Category: News Story

STORY

A Treasury minister has reportedly said that Britain rejoining the European Union is an “inevitability”, in a comment that goes beyond Labour’s current official position on Brexit. The Financial Times reported that Lord Livermore made the remarks in the House of Lords, making him one of the most senior serving Government figures to argue openly for eventual UK re-entry.

Labour’s 2024 manifesto ruled out rejoining the EU, the single market or the customs union, while promising to improve the UK’s working relationship with Brussels. The reported intervention is therefore likely to create questions about ministerial discipline and the direction of Government thinking at a time when several senior Labour figures have been arguing for a closer relationship with Europe.

The comments come against the backdrop of continuing economic and political debate over the cost of Brexit and the limits of the Government’s reset with the EU. Opponents are likely to accuse ministers of opening the door to reversing Brexit, while pro-European campaigners may regard the remarks as evidence that the political conversation has moved further than Downing Street has publicly acknowledged.

STORY

Emily Thornberry has accused the Government of failing the Palestinian people, in one of the strongest criticisms yet from a senior Labour MP of the administration’s Middle East policy. Thornberry, who chairs the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, said the UK had recognised Palestine as a state but had not followed that decision with sufficient practical action.

Speaking at a Westminster event, Thornberry argued that the Government should respond more firmly to Israeli actions in Gaza and the West Bank. She called for measures including sanctions linked to settlement activity, restrictions on goods from illegal settlements and a stronger economic response designed to make settlement expansion untenable.

Her intervention is politically significant because foreign policy has not been the central issue in Labour’s internal arguments over Starmer’s leadership. It nevertheless adds to pressure on the Government from within its own ranks and is likely to be watched closely by MPs and campaigners who want the UK to take a more assertive position on international law and the future of a two-state solution.

STORY

The Conservatives have accused Sir Keir Starmer of failing to disclose all relevant communications with Lord Mandelson following the publication of Government papers relating to his appointment as Britain’s ambassador to the United States. Alex Burghart, the Shadow Cabinet Office Minister, said it was difficult to believe that the documentary record contained so few messages between Mandelson and senior ministers, including the Prime Minister.

The latest row follows the release of 1,504 pages of documents on the appointment, including vetting material, WhatsApp exchanges and correspondence. Reuters reported that the files showed Mandelson pressing his case for the Washington post, criticising the Government and writing to David Lammy in 2024 that ministers would “never regret” appointing him.

The disclosure has kept pressure on Starmer at a difficult moment for the Government, with Labour MPs already considering the consequences of the Mandelson controversy and the party’s wider political position. The Government hopes the release will draw a line under the affair, but opposition parties are likely to continue pressing ministers over what was known, when it was known and whether all relevant material has been published.

STORY

Tendring District Council is due to consider final recommendations from its Community Governance Review at tonight’s Full Council meeting. The review has examined whether new parish or town councils should be created for Clacton, Holland and Jaywick, which currently do not have their own parish-level councils.

The council ran a second consultation from December 2025 to February 2026, after an earlier phase of consultation and scrutiny committee consideration. The authority said the final recommendations had taken account of responses received across the two consultation phases.

Community Governance Reviews allow councils to consider local governance structures, including whether new parish councils should be established or existing arrangements changed. If approved, the recommendations could lead to a significant change in local representation for the three communities.

STORY

A handwritten letter from Lord Mandelson to David Lammy has been revealed in newly published Government papers relating to his controversial appointment as Britain’s ambassador to the United States. In the note, sent in 2024 when Lammy was Foreign Secretary, Mandelson argued for the Washington role and told him that the Government would “never regret” appointing him. The documents were released as part of the second batch of files connected to the appointment, following parliamentary pressure for greater disclosure.

The release has renewed scrutiny of Sir Keir Starmer’s decision to appoint Mandelson to one of Britain’s most sensitive diplomatic posts. Reuters reported that the second batch of documents forms part of the continuing controversy over the appointment, which became politically damaging after Mandelson’s links to Jeffrey Epstein came under renewed attention. Mandelson is not accused of sexual misconduct, but he has been under investigation over allegations that he leaked Government documents to Epstein.

The papers have also raised further questions about the vetting and decision-making process behind the appointment. Earlier reporting said security concerns had been raised during Mandelson’s vetting, while The Guardian reported that the latest files did not show formal mitigation measures for the national security concerns identified. Starmer has previously said the appointment was a mistake and that he would not have proceeded had he known then what later emerged.

STORY

The House of Lords begins the week with the Social Housing Bill among the main items of legislation, as peers consider the purpose and key measures of the Government’s reforms. The Bill includes domestic abuse protections and significant changes to Right to Buy, making it one of the central housing measures of the new parliamentary session.

Peers are also due to consider the Civil Aviation Bill and the Sporting Events Bill later in the week. The Lords timetable includes questions on sovereign artificial intelligence, business hiring intentions, the Supreme Court judgment in For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers and the newly elected Government of Wales.

The wider Lords programme also includes debates on fertility treatment regulation, atrocity crimes, electricity prices and cross-sector artificial intelligence regulation. The schedule gives ministers a busy legislative week as Parliament returns to scrutiny of the Government’s post-King’s Speech programme.

STORY

Downing Street is facing renewed pressure over the appointment of Lord Mandelson as ambassador to the United States, with thousands of pages of private messages and documents expected to be released following a parliamentary move. The material is linked to questions about how the appointment was made despite concerns over Mandelson’s association with Jeffrey Epstein.

The release follows a humble address process in Parliament, which can require ministers to produce documents to the House. Reports suggested Labour MPs were braced for embarrassing private exchanges involving ministers, officials and political advisers, even if the documents do not necessarily alter the central facts of the case.

The episode has added to the political strain around Sir Keir Starmer’s leadership and the Government’s judgement. Ministers have sought to avoid a running commentary on the documents, while opponents are likely to use the release to argue that Labour has not met its own standards on transparency and propriety.

STORY

Regional mayors in England will be given greater control over innovation funding under Government plans linked to the Local Innovation Partnerships Fund. Ministers said the change would allow local leaders to target research and development investment towards sectors with the strongest regional growth potential.

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology said the approach would apply to areas including Liverpool City Region, West Yorkshire, Greater Manchester and Greater London after the next Spending Review. Two projects in Liverpool are also set to receive £23.7 million in Local Innovation Partnerships funding.

Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said science and technology should drive growth across every region. The policy forms part of the Government’s wider devolution and Industrial Strategy agenda, with ministers arguing that local leaders are best placed to decide where innovation funding should be directed.

STORY

The Ministry of Defence has announced contracts worth £36 million for hundreds more Lightweight Multirole Missiles for the UK Armed Forces. The missiles, manufactured by Thales in Belfast, are intended to boost UK stockpiles and strengthen protection for British personnel and allies in the Middle East and beyond.

The Government said deliveries would begin in the coming months and continue through 2026. The contracts are expected to support around 700 skilled jobs in Belfast and form part of wider efforts to improve munitions resilience and speed up the supply of military equipment.

Defence Secretary John Healey said the order showed the Government’s partnership with industry in action. The missiles have been used to defeat drone attacks in the Middle East, including through RAF Regiment gunners operating the Rapid Sentry air defence system.

STORY

The Government has said its NHS Modernisation Bill will introduce a single patient record in England, allowing NHS providers including hospitals and GPs to share patient information more effectively. Ministers said the reform could mean up to 20,000 fewer A&E attendances and 6,000 fewer hospital admissions each year.

The Department of Health and Social Care said the measure would reduce the need for patients to repeat their medical history and would give clinicians a fuller picture of medicines, allergies and previous treatment. The Government said it could save more than £20 million a year by reducing medication errors, adverse drug reactions and duplicate prescribing.

The Bill is also intended to reduce bureaucracy by formally transferring NHS England’s functions into the Department and the wider health system. Ministers said the legislation forms part of the Government’s ten-year plan for the NHS, while professional bodies and campaigners are expected to scrutinise its implications for data protection and patient voice.