And it could have been a gain for him! He didn’t know (provable). Robbins followed protocols. Both doing the ‘right thing’. Mandelson’s long gone anyway. Nothing to see. But no. Performative outrage and vindictiveness that’s now biting his bum - maybe terminally (if that’s metaphorically possible).
Oh God! I hope you lose that one, Peter.
Excellent summary. I could have done something more constructive with my morning. The blood from the well-aimed stiletto thrust about the Doyle affair is coming slowly for now, but likely to get very messy.
Angela Rayner’s probably the queen over the water now - not least because exile has spared her the ministerial media rounds lately. But they seem totally free of rationality at the moment, so who knows?
He didn’t. As he patiently and lucidly explained to the Select Committee.
That's emerging as the main take from all this. Starmer could actually have emerged with an enhanced reputation. Instead, panic and petulance led him to crucify someone who has come across at the Select Committee as the model of a decent, diligent and conscientious public servant. Self-harm indeed.
Oh ...
Or Major Attlee for that matter.
If he said this he’s committed a serious offence under both English and Scots law. Extraditable.
Just possibly, these - all too common - abuses of tribunal judgments could end with the new Fair Work Agency created by the new Employment Rights Act. It has enforcement powers to pursue on behalf of successful claimants. But we’ll see …
Not casual coffee table untidiness - carefully curated.
It is. But Trump and his circle of no-nothing sycophants wouldn’t have a clue what it means, let alone any sense of its stiletto subtlety.
Yes, you can just see the little moue of distaste that goes with it!
Yvette Cooper seemed totally unconcerned that what she called Iran’s “recklessness” had anything to do with an illegal blitzkrieg launched against it in the middle of negotiations. Nothing “reckless” about that apparently.
He’ so utterly absurd now that he’s in danger of becoming a national treasure.
Perhaps low cunning rather than intelligence 😁
Timing will be everything. Vance seems on the path already. After all, he has the biggest stake in the game as crown prince. Others, like the demented Hegseth and delusional Kennedy, probably don’t have the brains to bother.
Is he claiming to be speaking for the alliance? If so, he’s creating a very dangerous situation. What do the Scandinavians, Spain, Slovenia think about it?
😁
In other words, there’s no actual ‘vetting’ ??
Image of letter sent to Prime Minister Keir Starmer by the Green MPs and Peers. Letter begins: Dear Prime Minister, We are writing as Green Party MPs and Peers to express our alarm at the UK’s involvement in the illegal US-Israeli war on Iran. Already well over 1,000 civilians have been killed, including a reported 168 children killed by a missile now widely believed to be from the United States (Guardian, 2026). UNICEF has reported that the Israeli military's assault on Lebanon is killing or injuring the equivalent of one classroom of children every day (Reuters, 2026). In addition to the grave humanitarian impacts, the longer this illegal, unnecessary war continues, the greater the global economic fallout – to which the UK is particularly exposed because it remains heavily reliant on fossil fuels. Read the rest of the letter on the Green Party website at: https://greenparty.org.uk/2026/03/20/green-mps-and-peers-demand-end-to-uk-involvement-in-illegal-us-israel-war/
Second page of letter to Prime Minister Keir Starmer from the Green MPs and Peers. Read the full letter on the Green Party website at: https://greenparty.org.uk/2026/03/20/green-mps-and-peers-demand-end-to-uk-involvement-in-illegal-us-israel-war/
The Green MPs and Peers have written to Keir Starmer to urge for an end to the UK's involvement in the US and Israel's illegal war.
Under international law, the UK is obliged to have no involvement in illegal military action, including the use of UK bases and UK-made weapons.
Aside even from that list of offences, his problem is also a simple human one. The man has absolutely no capacity for gratitude. Why would anyone do him a favour (even without the cost and futility involved in this)?
Doesn’t it pass down the family?
Iran seems to be negotiating with all sorts of countries to let their ships use the Straits. Imagine if everyone - except the US - made their own deals… Won’t happen, but a nice thought to go with the schadenfreude.
It’s a defensive alliance, and also created specifically to face down the Soviet Union/Russia in the north Atlantic region. The clue’s in the name. Last time I looked at a map …
Remember that will-he-stay-or-will-he-go point a while back that turned on what his MPs picked up in their constituencies over the weekend? If this stuff had come out then he’d have been finished. Funny how these things work.
Shouldn’t GMP have caught on a bit sooner? Like no.4?
"Mahmoodism" should come into general usage: the co-option of ethnic minority politicians to push discriminatory policies in order to pretend that they can't be.
It is baffling, particularly from a political project that now openly sees itself as ‘populist’. But it’s all they’ve got, and they’re especially piqued that, for once, things seem to be playing well for Starmer.
Yes, that makes sense. Self-enrichment by deal seems to determine his 'foreign policy'. Of course, the Metternich-Kissinger international system I've described - with some added Mafia business ethics - is a useful milieu for this.