estradiol – are among the most prescribed form of transdermal HRT, with more than 250,000 items issued in the last financial year, according to NHS Business Services Authority figures.Overall, nearly 10m items of estradiol, including gels, were prescribed in the 2024/25 financial year
‘This is our moment as British Muslims’: MCB leader takes inspiration from New York mayor
Zohran Mamdani’s victory to become New York’s first Muslim mayor took place thousands of miles from the UK. But at the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB), the campaign was being closely studied.“We actually spent some time with his campaign team to work out what the secret sauce was,” said Dr Wajid Akhter, who took over as secretary general of Britain’s largest and most diverse national Muslim umbrella body last year.Akhter, a GP, said he was struck by the Mamdani campaign’s communication strategy. “Even when you talk about Gaza, he would bring it back to talking about rent
Temporary accommodation linked to deaths of 104 children in England in six years
Living in temporary accommodation has contributed to the deaths of 104 children in England in the past six years, 76 of whom were under the age of one, according to data.Statistics also show there were 64 stillbirths and 27 neonatal deaths involving mothers living in temporary accommodation (TA) in the UK in 2024. Experts say the housing crisis is pushing families into conditions that endanger their lives.Siobhain McDonagh, the chair of the all-party parliamentary group for households in temporary accommodation, which compiled the data, said she was appalled to see an increase in child deaths linked to TA, which has soared in use in recent years. It is estimated that 135,000 households are living in TA in England, including nearly 176,000 children
Bill banning people born after 2008 from buying tobacco clears UK parliament
A bill banning anyone born after 2008 from buying tobacco in the UK has completed its progress through parliament in a move that ministers hope will create a “smoke-free generation”.Under the tobacco and vapes bill anyone born on or after 1 January 2009 will never be able to be legally sold tobacco across the UK, in an effort to save lives and reduce the burden on the NHS.The bill will become legislation when it receives royal assent next week. Its long journey through both houses of parliament began when it was introduced on 5 November 2024 and ended on Tuesday, when the House of Lords approved amendments made by MPs in House of Commons.Ministers hope it will end the sale of tobacco products altogether over time and break the cycle of addiction and the disadvantages associated with tobacco
Tesla reports mixed financial results as Musk pivots automaker to AI and robots
What is Mythos AI and why could it be a threat to global cybersecurity?
‘Get back to work’: Amazon faces fresh scrutiny over workplace safety record
Anthropic investigates report of rogue access to hack-enabling Mythos AI
AI hallucinations found in high-profile Wall Street law firm filing
‘An element of exploitation’: the world of TikTok child skincare influencers