Well at least we got a bit of light relief in all the gloom and confusion and obfuscation with Thornberry suggesting civil servants are so process-driven that they write a note for the record before they make a cup of coffee. #wato
Hate to say 'told you so'.
Starmer's primary culpability was in appointing M in the first place (an attempt to schmooze Trump which has blown up in his face), but if the process was then followed, the dismissal of Robbins was another faulty decision to bookend the whole sorry mess.
#wato
Which is where we come back to the essential fact that it had been decided that the best person to deal with Trump would be Mandelson. So civil servants etc were under pressure to make it happen.
It is *that* decision which is at the root of the whole mess.
#wato
Except, I suspect, the vetting people would have complied a report, with red flags, and the Foreign Office would have looked at it and thought "Well, ok, but we want him in Washington, so let's risk it and pass him"
#wato
Anti-migrant streamers and 'auditors' who generate millions of views on Youtube, while posing as ‘citizen journalists’, have a record of abusive behaviour towards women and sexual offences, a Byline Times investigation reveals
bylinetimes.com/2026/04/17/t...
We've been through the "PM we didn't vote for" argument many times before in recent years, caller. You don't vote for a PM, you vote for an MP, or at most a party.
#wato
Maybe the FO uses the same independent vetting service that Reform Co Ltd use for their candidates.
Or incompetence is endemic.
#wato
Despite the confidential nature of the vetting process, I am astounded that Starmer wasn't astounded to be told by the Foreign Office "Yes, Mandelson's fine".
They all clearly felt appointing him was 'worth the risk'.
Which clearly now it wasn't.
#wato
Surely nobody is surprised that Mandelson failed the security vetting. Even Starmer must have been surprised to be told Mandelson had a green light from the Foreign Office.
That notwithstanding the probability that some of these concerns were what made M the "ideal" Trump ambassador.
#wato
German for Internat Bacc
Yippee.
Physical school books gives me better royalties than digital versions.
#wato
BBC News leading all its bulletins on demands by former Government advisor Lord Robertson for more defence spending, without at any point mentioning his current paid senior role for US defence lobbyists
NEW: Keir Starmer responds to Donald Trump’s threat to row back on trade deal the US signed with UK last year, amid sharp differences with White House on US approach to Iran conflict.
Quite a flex to turn up at the presidential palace, get him to confirm you as prime minister, call him unfit to serve with no moral authority, tell him to resign, and then pose for a picture
Over half the welfare bill is for pensions.
A large proportion of UC payments are to people in work.
PIP is not an out-of-work payment.
Facts please #wato
In my experience, joint lead does not work. Multi-agency is fine as long as all communicate and liaise wih each other, but they all see it as someone else's job to do that. Why has no previous enquiry said that there has to be one single lead (like in multi emergency service responses)? #wato
In absolutely chef’s kiss timing, Matthew Goodwin is due to speak at Orbán’s in-house propaganda group MCC *today*
Badloss strikes again.
Asked about Tice's tax by C4 News, Farage responds: "Do give me a lecture on REITs [tax schemes]. Give us the benefit of your knowledge on this, I'd be thrilled."
Can't think of a reason why he would respond thay way to Amelia Jenne of C4 News but answer politely to Nick Eardley of the BBC.
It's certainly idiotic, and it grows from the dishonesty of how Brexit was presented by Leave leaders as a huge change and yet 'there won't be a big changes' & especially that ending Freedom of Movement would affect 'them' not 'us' ('we retired to Europe long before we joined the EEC' etc.).
Time to fire up the Allister Heath Headline Generator again ...
Orban was the first in the modern populist wave, the prototype, and he operates now as a crucial international lynchpin. There's a reason the White House and the Kremlin are so desperate for him to win.
Orban would have welcomed the tanks in 1956. That is scarcely 'nationalist' #wato
Careful #wato, you'll have Vance on your case accusing the BBC of electoral interference if you don't sing the praises of Orban.
This is right in Reform's heartland county... I'm sure the media will get right on it... any minute now.
Einstein Visa? Or Epstein Visa?
👇👇
The only president stupid enough to do it.
This was so clearly going to happen, because it always does with fascists.
Not content with stoking hate and division by attacking "outsiders", they've turned their sights on British-born poor.
They will get round to everyone else, eventually...
