What also gets a bit lost in all this is that the security vetting focused not on the Epstein stuff (why PM was ultimately sacked), but on his firm's links to RU and CN.

Ultimately I don't think KS has to resign, but it doesnt smell good and will add a cut to those wounds he has already sustained.

Olly Robbins says Downing St pressured him to sign off Peter Mandelson appointment Sacked head of Foreign Office says there was ‘dismissive attitude’ to security vetting of former ambassador

giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...
Unsurprisingly Olli says that it had been made clear to them what the leadership wanted (not) to hear.

I guess there's a paper trail for everything he said today. So formally be is Iin the clear. But yeah, his story does imply the FO is stuffed with Mandelson-ultras. Or that it had been made clear to them what the leadership wanted (not) to hear.
Let's see what Olli has to say tmrw.

Although, sadly, feeling a little lonely amongst govt leaders. Hence the Barcelona mobilisation seeking to rally opposition parties, trade unions, civil society.

Good overview of the economic situation facing European economies in light of the rise in fossil fuel prices. Key takeaway: the shift to renewables is a matter of immediate & general economic interest and not, as it has been increasingly portrayed, a remote, luxury concern of out-of-touch elites.

It's not rocket science: it's the science, stupid.

Europe needs to significantly up its public and private sector investment in science and R&D.
The mantra that Europe is great at science, just bad at commercialising it because of [insert pet hate] needs questioning.

Update

bsky.app/profile/aush...

This is how it is done. Joint far-right centre-right events, discussion evenings, op eds. Steadily eroding the resistance to an alliance that carries the worst historical associations, but will be justified by the need for stability, order, national rejuvenation.

More than half of the US in drought after near-record March temperatures Global average monthly rise sustained at 1.48C since pre-industrial times

The satirical film Don't Look Up appears more apposite by the day.
The US Midwest is burning up, farmers face ruin, food prices set to rise. And the Trump administration? Drill baby drill and shooting wars over oil.
giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...
Meanwhile global temp is chugging past +1.5C.

📌 ETUI-ETUC joint conference: #ClimateChange and workers’ health

🌍🔥 Climate change is transforming the world of work. From rising temperatures to more frequent extreme weather events, workers across Europe are increasingly exposed to new and intensified occupational risks

🔗 etui.org/4US

Neither easy watching nor easy listening.
America in a dark place. And it will get worse unless US citizens take the "Hungarian Option" on November 3rd.

New York City’s super-rich complain about Mamdani’s tax on second homes Billionaire hedge fund managers say mayor’s proposed levy is ‘demonising philanthropists’

giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...

We are going to get an empirical test of the billionaires' claim that "demonising philanthropists" in the form of a tax on 2nd homes worth more than $5m harms the interests of nurses and firefighters.🍿

Remaining scrupulously neutral on this one in the meantime.😑

Le Monde in English (@english.lemonde.fr) UK signs deal to rejoin EU's Erasmus student exchange program https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2026/04/15/uk-signs-deal-to-rejoin-eu-s-erasmus-student-exchange-program_6752466_4.html

bsky.app/profile/engl...

A smaller win, to be sure, but the UK rejoining Erasmus is a further encouraging sign that nationalism and anti-Europeanism can be defeated and the policies they inspired reversed.

EU Inc. Trades Worker Rights for Silicon Valley Fantasy The European Commission’s proposed EU Inc. corporate form promises startup-friendly simplicity but threatens worker participation, collective power, and Europe’s social model.

Update
A good piece in Social Europe on the 28th Company regime aka EUInc.
www.socialeurope.eu/eu-inc-trade...

Scaleability of European start-ups is an important issue, but the EUInc in its present form is problematic.

Short answer, two things.
Market integration favours slow-but-steady catch-up of lower productivity/income regions.
Plus significant transfers via EU so-called cohesion funds.

Dear JD Vance
We in the EU have several important legislative or presidential elections coming up in the next few months. Please do come and vigorously campaign for your MAGA sister parties in Bulgaria, Sweden, Latvia, Czechia, Cyprus & Estonia.
Before facing your own citizens in November.

Good news for Hungary. Good news for Europe. Right-wing populism can be defeated. The EU will function better.
But Poland is a warning. As Alberto says, victory at the ballot box is necessary but not sufficient. Like PiS, Fidesz created an okentrenched "deep state" that will seek to stymie reform.

Trump announces naval blockade of Strait of Hormuz as Iran peace talks fail Reopening the critical waterway is a sticking point in negotiations as oil supply bottlenecks prompt a global energy crisis

The Trump administration's (intermediate) war aim is now to ... checks notes ... close the Strait of Hormuz.
giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...

I can't judge the military feasibility, but what I do know is that China will have an opinion about a US blockade.
And if the US Navy does lose a ship 🤷‍♂️

Energy crisis: 5 countries appeal to EU for windfall tax Economy and finance ministers from Italy, Germany, Spain, Portugal and Austria are asking the EU for a tax on energy surplus profits to curb price increases. #EuropeNews

Now 5 finance ministers (AT, @markusmarterbauer.bsky.social DE, ES, IT, PT) have called for a stronger EU response than 2022, incorporating profits earned (or reported) abroad.
The Commission should make a proposal ASAP before further confidence is lost
www.euronews.com/my-europe/20...
4/4

EU considering excessive profit taxes on oil and gas companies The European Commission is considering taxing windfall profits, similar to the mechanism applied in 2022 during the natural gas crisis. The plea came from five EU countries, which also called for the tax to be expanded to foreign profits dealing with fossil fuels. #EuropeNews

Zucman proposes taxing global profits or the increase in share prices. Neither will be easy to operationalise.

In response to the 2022 price shock the EU imposed a windfall profit tax that raised around €28 billion
www.euronews.com/my-europe/20...
3/4

Où vont les profits de la guerre ? Avec l’envolée des prix du pétrole, les bénéfices des sociétés pétrolières explosent et finissent recyclés dans les paradis fiscaux.

@gabrielzucman.bsky.social has a good discussion of the issues, showing how tax competition and the use of tax havens has eroded the ability to impose high tax rates on Big Oil: open.substack.com/pub/gabrielz...
2/4

It is vital that EU policymakers find effective ways to syphon off the windfall profits of fossil fuel companies. It is the only way to lessen the economic shock, using price controls or transfers, while limiting the pressure on public finances.
1/4

Hungary, Europe's Argentina. But this time Trump has left it too late to influence the election (tomorrow), and the post indeed smacks of desperation.

The facts of the European (EU27) income convergence How is Europe becoming more equal

Europe - specifically the current 27 EU MS - has become more equal over the last 30 years. But this is due only to narrowing between-country inequality, not within-country inequality; the latter has increased slightly.

branko2f7.substack.com/p/the-facts-...
by
@brankomilan.bsky.social

More with More: Investing in the Energy Transition: 2025 European Public Investment Outlook This outlook offers a timely and insightful exploration of Europe’s energy transition, a process that lies at the heart of today’s environmental, economic, and political debates. It examines the diverse commitments undertaken by European countries as they navigate the challenges of decarbonization and the shift to sustainable energy systems. By analyzing both the policy frameworks and the concrete instruments adopted to reach ambitious climate and energy goals, the book sheds light on the strategies shaping the continent’s future.

If anything positive is emerging from this omnishambles it is the growing consensus that Europe needs to stand on its own feet, not least regarding energy security.
www.openbookpublishers.com/books/10.116... (free download) offers guidance on the path Europe sd take to be prepared for the next shock

Noch besser: bsky.app/profile/andr...

Before the attack on Iran, at least 120 ships a day were estimated to pass through the Strait of Hormuz. Even if there is significant displacement, the War Tax paid by global consumers could be around $200 million per day or 73 billion a year.

2/2

What this means, if it is maintained, is that repairing the damage wrought by US and Israeli bombardment will be to the charge of ... almost everyone. It is a tax ultimately paid by direct and indirect consumers of energy products, fertiliser (and thus food), helium (and thus semi-conducters).
1/2

EU leaders should not be afraid to say what the Governor of California has said and what is obvious to the overwhelming majority of Europeans.
Instead, they have mostly - with Sanchez a notable exception - dissembled and equivocated since the start of this disastrous war.

Trump says ‘a whole civilisation will die tonight’ if Iran does not make a deal – Middle East crisis live The US president once again warned Iran to make a deal to avert threat of massive attacks

www.theguardian.com/world/live/2...
Obscene.
The EU and relevant multilateral bodies need to be very explicit that they will hold individuals that commit war crimes responsible. There is clearly dissent in the US top brass. Personal fear of the consequences might be the only way to avoid disaster.

Important new report out on Tesla's attempts to suppress trade unions and avoid collective negotiations in Sweden, Germany and the US.
Join the authors and me in an online discussion on 22 April.
👇