Newslinks for Tuesday 16th September 2025

Starmer refuses to quit over Mandelson scandal

“Sir Keir Starmer has insisted he will not quit over the Lord Mandelson scandal and blamed his team for failing to brief him on the peer’s emails with Jeffrey Epstein. On Monday, the Prime Minister admitted that he had known about emails between Lord Mandelson and the convicted paedophile when he defended the former ambassador to the US in the Commons last week. However, he claimed he only knew that a Foreign Office investigation was taking place and did not know – nor ask – about the contents of the messages, in which it later emerged that Lord Mandelson urged Epstein to fight for early release from jail. The scandal has fuelled questions over Sir Keir’s authority and who in his team – including Morgan McSweeney, his chief of staff – knew about the emails.” – Daily Telegraph

• Pressure mounts on Starmer over Mandelson scandal – The Times
• ‘I’d never have appointed Mandelson if I’d known what I know now’ – Guardian
• PM is sitting on British ‘Epstein Files’ linked to shoddy Mandelson job – ‘we will force them to light’, top Tory vows – The Sun
• Starmer in crisis as Speaker grants emergency Commons debate on Mandelson scandal – Daily Express
• Starmer goes into meltdown – Daily Mail
• PM has until May to turn things around say MPs and unions – FT
• Is a Labour leadership challenge a realistic prospect? – The Times
• The holes in No 10’s timeline of the Mandelson saga – Daily Telegraph
• Starmer condemns Unite the Kingdom rally as ‘plastic patriotism’ – The Times

Comment

Burnham weighs return to Westminster and possible leadership bid

“As Downing Street battles to reset Sir Keir Starmer’s premiership after a year of mis-steps and scandal, eyes are being trained on a threat 200 miles to the north. The leadership ambitions of Greater Manchester’s Labour mayor Andy Burnham have long been a source of paranoia inside Number 10, but after a disastrous fortnight that has left Starmer severely weakened, Westminster speculation has reached fever pitch. A person close to Burnham said he had been starting to think about a possible return to Westminster in a way he had not done previously, following approaches from concerned Labour MPs over the summer.” – FT

Trump to ‘go easy’ on embattled Starmer during state visit

“Donald Trump is expected to go easy on Sir Keir Starmer during his state visit starting on Tuesday because he understands the Prime Minister is “on the ropes”. Ahead of the trip, two former US officials well-connected with the White House told The Telegraph that Mr Trump was likely to go easy on Sir Keir, given the domestic political pressure. One former official said: “This trip will be about the splendour of Windsor Castle, inspecting the troops, the big banquet. This is a big deal for him. And the plan is to keep it about that.” They added that Mr Trump had acute political antennae for allies in trouble and knew that Starmer “was on the ropes”. – Daily Telegraph

• Record numbers of Americans seeking UK citizenship because of London’s values, says mayor – Guardian

Comment

Starmer aide quits over lewd Abbott jokes

“The crisis engulfing Keir Starmer has deepened on the eve of Donald Trump’s visit to the UK after the resignation of a third senior ally in two weeks raised further questions about the stability of his government. Paul Ovenden quit as the prime minister’s director of political strategy after the publication of old messages in which he relayed lewd jokes made at a party about the Labour MP Diane Abbott. His resignation comes after a bruising two weeks in which Starmer has overseen the departures of both his deputy prime minister, Angela Rayner, and his US ambassador, Peter Mandelson. Starmer’s internal critics also say he has failed to condemn the far-right protest in London over the weekend, as well as the people who organised it, strongly enough.” – Guardian

• Senior Starmer aide resigns over lurid Abbott comments – The Times
• Messages about Abbott force aide to resign – FT

Kruger says Tory party ‘is over’ as he defects to Reform

“The MP Danny Kruger has defected from the Conservatives to Reform UK, declaring the Tory party “is over” and Nigel Farage is the “new custodian” of conservatism and the political right’s “last hope” of governing Britain. Kruger, who represents East Wiltshire and previously served as political secretary to Boris Johnson, said: “The Conservative party is over. Over as a national party, over as the principal opposition to the left.” His defection comes weeks after the Conservative leader, Kemi Badenoch, said Tories who “want to jump ship” to Reform UK are “welcome to do so”. In a statement announcing his switch, Kruger accused the Tories of clinging to “defunct institutions”, and said they have been operating under “sham unity” since their general election defeat last year”. – Guardian

• Tory MP Kruger defects to join Reform – FT

Comment

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>Yesterday:

First ‘one in, one out’ deportation flight takes off without migrants

“Migrants have been pulled off the first deportation flights to France because of outstanding human rights claims, The Times can reveal. Lawyers acting on behalf of several migrants due to be among the first to be removed under the one-in, one-out returns deal revealed that their removal had been delayed after submitting last-minute legal challenges. The Home Office had booked a small number of seats on Air France passenger flights from Heathrow to Paris each day this week for migrant deportations. However, The Times has been told that no migrants were removed on Monday’s flight.” – The Times

• ‘One in, one out’ migrant flight cancelled after protests – Daily Telegraph
• Migrant deportation abandoned – Daily Mail

Miliband among MPs to claim double council tax for second home

“Ed Miliband is among senior MPs who have been accused of hypocrisy after they appeared to have passed on to the taxpayer higher council tax bills for their second homes. Analysis of MPs’ expenses figures released last week showed that several Labour ministers, including Miliband, Hilary Benn and Torsten Bell, as well as ministers in the past Conservative government and heads of parliamentary select committees, had more than doubled what they claimed compared with last year.” – The Times

Other political news and comment

• Britain’s oldest sea fort could become migrant hotel – Daily Telegraph
• McGovern named as new homelessness minister – Big Issue

News in Brief