All posts tagged: Westminster bubble

4 times Starmer’s top team distanced themselves from the PM … just this week – POLITICO

4 times Starmer’s top team distanced themselves from the PM … just this week – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Yvette Cooper  The U.K.’s current foreign secretary was keen to remind MPs she wasn’t running the Foreign Office when the seeds of the Mandelson saga were sown. Asked about the Doyle revelation in the House of Commons Tuesday, Cooper said: “Obviously, I was the home secretary at the time that I understand that took place, so I was not involved and do not know the circumstances.” Robbins told MPs earlier Tuesday that he was “under strict instruction” from No. 10 not to discuss the possibility of Doyle’s posting with Lammy, something Cooper said she was “extremely concerned” about. For good measure, she added Doyle would “not have been an appropriate appointment.”  Darren Jones  There are few ministers closer to Starmer than Jones, but it appears even the PM’s chief secretary has his limits. During an interview with POLITICO’s Anne McElvoy, Jones pleaded ignorance when quizzed over accusations from Robbins that there had been a culture of fear inside Downing Street around Mandelson’s appointment.  “I wasn’t in the building at the time, so I can’t speak …

7 people arrested over planned arson attack on UK Jewish community – POLITICO

7 people arrested over planned arson attack on UK Jewish community – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Three men aged 24, 25, and 26 were arrested in Harpenden, a town in Hertfordshire, on Sunday evening and taken into custody before being released on bail. A 25-year-old man was arrested in Stevenage on Monday, while a 26-year-old man and two women, aged 50 and 59, were arrested in a car near Birmingham. They remain in custody in a London police station. Separately, a 39-year-old man was arrested Tuesday morning in Ealing, west London, under section 41 of the Terrorism Act 2000 and taken into custody. His arrest was in connection with an existing investigation after jars containing a non-hazardous substance were found in Kensington Gardens near the Israeli Embassy on Friday. The spate of attacks targeting Jewish communities started with four ambulances belonging to the volunteer Hatzola community service being set alight last month in Golders Green, north west London, while Finchley Reform Synagogue also suffered an attempted arson attack earlier this month. Since the Hatzola attack, 23 people have been arrested, with eight charged with arson-related offenses and 13 remaining in custody or …

Starmer ‘furious’ over Mandelson vetting failures as Labour critics pounce – POLITICO

Starmer ‘furious’ over Mandelson vetting failures as Labour critics pounce – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Starmer is facing intense scrutiny over what he and his team knew about Mandelson’s clearance for the top diplomatic post when he was appointed in December 2024. Olly Robbins was dismissed as head of the Foreign Office Thursday evening after losing the confidence of Starmer and Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper over the row. Mandelson became U.S. ambassador in February 2025 before being sacked in September over his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The Guardian first reported Thursday afternoon Mandelson did not pass his security vetting clearance, but that the Foreign Office overruled the decision. Starmer ally Darren Jones, the chief secretary to the prime minister, told the BBC on Friday morning that the Foreign and Commonwealth Office had ignored the advice of United Kingdom Security Vetting, the government’s screening agency. “I find this whole situation astonishing,” Jones said in his BBC remarks, adding that he had last night suspended the Foreign Office’s right to ignore security vetting going forward. “That is a failure of state process that was in line with the rules, …

British sentiment toward Trump’s US plunges amid Iran war – POLITICO

British sentiment toward Trump’s US plunges amid Iran war – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

The latest poll was conducted from Apr. 3 to Apr. 7, surveying more than 2,000 respondents each from Canada, U.K., France and Germany. It comes as transatlantic relations sour further over British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s refusal to support U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran. Starmer has allowed the use of British airbases for defensive purposes, but has continued to receive regular criticism from a president he was at pains to build links with. The latest numbers show nearly two thirds (65 percent) of British adults now think America tends to create problems for other countries, up from 46 percent in December. Just 22 percent now think the United States tends toward solving the problems of other nations, down from 35 percent late last year. More than half (57 percent) of Brits said America challenges its allies around the world — up from 41 percent in December — compared to just 27 percent who say the U.S. supports allies, down from 40 percent in December. Almost half (49 percent) of Brits now say the U.S. …

UK rejects tolls on Strait of Hormuz – POLITICO

UK rejects tolls on Strait of Hormuz – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday said the United States would use Iran’s 10-point plan — which calls for it to collect a toll of $2 million per ship — as a basis for a permanent ceasefire. The U.S. president has not argued against Iran collecting tolls, and publicly mused that the U.S. could form a “joint venture” on the operation. In a speech Thursday evening, the U.K. foreign secretary will reiterate her call for the Strait to be reopened, arguing freedom of the seas “must not be unilaterally withdrawn or sold off to individual bidders. Nor can there be any place for tolls on an international waterway.” Cooper told the BBC the freedom of the seas is a “principle that applies right across the globe, and it’s crucial for the cost of living back here at home. It’s crucial for the global economy.” British Defence Secretary John Healey said at a press conference later Thursday that Gulf countries agree with the U.K. on the dangers of introducing tolls as it “would create a potential principle …

Kanye West headlining festival is ‘appalling,’ UK minister says – POLITICO

Kanye West headlining festival is ‘appalling,’ UK minister says – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Streeting said West has “no business” headlining the festival, and that the organizers “should be ashamed of themselves” for a terrible error of judgment. “These weren’t a couple of off-color remarks,” Streeting told Sky News. “These were, I think, a pattern of behavior.” He added: “Antisemitism is serious, it can be deadly and people like Kanye West, who have an enormous platform, fame, reach, they have to accept the responsibility that comes with that. And I don’t think he has. I’m only too disappointed the festival organizers are too blind to see it.” Festival Managing Director Melvin Benn called West’s comments “abhorrent,” but said his songs were played on radio stations and he, for now, has a legal right to enter the U.K. and perform. Benn said people should “offer some forgiveness and hope to him as I have decided to do.” In a recent statement, West said he wanted the opportunity to meet with and listen to members of the Jewish community in the U.K. Source link

All the times Donald Trump dunked on Keir Starmer over the Iran war – POLITICO

All the times Donald Trump dunked on Keir Starmer over the Iran war – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

1) ‘Very disappointed’ The U.S. president gave off the demeanor of a frustrated parent when he told the Telegraph he was “very disappointed” Britain hadn’t let the U.S. use the joint Diego Garcia airbase to strike Iran. Though Britain later allowed its use for limited purposes, Trump said Starmer took “took far too long” and “that’s probably never happened between our countries before.” Scholars of the Vietnam war may beg to differ. 2) ‘Not like it used to be’ Spoken like a former flame, Trump despaired that the alliance between the two countries was “not like it used to be,” telling the Sun the breakdown has been “very sad.” In possibly the most cutting of his swipes, Trump remarked “this was the most solid relationship of all. And now we have very strong relationships with other countries in Europe.” Ouch. 3) ‘Not Winston Churchill’ Speaking in the Oval Office, where a bust of the wartime leader is on display, the U.S. president declared of Starmer “this is not Winston Churchill that we’re dealing with” and said the …

Starmer says world ‘can’t lose focus’ on Ukraine as Iran war rages – POLITICO

Starmer says world ‘can’t lose focus’ on Ukraine as Iran war rages – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

The trip comes as Ukraine’s allies fear U.S. President Donald Trump’s attention risks being diverted away from the long-running Ukrainian fight against Russia as he deepens American involvement in the Middle East. Speaking in parliament, Zelenskyy sought to explicitly link the two conflicts, describing the Russian and Iranian regimes as “brothers in hatred.” “Aggressors don’t end wars because they suddenly want to,” he said. “They stop when they can no longer continue. We must act now so that a future generation will say these leaders acted when it mattered.” Talking up Ukraine’s own military prowess, Zelenskyy warned: “If evil wins, the evolution of war will cross any distance on earth. No ocean will help. No desert. No mountains.” Earlier Tuesday, Starmer told Zelenskyy: “It’s really important that we are clear that the focus must remain on Ukraine. “There’s obviously a conflict in Iran going on, in the Middle East, but we can’t lose focus on what’s going on in Ukraine and the need for our support.” Starmer said Russian President Vladimir Putin must not benefit …

Inside the fight to fix Parliament – POLITICO

Inside the fight to fix Parliament – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

The Palace of Westminster towers over the River Thames as a symbol of British democracy. But look a little closer and the building is falling apart. From fire risks and asbestos to crumbling stonework and miles of aging wiring, experts warn the U.K. Parliament is becoming an increasingly dangerous place to work for MPs, peers and staff. The Restoration and Renewal Programme has spent years trying to work out how to fix it. But now, the politics of repairing Parliament may be even more complicated than the engineering. In this week’s Westminster Insider, Patrick Baker takes a tour of the building’s crumbling infrastructure and hears from the people battling over what to do next.  Restoration expert Alexandra Meakin sets out the risks of continued delay. Liberal Democrat MP Marie Goldman argues MPs should temporarily move out to allow the work to be done. Conservative MP and Father of the House Edward Leigh dismisses the plans as over-engineered “gold-plating”. And former minister Ed Vaizey wonders whether Parliament should move out altogether. Finally, POLITICO’s Ottawa bureau chief Nick Taylor-Vaisey …

Greens overtake Starmer’s Labour in new UK poll – POLITICO

Greens overtake Starmer’s Labour in new UK poll – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

A quarter (25 percent) of those surveyed who backed the Labour Party in the 2024 general election said they will now back the Greens. A third (37 percent) said they would continue to support the governing party. The polling of 2,073 adults in Britain Sunday and Monday came just days after the Greens won the Greater Manchester constituency of Gorton and Denton from Labour. “The result is likely to have been driven to a significant extent by the publicity from the Denton & Gorton by-election,” said YouGov’s Anthony Wells. “That result may have had an impact in terms of making the Greens appear a more viable option and less of a wasted vote.” The study found that the Greens, whose membership numbers have surged since Zack Polanski became leader last September, are the most popular political party in all age categories under 50. Nearly half (49 percent) of 18 to 24-year-olds and just over a quarter (27 percent) of 25 to 29-year-olds said they would back the party. POLITICO’s Poll of Polls — which aggregates data …