सोशल मीडिया पर प्रसारित सीसीटीवी फुटेज में योग्याकार्ता के Little Aresha डेकेयर सेंटर में बच्चों को, जिनमें से अधिकांश दो साल से कम उम्र के थे, केवल डायपर पहने फर्श पर लेटे हुए दिखाया गया है, जिनके हाथ-पैर चिथड़ों से बंधे हुए थे।
• Mandelson के उत्तराधिकारी ने फरवरी में ये टिप्पणियाँ की थीं, जिसमें राजनयिक ने यह भी कहा कि अमेरिका के साथ ब्रिटेन नहीं बल्कि इज़राइल के "विशेष संबंध" हैं।
• Christian Turner, जिन्होंने फरवरी में वाशिंगटन में ब्रिटेन के सबसे वरिष्ठ राजनयिक के रूप में Mandelson का स्थान लिया, ने अपनी नियुक्ति वाले महीने में ही अमेरिका का दौरा करने वाले छात्रों के एक समूह के सामने निजी तौर पर ये बातें कही थीं।
कॉमन्स मतदान से पहले Morgan McSweeney उन लोगों में शामिल हैं जो विदेश मामलों की समिति को गवाही दे रहे हैं। शुभ प्रभात। पूर्व अमेरिकी राष्ट्रपति Lyndon Johnson को यह कहने का श्रेय दिया जाता है कि राजनीति में सबसे महत्वपूर्ण कौशल यह जानना है कि गिनती कैसे की जाती है, जिसका अर्थ है कि अंततः जो मायने रखता है वह है वोट जीतने में सक्षम होना। लेकिन कभी-कभी राजनीति में उतना ही, या उससे भी अधिक, तर्क जीतने की क्षमता मायने रखती है। आज Keir Starmer की इन दोनों पैमानों पर परीक्षा होगी। वोट जीतना आसान होना चाहिए। Kemi Badenoch द्वारा पेश किए गए प्रस्ताव, साथ ही पांच अन्य विपक्षी दलों (Lib Dems, SNP, DUP, Restore Britain, TUV) के सांसदों और कई निर्दलीय सांसदों द्वारा Starmer को विशेषाधिकार समिति (privileges committee) के पास भेजने की तैयारी पर Pippa Crerar की हमारी रातों-रात की प्रीव्यू स्टोरी यहाँ है। पढ़ना जारी रखें...
Chief property and security officer Ian Collard set to submit written answers to foreign affairs committee questionsA key figure in the row over Peter Mandelson’s appointment as UK ambassador to Washington will not appear before a parliamentary committee of MPs to give evidence.Dame Emily Thornberry had requested that Ian Collard speak to the foreign affairs committee (FAC) on Tuesday, but confirmed on Saturday that he would submit written answers instead.Whether he felt under pressure to deliver Lord Mandelson’s clearance, after Sir Olly said there was an “atmosphere of pressure” and “constant chasing” from Downing Street.Whether he had seen the cover form for Lord Mandelson’s vetting by UK Security Vetting (UKSV), the agency responsible for checks on candidates for sensitive posts, in which it had ticked two red boxes – meaning they had “high concern” and recommended “clearance denied or withdrawn”.If he was asked by anyone in the Foreign Office, Downing Street or the Cabinet Office for advice about whether Lord Mandelson required vetting for the post given he was a member of the House of Lords.If he advised on how Lord Mandelson should be treated during the period between his appointment being announced and his clearance coming through. Continue reading...
Vulnerable children placed in caravans, Airbnbs and holiday camps, with children’s commissioner saying practice must stopMinisters must get to grips with the “national scandal” of England’s shadow child social care system, the children’s commissioner has warned, as a shocking new report reveals the number of children in unregulated settings has increased by more than 370% in five years.Some of the most vulnerable children in England are being temporarily placed in unregulated caravans, Airbnbs and holiday camps, which risk the “accumulation of increasing levels of harm for children who have already faced enough distress for several lifetimes”, according to a new report. Continue reading...
Senior government figures fear decision to appoint former ambassador to US could cost PM his leadership Keir Starmer will deliver a high-stakes statement to MPs on Monday as he struggles to overcome fears inside his government that the Peter Mandelson vetting scandal could yet cost him his leadership.In what is set to be a dramatic showdown, the prime minister will set out how Mandelson was able to take up his role as UK ambassador without the Foreign Office revealing it had overruled the decision to fail his vetting. Continue reading...
Filings suggest manufacturers’ lending arms have massively underestimated bill from FCA’s £9.1bn redress schemeCarmakers are under pressure to drum up £3bn to cover payouts for motor finance scandal victims after failing to adequately prepare for a UK-wide compensation scheme that is due to begin this summer.Company filings show the lending arms of big vehicle manufacturers including Ford, BMW, Stellantis and Volkswagen may have massively underestimated the final costs of the financial regulator’s £9.1bn redress scheme. Continue reading...
Sir Simon McDonald says Olly Robbins was ‘thrown under a bus’ by the prime minister and the decision feels ‘wrong’The Peter Mandelson security vetting scandal is the biggest crisis for the diplomatic service in decades, a former Foreign Office chief has said.Sir Simon McDonald, who was the permanent under-secretary of the government department until 2020, has spoken out in defence of Sir Oliver Robbins, saying the civil servant was “thrown under a bus” by the prime minister, Keir Starmer, when he was dismissed from his role on Thursday. Continue reading...
Keir Starmer says it is ‘staggering’ and ‘unforgivable’ that he was not told Peter Mandelson had failed security vetting before taking up the role of US ambassador. The comments follow a Guardian investigation that exclusively revealed Mandelson had initially been denied clearance after a background check by security officials, but that the decision was overruled by the Foreign Office. Lucy Hough speaks to the Guardian’s head of investigations, Paul Lewis – watch on YouTube Continue reading...
Additional £1bn allocated to payments for victims and their relatives, including extra £35,000 for former Treloar pupilsCompensation payments will rise for people affected by the infected blood scandal, including an extra £35,000 each for pupils who were experimented on at school without their knowledge, the paymaster general has announced. The government has allocated £1bn for the payments.The final report of the inquiry into what has been described as the biggest treatment disaster in NHS history was published in May 2024. The compensation scheme that followed has also been blighted by controversy. Continue reading...