Revealed: Mandelson failed vetting but Foreign Office overruled decision Guardian investigation uncovers decision by UK security officials to deny clearance before Mandelson took up role as US ambassador

No10’s account is incredible.
I held Developed Vetting for nearly ten years and spent three years at the heart of the Cabinet Office. I have never heard of a Developed Vetting denial being overruled. Here’s why…🧵

www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

This is as close to hopeful as I get...

FT headline: The creeping feeling that life is getting too long Why our lengthening lifespans are not entirely welcome. The illustration shows an old man in silhouette at the bottom of a long staircase by an illuminated EXIT sign

"My grandmother, who lived to 92, occasionally asked visitors to kill her, though more in hope than expectation." as.ft.com/r/ea7a77ed-e...

I'm a big fan of the triple lock. But this defence of it is stupid: there's no need to play off old against young (quite the opposite; the thing about the lock is that it benefits younger people more), nor to pretend that the lock is only affordable if we cut other benefits.

Since 2018 Italy have qualified for more men’s cricket world cups than men’s football world cups.

Hi @alexclegg.bsky.social do you think this correction could lead to higher take up estimates? If ‘entitled non recipients’ are actually receiving benefit?

Always said the pensions minister is a good chap! :-)

First series of the Morning Show was very good.

And rightly so! The current estimates of pensions ‘adequacy’ published by the government are based on ‘triple lock forever’. Assuming the future trajectory of the state pension will be lower than this, the level of undersaving is *even bleaker* than official figures suggest.

Interesting trail from Ian Cheshire of the Pensions Commission at @standardlifeuk.bsky.social event

The commission will publish modelling based on BOTH the state pension with a triple lock AND a less generous future state pension

(even though triple lock not formally in scope)

a group of penguins are walking in a line on the ground ALT: a group of penguins are walking in a line on the ground

we go live to Heard Island:

All you need is ten years to get something

Don't know how many, but you get some pension for 10 years in the system and you'd imagine time in the Navy would count

If you are convicted, your state pension is suspended. if you are held but then cleared, you get the money back!

On the plus side, as it's his 66th birthday today, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor will have qualified for his state pension...

Can't help feeling that pensions stories won't be dominating the front pages tomorrow morning....

At this very moment both the BBC News and Sky News channels are yet again showing a live speech by Nigel Farage. When will they start showing every speech by @zackpolanski.bsky.social and @eddavey.libdems.org.uk live as well?

Steve Webb has made pensioners hundreds of millions of pounds richer An unexpected upside of my column has been the wins - big and small - that have made a real difference to hundreds of thousands of people, says Steve Webb.

This Monday marked 10 years of doing a weekly column for This is Money, answering reader questions on pensions. Little did we realise the impact it would have, including forcing the Govt. to refund over £900m in underpaid state pensions as well as helping lots of individuals - very rewarding!

Just going to leave this here

Today's column. On the abyss. www.thetimes.com/article/c7f8...

I’m guessing there will have been some raised eyebrows when this popped up in the DWP ministerial press cuttings this morning….

Column in which I ask the important question: has Torsten Bell ever killed a man?

economist.com/britain/2026...

I’d started wishing Man Utd well under Carrick who seems decent … now I’ll have to go back to hoping they lose ….

Steve Webb: Why the Pensions Dashboard could be a bombshell A bombshell will soon be launched into the normally still waters of pensions. And, in my view, financial advisers will have a key role to play in A bombshell will soon be launched into the normally st...

My new column for Money Marketing on why the forthcoming pensions dashboard could have a bigger impact than people think - and why financial advisers could have a key role to make sure that it succeeds: www.moneymarketing.co.uk/opinion/stev...

BRB, just googling “what happens if you get rid of your lightning rod and there is more lightning?”

and no I haven't put the Mandelson-Epstein-Reinaldo scoop on twitter

we journalists *can* make Bluesky the place to break news

As expected, the Government has 're-taken' the WASPI compensation decision, but has come to exactly the same conclusion - no compensation. Just announced in the House of Commons.

Home - A glimmer of light on the horizon

Thanks to @stevewebb1.bsky.social (and colleagues at LCP) for this very interesting report:

lcpuk.foleon.com/gender-ethni...

Can my daughter still have my pension under new inheritance tax rules? If I die before my husband and still haven't touched my pension, will my daughter get this and how does this work as far as inheritance tax is concerned?

Many people assume their will determines where their money goes after they die. But with pensions it's not quite that simple. This week I reply to a reader who wants her pension pot to go to her daughter with everything else to her husband and discuss who decides what goes to whom! #pensions

Anyone else having trouble telling the News and The Traitors apart tonight?