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.
‘Sludge in the system’: myriad problems stymie Labour’s 1.5m new homes pledge
At South and City College in Birmingham, dozens of young people clad in hi-vis vests and hard hats are building mini-walls and plastering half-formed rooms.Some weave in and out of stacks of bricks with wheelbarrows, while others use spirit levels to check the walls are straight and flat. In a few days time, these walls will be demolished and the plastering scraped away, for a new class to come in and try their hands.This is the new generation of Britain’s construction workers, eager to rise to the task of building the 1.5m new homes the government has repeatedly proclaimed will solve the country’s housing crisis
US justice department drops criminal investigation against Jerome Powell
The US Department of Justice is dropping its criminal investigation against the Federal Reserve chair, Jerome Powell, clearing the path for Donald Trump’s new nominee for chair to be confirmed.Jeanine Pirro, Trump’s appointed US attorney for the District of Columbia, said in a social media post that she had directed her office to close its investigation into renovations at the Fed headquarters that went over budget.“I have directed my office to close our investigation as the [inspector general’s office] undertakes this inquiry,” Pirro wrote. “Note well, however, that I will not hesitate to restart a criminal investigation should the facts warrant doing so.”The investigation was first made public in January after Powell released a video announcing he had been subpoenaed by the justice department
UK eases airline penalties as jet fuel shortages threaten flights
Penalties on airlines that cancel UK flights because of jet fuel shortages have been eased, it has emerged, as the government issued fresh advice to reassure the public they can still fly and should stick to travel plans.Airlines that cancel owing to a lack of fuel will not lose their rights to valuable takeoff and landing slots at busy airports, which can be forfeited when flights fail to operate over a period.The change was one of the demands from airlines, which have been lobbying for government help in the face of rising fuel prices and a possible supply crisis.Exemptions from the “use it or lose it” rule can now be granted during shortages by Airport Coordination Limited, the independent body that manages slots at UK airports. The government said the change would allow carriers to “focus on minimising disruption” rather than flying to protect slots
Oil hits highest level since US-Iran ceasefire began, as conflict hurts Gulf crude production – as it happened
The oil price has hit its highest level since the US and Iran agreed a ceasefire more than two weeks ago.Brent crude traded as high as $107.48 a barrel this morning, its highest level since 7 April, the day when the US and Iran agreed to a conditional ceasefire.That deal included a temporary reopening of the strait of Hormuz, after Donald Trump had threatened Iran with widespread destruction.But with the strait still largely blockaged, and oil production in the region having more than halved since the war began (see earlier post), anxiety over the conflict is rising again today
When her ‘soul cat’ died, she was bereft. Now she designs memorial jewelry to help others with pet loss
A layoff and a leap of faith convinced Katie Teixeira she had what it takes to run her own businessIn 2010, Katie Teixeira adopted a kitten found all alone in an abandoned house. The kitten – so tiny she fit in the palm of Teixeira’s hand – needed to be bottle-fed every few hours. For weeks, Teixeira set her alarm for middle-of-the-night feedings and drove home on her lunch break to care for the kitten she named Milo. As the cat grew, so did the connection between them.“We just bonded,” Teixeira says
Retail sales rise in Great Britain after Iran war prompted ‘panic at the pumps’
Motorists stocking up on fuel helped to push up retail sales in Great Britain last month as the Iran war prompted “panic at the pumps” amid rapid rises in petrol and diesel prices.The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the volume of retail sales rose by 0.7% last month, well above analysts’ forecasts of just 0.1%.That rise was driven by a 6
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