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The Guardian Politics20 Apr 2026

Naming Mandelson as ambassador before vetting was mistake, minister says

Douglas Alexander says lessons need to be learned but he expects Keir Starmer will continue as PM It was a mistake to announce Peter Mandelson as the UK’s ambassador to the US before he was security vetted for the role, one of Keir Starmer’s senior ministers has said before the prime minister’s statement to MPs about the scandal. With Starmer aiming to explain to the Commons on Monday afternoon why he did not know the Foreign Office had overruled a decision to refuse Mandelson vetting, some seni

Politics
The Guardian Politics20 Apr 2026

The UK’s radical ‘Preston model’ faces an uncertain future with local elections looming | Andy Beckett

A Lancashire council tries hard to keep wealth and power in the area, despite such ideas being out of fashion in Westminster. But Reform could unravel it all What legacy will Labour leave when it loses power? For its ministers and MPs, that question looms in the far distance, with the next general election probably not for three years and the current political fragmentation making its outcome almost impossible to predict. But for many Labour councils, facing the electorate in less than three wee

PoliticsHousing
The Guardian Politics20 Apr 2026

The key questions Keir Starmer must answer over Mandelson appointment

PM to give Commons statement on Monday, a day before sacked civil servant Olly Robbins tells his side of the story The next 48 hours will be crucial for Keir Starmer’s troubled premiership as he faces continuing calls to resign over his appointment of Peter Mandelson as US ambassador. On Monday, Starmer will give a statement to the House of Commons on the Guardian’s revelation that Mandelson was allowed to serve as US ambassador despite failing a vetting process run by security officials. On Tue

Politics
The Guardian Politics20 Apr 2026

England left with ‘toilet deserts’ as public facilities decline by 14% in a decade

Report says lack of provision is harmful to health and damaging for high streets The number of public toilets in England has fallen by 14% in a decade, harming public health and creating vast swathes of lavatory “deserts” and unpleasant environments, a report says. The analysis by the Royal Society for Public Health found a “significant shortfall” in provision, with 15,481 people for each public toilet in England. That contrasts sharply with Scotland, where there are 8,500 people for each toilet

Environment
The Guardian Politics20 Apr 2026

Ed Miliband to double down on net zero with measures to combat Iran energy shock

As fossil fuel prices soar ‘the era of clean energy security must come of age’, energy secretary will say Ed Miliband will double down on Labour’s commitment to net zero in the face of the Middle East conflict this week, insisting that as fossil fuel prices soar “the era of clean energy security must come of age”. The energy secretary is set to announce a package of new policies in a speech on Tuesday in response to an expected energy crisis prompted by Donald Trump’s war with Iran. Continue re

DefenceEnvironment
The Guardian Politics19 Apr 2026

Starmer will not be swayed by Trump’s ‘small and petty’ insults, says Lammy

Exclusive: deputy PM says UK will not join Iran conflict despite Trump’s sometimes ‘incomprehensible’ social-media barbs Donald Trump’s insults towards Keir Starmer are “small and petty” and designed to put pressure on the prime minister to change his position on Iran, David Lammy has said, as he insisted the UK would not get dragged into the conflict. The deputy prime minister argued the US president should be able to “disagree agreeably” with allies rather than publishing attacks on social med

Defence
The Guardian Politics19 Apr 2026

Starmer faces Commons showdown over Mandelson vetting scandal

Senior government figures fear decision to appoint former ambassador to US could cost PM his leadership Keir Starmer will deliver a high-stakes statement to MPs on Monday as he struggles to overcome fears inside his government that the Peter Mandelson vetting scandal could yet cost him his leadership. In what is set to be a dramatic showdown, the prime minister will set out how Mandelson was able to take up his role as UK ambassador without the Foreign Office revealing it had overruled the deci

Politics
The Guardian Politics19 Apr 2026

Starmer is facing his judgment day over Mandelson missteps

Ahead of a showdown with MPs, prime minister looks like a man who is not really in control Keir Starmer has spent much of the last 24 hours working on a plan for what senior government figures are already describing as his “judgment day”: his showdown with MPs on Monday over the latest Peter Mandelson revelations. That the prime minister was apparently not told of Mandelson’s vetting failure has provoked incredulity across Westminster and accusations he sacked a senior civil servant to save his

PoliticsHousing
The Guardian Politics19 Apr 2026

Ministers urged to share Mandelson vetting files with intelligence committee

Whitehall officials are weighing up ‘unprecedented’ disclosure of documents in security clearance scandal Starmer did not gamble with national security over Mandelson, says minister Ministers are under growing pressure to share the documents from Peter Mandelson’s vetting process with the parliamentary committee tasked with deciding if they should be made public. In February, MPs passed a binding parliamentary motion, known as a humble address, requiring the government to publish “all papers”

Politics
The Guardian Politics19 Apr 2026

Ella Baron on Keir Starmer and the Peter Mandelson vetting scandal – cartoon

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The Guardian Politics19 Apr 2026

Starmer did not gamble with national security over Mandelson, says minister

Liz Kendall tries to limit fallout from vetting scandal as PM prepares for Commons showdown Keir Starmer did not gamble with national security by appointing Peter Mandelson as the UK’s ambassador to Washington, a cabinet minister has said, as the government tried to limit fallout from the scandal. With the prime minister preparing for a high-stakes Commons showdown on Monday, Liz Kendall said he should not lose his job over last week’s revelations because he had “made the right calls” on the big

Politics
The Guardian Politics19 Apr 2026

Labour’s ‘crab-wise’ approach to closer EU ties must address damage of Brexit | Heather Stewart

The damage to the economy dwarfs the upsides from the various non-EU trade deals the UK has struck since 2016 Rachel Reeves joined EU finance ministers for dinner in Washington last week, on the sidelines of the International Monetary Fund spring meetings: the first time a chancellor had done so since Brexit. It was the latest symbolic step in Labour’s marked shift towards prioritising closer EU relations. Continue reading...

EconomyDefence