Absolutely Not The Daily Troll-o-Graph

Former top civil servant tells MPs there was ‘atmosphere of constant chasing’ for peer’s vetting clearance Daily Telegraph 21/04/26 Sir Olly Robbins has accused Downing Street of putting the Foreign Office under “constant pressure” to clear Lord Mandelson’s vetting to become US ambassador. The former Foreign Office chief claimed No 10 took a “dismissive approach” to the security checks, revealing that officials had even queried whether they were needed at all. In testimony to MPs, Sir Olly, who was sacked last week for failing to tell Sir Keir Starmer that Lord Mandelson had failed Developed Vetting (DV), argued that the peer’s appointment as ambassador to the US was being treated as a fait accompli by the time he arrived at the department in January last year. His intervention will heap further pressure on the Prime Minister, who on Monday defended his handling of the scandal by telling Parliament that Sir Olly had taken a “deliberate decision” not to tell him of the security c...

Prime Minister’s critics see parallels with his position over Lord Mandelson’s vetting to that during ‘partygate’ scandal Daily Telegraph 20/04/26 Sir Keir Starmer once condemned Boris Johnson for “taking the British public for fools” by claiming he did not know what was going on in Downing Street during the “partygate” scandal. While he was leader of the opposition, the Labour leader suggested that the former prime minister was “trashing the ministerial code” by misleading Parliament. Standing at the Dispatch Box in 2022, he rejected Mr Johnson’s claim that he did not know that civil servants were partying in Downing Street during lockdown. The Prime Minister’s critics have seized on footage of him criticising Mr Johnson in one of their exchanges during Prime Minister’s Questions, claiming there are parallels with Sir Keir’s position over the Mandelson vetting scandal. Sir Keir said at the time: “Look, there are only two possible explanations. Either he’s trashing the ministeria...

Even the Prime Minister cannot claim to be ignorant of the sorry state of our Armed Forces Daily Telegraph 18/04/26 Even before No 10 was thrown into chaos by the latest developments in the Mandelson saga, Sir Keir Starmer was unable to make up his mind on one of the most important dilemmas of the age. His spokesman was asked last week for the Government’s view on whether welfare should be cut to increase spending on defence. “It’s not a zero-sum game when it comes to defence and welfare and you have [the Prime Minister’s] words on that,” he said. With respect to the Prime Minister, when the economy is barely growing, defence versus welfare clearly does amount to a zero-sum game. Perhaps Sir Keir needs to be reminded of some basic facts. There is not an unlimited supply of tax revenue to pay for everything the country wants or needs. The Treasury is heavily constrained in how much it can borrow, in part because it has already taken on so much debt and the UK is already spending ...

As Prime Minister refuses to quit over Mandelson, here are the occasions he has demanded others step down Daily Telegraph 17/04/26 Sir Keir Starmer has repeatedly called for ministers to resign for breaching the ministerial code. Unfortunately for the Prime Minister, he now stands accused of committing the same offence. The Prime Minister has been accused of misleading Parliament after it emerged Lord Mandelson failed security vetting before his appointment as Britain’s ambassador to the US, despite Sir Keir telling MPs “full due process” was followed. On Thursday night, Downing Street blamed “officials” in the Foreign Office for the decision to override recommendations by the security services and said Sir Keir only became aware of the decision on Tuesday night. Sir Olly Robbins, the Foreign Office permanent under-secretary, was fired over the vetting process. However, this may fail to absolve the embattled Prime Minister. The ministerial code states that “it is of paramount im...

It is time for the ‘operational independence’ of individual forces to be subjected to scrutiny and ministerial oversight Daily Telegraph 16/04/26 There is an old saying that heaven is where the chefs are French, the lovers are Italian, the mechanics are German, the organisers are Swiss and the British are the police. But British policing is not what it once was. Our police were traditionally marvelled at by other nations everywhere thanks to the model created by Sir Robert Peel. This was based on trust and mutual compliance, an understanding that our police could be trusted and their actions were based on the consent of the people and not by fear or the arbitrary use of state force. This model was an outstanding success. For generations it created the most extraordinary levels of trust and respect and was admired globally. But the model is breaking down – and in part this is happening because of political correctness. Trust is bound to be lost when, after a series of heinous cr...

What the Southport Inquiry reveals Matt Goodwin - newsletter Apr 15 Like most British people, I’m not sure I will ever forget the moment I heard about the Southport atrocity. The murder of those poor little girls. The senseless violence. The ridiculous attempt by the state to convince us that the monster responsible, Axel Rudakubana, was just as “British” as the children he murdered. And the entirely understandable wave of rage that swept across the country. Which is why the judgement of the Southport inquiry - that this atrocity “could and should have been prevented” - doesn’t just stick in the throat but makes me, no doubt like many of you, feel sick. Axel Rudakubana was not some unknown figure slipping through the cracks. He was well known — to police, to social services, to mental health professionals. In fact, he was known to two separate police forces, two mental health services in the National Health Service, the local council, social services, and his family. Yet nobod...

Today, I am writing to you from the Shetland Islands, where Nigel Farage is on the campaign trail as Reform attempts to make headway in Scotland. With the Holyrood elections fast approaching, a fascinating story is unfolding. After reaching its nadir only a couple of years ago, the SNP could be about to regain their majority. Annabel Denham, Senior Political Commentator Daily Telegraph 14/04/26 Two years ago, the SNP was in the doldrums. It had lost 38 Westminster seats, a chastening result and its worst since 2010. A contrite John Swinney, the Party’s third leader in two years, described the result as “very, very difficult and damaging”. The party was being interrogated over finance irregularities, and its CEO investigated for embezzlement. For all Nicola Sturgeon’s electoral success, her policy objectives had been a disaster, resulting in a stagnant education attainment gap, record-high drug deaths, worsening health outcomes, deteriorating public services and a large fiscal defi...

Government to introduce legislation which means trade deals with bloc can be rubber-stamped without full vote in Parliament Daily Telegraph 13/04/26 European Union single market rules will be imposed on Britain without a full vote in Parliament under plans being drawn up by Labour. The Government will introduce legislation which means that once a trade deal has been struck with the bloc, any further rule changes can be rubber-stamped by MPs without debate. Ministers have already started negotiations on trade deals covering food and drink, net zero rules and access to the EU’s electricity market. But Sir Keir Starmer wants to go further and said earlier this month he wanted to start talks on an “ambitious” set of new deals, which could include cars, robotics, life sciences and climate technology robotics, life sciences and climate technology. It is the latest step in the Prime Minister’s “reset” with the EU under which Britain aims to align its trading rules more closely with tho...

Tenants could be given first refusal at ‘fair market price’ on home sales Daily Telegraph 10/04/26 Landlords could be banned from selling their properties to the highest bidder under plans unveiled by the Scottish National Party (SNP) ahead of the election. John Swinney, the First Minister, pledged to introduce new laws that would give private renters “a period of first refusal” if their homes come up for sale, which would prevent landlords from freely selling their properties on the open market. Landlords would be forced to first offer their properties to their tenants “at a fair market price” if they put them up for sale, the SNP leader said. However, Mr Swinney did not explain how that price would be decided or by whom. Properties in areas such as Edinburgh are commonly sold for tens of thousands of pounds above their home report valuation. If that valuation were used as the basis for the new laws, landlords could lose a significant amount compared with selling on the open m...

PM compares US president to Putin and states he is unhappy about impact of Iran war on British families Telegraph 10/04/26 Sir Keir Starmer said he was “fed up” with Donald Trump and appeared to compare him to Vladimir Putin. During a trip to the Gulf, the Prime Minister stated that he was unhappy with the impact of the Iran war on the domestic cost of living. Sir Keir told ITV’s Robert Peston: “I’m fed up with the fact that families across the country see their bills go up and down on energy, businesses’ bills go up and down on energy because of the actions of Putin or Trump across the world.” He also split with the US president over Israel’s attacks on Lebanon, saying the strikes “shouldn’t be happening”. “That should stop – that’s my strong view – and therefore, the question isn’t a technical one of whether it’s a breach of the agreement or not,” Sir Keir said. “We haven’t all got access to all the details of the ceasefire.” He then added: “Let me be really clear about i...

Party plans to use Prime Minister’s involvement in Iran peace talks to shore up support before local elections Daily Telegraph 08/04/26 Labour has described Sir Keir Starmer as a global statesman in an attempt to avoid a wipeout at the local elections next month, The Telegraph understands. Party officials are planning to use the Prime Minister’s work on the Iran war to shore up support and keep Sir Keir in office. Although the elections will only directly affect councils in England and devolved administrations in Scotland and Wales, a poor result for Labour will be viewed as a referendum on Sir Keir’s premiership. On Tuesday, Labour issued its first party election broadcast, which depicted Sir Keir against a black backdrop and between two Union flags. The video appeared to be an attempt to recreate an official Government podium, which under electoral law cannot be used for political campaigning. In the video, Sir Keir promised to “de-escalate and bring this conflict to an end”...

Starmer’s strategists test anti-Green messaging, including leader’s former job as a breast enhancement hypnotist Daily Telegraph 06/04/26 Two years ago, before the last general election, voters could be forgiven for thinking of the Green Party as little more than a band of eco-friendly Leftists. The party’s main policies in 2024 included a faster target for reaching net zero, more NHS investment and an end to university tuition fees – funded by tax rises for the rich. But all that has changed with the election of Zack Polanski, the 43-year-old self-described “eco-populist”, who has lifted the party to tie with Labour and the Conservatives in the opinion polls, just four points behind Reform. Under his leadership, the party’s policy platform has shifted dramatically further to the Left and now features pledges to scrap drug laws, legalise prostitution and lower motorway speed limits to 55mph. Concerned by rising support for Mr Polanski among young people, Muslims and the middle ...

Leaked emails implore party members to stand for office, telling them that ‘no experience is necessary’ Daily Telegraph 04/04/26 Sir Keir Starmer is desperately recruiting council candidates amid fears of a Labour bloodbath at the local elections next month. Leaked emails obtained by The Telegraph show the Labour Party is scrambling to find candidates to stand in the contests, with one local government committee begging its members to sign up. The leak is the latest in a series of embarrassing blows to the Prime Minister, whose premiership may once again be thrown into question if Labour is, as predicted, decimated at the ballot box in May. The Labour local government committee in Sutton, south-west London, has sent out at least three emails in the past seven days imploring members to stand in the elections. On Thursday, an email sent to Labour members stated: “The deadline for candidate nominations is next week and we still have a number of places left for members to stand for...

With ‘anti-fascists’ like these, who needs fascists? Spiked 29/03/26 ‘Love, unity, hope.’ That was the cringe, Hallmark-card message of yesterday’s ‘march against the far right’ in London, organised by the Together Alliance – a coalition of trade unions, hysterical left-wingers and dense celebrities who have memed themselves into believing that the right-populist Reform UK is a ‘far-right party’. I’d barely been on Whitehall for 30 seconds before I saw that most lovely, unifying and hopeful of sights: a sea of flags of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the terror state that has been veiling women, hanging homosexuals and murdering dissidents and Jews ever since 1979. You might think that any self-respecting anti-fascist wouldn’t want to be seen dead with these ayatollah fanboys, apologists for an anti-Semitic dictator with messianic designs on the world. (Now who does that remind me of? It’s on the tip of my tongue!) But you would be wrong. The flags and placards of the late Supreme ...

US president impersonates PM, ridiculing him over aircraft carriers at White House lunch Daily Telegraph 03/04/26 Donald Trump has mocked Sir Keir Starmer as weak over his response to the war with Iran. The US president impersonated the Prime Minister, claiming he had told him he had to “ask his team” about sending “two old broken-down aircraft carriers” to the Middle East. Speaking at an White House Easter lunch, Mr Trump said Britain “should be our best” ally, but had not been during the US-Israeli war with Iran. The president said: “I asked [the] UK, who should be our best. In fact the King is coming over here in two weeks, he’s a nice guy, King Charles. “But should be our best but they weren’t our best. I said ‘you have two, old broken-down aircraft carriers, do you think you could send them over’?” Impersonating Sir Keir with a weak voice, Mr Trump added: “‘Ohhh, I’ll have to ask my team.’ “I said: ‘You’re the Prime Minister, you don’t have to.’ ‘No, no, no, I have to as...

Iran war leaves Energy Secretary increasingly isolated on his ‘holy’ crusade against oil and gas Daily Telegraph 22/03/26 Ed Miliband and Donald Trump have never been political bedfellows. But on the North Sea, it is no longer just the American president who is at odds with the Energy Secretary. As the war in the Middle East convulses global oil and gas markets, Labour’s crackdown on home-grown production is facing mounting opposition from all sides – including from people once sympathetic to Miliband’s net zero cause. The Government’s ban on new drilling licences and its swingeing windfall tax have been blamed for crippling the UK’s domestic industry while also reducing tax revenues and pushing up carbon emissions. It’s a self-inflicted blow that is now prompting opposition from surprising directions – leaving Miliband looking increasingly isolated. Among those advocating a “drill, baby, drill” approach are not just Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative leader, and Nigel Farage, the...