Very good, thank you

Having watched Starmer's performance today with some care I find myself asking one question: was Starmer equally astonished to find that it was not Father Christmas who put the presents in his stocking ? Did nobody tell him ? Did he take appropriate action to reprimand his mother ?

No matter how much Starmer bleats that he was
"assured that the correct process was followed," he has not explained why he appointed Mandy, and why he did not ask that the vetting was complete before the appointment was announced, and the result satisfactory. He is PM, he is responsible.

The question of whether Starmer misled the HoC is important, but not the only issue arising from Mandy's appointment: quite apart from whether the FO told Starmer of concerns, how come a former DPP announced the appointment of a man with such a history without asking if the vetting was complete & OK

3. why was Starmer so very keen to replace Mandy's predecessor, who was considered to be doing a good job ?

3 questions:

1. why would a PM appoint anybody to a senior role, with access to high level docs, without [confirming that] their vetting had been completed, & no issue thrown up ?
2. if the PM is allowed no part at all in the vetting process, why was Robbins sacked ?

In the morass of confusion concerning Mandy's vetting, it seems reasonably clear that Starmer should not have appointed Mandy, and certainly should not have announced the appointment until the vetting process was over.

Exclusive: Has Keir Starmer made a huge mistake sacking Olly Robbins? There’s a new development in the Mandelson-Epstein-Starmer scandal – and as usual, it raises more questions over No. 10’s dealings than it answers. Ex-deputy cabinet secretary Helen MacNamara and for...

Olly Robbins sacking brings to mind Jeremy Thorpe's remark re the night of the Long Knives, "Greater love hath no man than this, that he lay down his friends for his life,"

www.independent.co.uk/tv/in-the-ro...

Starmer was left in dark about Mandelson’s vetting by two other top civil servants Exclusive: Officials have spent weeks debating whether or not to release highly sensitive information about the affair

"Farewell, farewell! One kiss, and I'll descend" - could these be Romeo's last words before she, too, departs No 10 ?

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

Cuts to overseas aid will worsen shocks to global economy, David Miliband says Exclusive: Former UK foreign secretary says poor and rich countries alike will be hit amid humanitarian crisis sparked by Iran war

Cuts to international aid are not only cruel, they add to migratory pressure

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

This conversation is at an end. Thank you for your comments.

Fair enough, I did support him, but that does not mean I voted for him

We'll have to agree to differ, but I suspect I'm not the only one voted to get the Tories out. Thanks for your comments - but for now, perhaps I've taken enough of your time.

Olly Robbins is just the latest: a guide to the high-profile exits under Starmer’s tenure There has been a steady succession of departures by ministers and senior officials in the past two years

Interesting to look too at some who have survived Starmer:

Reeves - despite U-turns, expenses scandals & failing to generate growth
Mahmood - despite producing cruel immigration policy
Streeting - despite having criticized Starmer's "technocratic" style
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

No 10 knew Mandelson failed security vetting seven months ago The Independent put revelations that Peter Mandelson had failed MI6 vetting for the US ambassador role to Downing Street in September – but a ‘furious’ Sir Keir insists he did not know until this week

If it is true that No 10 knew Mandelson failed security vetting seven months ago, it is hard to see how (or why) Starmer should remain in post

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/poli...

I may be wrong, but I don't think I did say that I voted for Starmer. I generally try to say what I voted for (or against) not who; and, as a matter fact I am one of those who voted to get the Tories out rather than to get anybody in. How about you ?

"The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which" - George Orwell

For some reason Johnson and Starmer come to mind

Thank you. We will have to agree to differ. But, for the record, I'm not selling anything - I am not a politician. just a disillusioned voter

Thanks for your comments - I'm afraid I have no idea why other people did, or didn't, vote the way they did, or didn't. But figures indicate that Starmer won with much less support than the Lab majority might suggest.

Arguably it was not so much that Stamer won by a landslide as that the Tories lost by one

2 years ago I was a supporter of Starmer. No more. The lack of credibility - integrity - around his excuses for the failure to declare the result of Mandy's vetting not only calls into question his fitness to be PM, but will drive voters to Reform/Greens

Starmer:

supported the winter fuel withdrawal, then changed his mind
supported cutting benefits for disabled, then changed his mind
announced a digital Id card, then changed his mind...
told us we risk becoming "an island of strangers,"
told us Brexit was behind us, and we could work with the US

Foreign Office top civil servant forced out over Mandelson vetting fiasco Olly Robbins leaves post as Starmer accused of misleading MPs about ex-minister’s appointment as ambassador to US

Starmer's position re Mandy's vetting is not credible

www.ft.com/content/f0f5...

Foreign Office top civil servant forced out over Mandelson vetting fiasco Olly Robbins leaves post as Starmer accused of misleading MPs about ex-minister’s appointment as ambassador to US

Questions galore; and it's time Starmer answered them

www.ft.com/content/f0f5...

Olly Robbins, have you got any comment ?

Top Foreign Office official Olly Robbins to leave post after Mandelson vetting row Sir Olly Robbins has effectively been sacked after his department did not inform the prime minister that Lord Mandelson had failed security vetting.

Top Foreign Office official to leave post after Mandelson vetting row.

Human sacrifice to save Starmer.

What did Mandelson do to fail security vetting?

Inconceivable that Starmer didn't ask if Mandelson was cleared by security before appointing him.

Time to go Mr Starmer.

How many more people are going to have to resign for Keir Starmer's decision to ignore the advice of every single person who told him not to appoint Peter Mandelson?

Foreign Office’s top civil servant Olly Robbins forced out over Mandelson vetting row Keir Starmer understood to have lost confidence in official over decision to override security vetting failure

Even if the decision to withhold the result of Mandy's vetting was taken by Robbins, questions remain. EG:
1. why did Robbins not feel able to share such critical info with his political masters ?
2. why did Starmer make the appt without asking the result of the vetting ?

No 10 claims Starmer did not know Mandelson failed security vetting until this week – as it happened The prime minister was not aware that the former US ambassador had failed the vetting process, according to Downing Street

If - big if - it is true that Starmer "did not know Mandelson failed security vetting until this week" he's got some explaining to do. Starmer was responsible for Mandy's appointment, so why did he not know the outcome of the vetting ?

www.theguardian.com/politics/liv...

If an agreed deal can "always be changed" so can an agreed state visit. King Charles' visit to the US should be called off, effective immediate