Union bosses call for another workers’ rights push amid Labour turmoil February 8, 2026 Union bosses are capitalising on the turmoil across the Labour party leadership to push for another major workers’ rights shakeup as Prime Minister Keir Starmer tries to fend of a rebellion from the left. The government is being urged to go beyond its manifesto commitments and hand all workers the right to guaranteed hours – [...]
Peter Mandelson should return five-figure payoff after being sacked, says minister February 8, 2026 A Cabinet minister and key ally of the Prime Minister has said Peter Mandelson should return the payoff he bagged after being sacked as the UK’s ambassador to the US. Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden told Sky News Mandelson should “give [the payoff] back or give it to a charity, perhaps one involving violence [...]
Brown dubs Mandelson row as ‘serious’ test for Starmer February 7, 2026 Gordon Brown has increased pressure on Keir Starmer by warning that the controversy surrounding Peter Mandelson’s links to Jeffrey Epstein represents a ‘serious’ test of the prime minister’s authority and judgement. Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Brown defended Starmer’s personal integrity but said the Labour leader now faced an urgent task to restore trust after appointing [...]
Households to pay more for BBC TV licence, government confirms February 6, 2026 Households across the country will see their bills rise after the Labour government increased the TV licence fee that funds the BBC. The Department of Culture, Media and Sport said on Friday that the annual levy will be increased to £180 from 1 April. This marks a £5.50 yearly increase. The move follows rules brought [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Starmer unease rattles markets; Big tech sell-off February 6, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. Speculation over Keir Starmer’s future has unleashed a fresh round of market unease as investors dumped the pound, UK equities and long-dated government bonds amid rising political uncertainty. The gulf in price between the UK’s short- and long-term debt – known as the yield curve – reached [...]
Mandelson car crash shows Starmer’s Labour has no ideology, only in-fighting February 5, 2026 Peter Mandelson was given the job because he’s from the right faction of the Labour party. Keir Starmer’s government doesn’t believe in anything except fighting itself, says John McTernan Politics is – at its best – a battle of ideas. Successful politicians need to be able to fight and think at the same time. Peter [...]
The Mandelson Epstein scandal: Squalid, brazen and outrageous February 5, 2026 Sex, money, power and influence. Peter Mandelson, once a towering figure in Labour, in the government and in the City, has fallen. He is now the subject of a police investigation into allegations of misconduct in public office after thousands of emails contained in the latest Epstein files released by the US Department of Justice [...]
UK construction ‘exits tailspin’ but job losses persist as housebuilding slumps February 5, 2026 The UK’s struggling construction sector showed signs it was turning a corner at the beginning of the year even as job losses and shrinking order books persisted. The latest construction Purchasing Manager’s Index (PMI) from S&P Global – which serves as a headline index tracking industry activity – edged up to 46.4, up from 40.1 [...]
Starmer’s faith in Mandelson was a catastrophic error of judgement February 5, 2026 If Keir Starmer had hoped that his own indignation, doubtless sincerely felt, would put distance between Downing Street and the Peter Mandelson scandal, he was mistaken. Amid dramatic and at times chaotic scenes in the House of Commons yesterday, the Prime Minister was forced into a humiliating u-turn as opposition and Labour MPs united to [...]
‘Look out for rich individuals’: The deep ties between Mandelson lobbying firm and Epstein February 5, 2026 As one of London’s many eminent lobbying and advisory outfits, Peter Mandelson’s Global Counsel is well versed in what it takes to manage a reputation. Set up by the former deputy Prime Minister and Labour spin doctor Benjamin Wegg-Prosser from the embers of Labour’s 2010 general election loss, it has worked on some of the [...]