Labour MPs say Starmer’s days as PM are numbered amid fury over Mandelson 04. February 2026 (21:07) MPs say release of papers on Mandelson’s appointment as US ambassador could trigger leadership challengeLabour MPs have warned that Keir Starmer’s days as prime minister are numbered after a day of fury over the appointment of Peter Mandelson as US ambassador despite his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein.The government was on the brink of a defeat in the Commons until a mid-debate amendment brokered by Meg Hillier and Angela Rayner to force the release of documents about Mandelson’s appointment and the depth of his relationship with the convicted child sex offender. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Mandelson’s links with US tech firm Palantir must be fully exposed, campaigners warn 04. February 2026 (20:41) Government faces call for transparency on former peer’s involvement amid fears he may have leaked more sensitive informationPeter Mandelson’s involvement with the US tech company Palantir must be exposed to full public transparency, campaigners have said, amid fears he may have leaked more sensitive information than is alleged in his emails to Jeffrey Epstein.Palantir, an $300bn startup that provides military technology to the Israel Defense Forces and AI-powered deportation targeting for Donald Trump’s ICE units, has UK government contracts worth more than £500m. Global Counsel, a lobbying company Mandelson co-founded and part-owns, also works for Palantir. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
How much did Starmer really know about Mandelson’s ties to Epstein? 04. February 2026 (20:39) No 10 is under huge pressure to reveal exactly how the former peer was vetted for his job as US ambassadorAfter the release of a vast tranche of documents and emails that shed further light on the close relationship between Peter Mandelson and Jeffrey Epstein, the government has come under intense pressure to release details about its vetting process before Mandelson’s appointment as US ambassador in December 2024. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
US and Iran talks at risk of collapse after US rejects move to Oman 04. February 2026 (20:36) Talks were scheduled in Turkey with Arab states present, but Iran requests move amid attempts to limit agenda Talks between the US and Iran scheduled for Friday appear to be collapsing after the US rejected Iran’s request to move them from Turkey to Oman without the presence of a group of Arab states.Iran has also vowed that the talks will be confined to its nuclear programme, while other issues the US would like to discuss, such as the range of Tehran’s ballistic missile programme, will be permanently excluded. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Florida bill seeks to ban use of ‘West Bank’ in schools and state agencies 04. February 2026 (20:34) The bill would mandate use of the biblical term ‘Judea and Samaria’ after a similar effort passed in ArkansasFlorida legislators are pushing to pass legislation that would ban the use of the term “West Bank” in K-12 public schools and state agencies, including public colleges and universities, and mandate use of the term “Judea and Samaria”.The West Bank is the internationally recognized term for the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territory west of the Jordan River that was seized from Jordan by Israel in 1967. The rightwing Israeli government refers to the area as “Judea and Samaria” in reference to the biblical kingdoms of ancient Israel as part of broader efforts to bolster historical and religious claims to the land. The international community, on the other hand, broadly recognizes the West Bank as occupied land that must be part of a future Palestinian state. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
DWP chief accused of overseeing ‘culture of complacency’ that led to carer’s allowance scandal 04. February 2026 (20:27) Commons committee chair says DWP repeatedly failed to prioritise the vulnerable and was slow to fix errorsThe government’s most senior welfare official has been accused of presiding over a “culture of complacency” that led to thousands of unpaid carers inadvertently running up huge benefit debts.Debbie Abrahams, the chair of the work and pensions select committee, said the Department for Work and Pensions had repeatedly failed to prioritise vulnerable people, was unwilling to learn from its mistakes, and slow to fix errors. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
LA officials call on 2028 Olympics chair to resign over Ghislaine Maxwell emails 04. February 2026 (20:15) Casey Wasserman has said he regrets 2003 emails with the convicted sex trafficker Several Los Angeles officials have urged Casey Wasserman, the chair of the LA28 Olympics committee, to step down after emails between him and the convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell surfaced.The emails date back to 2003 and appear among more than 3m files related to Jeffrey Epstein released by the justice department last week. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Tesco sorry for putting up Welsh bilingual signs in Cornwall 04. February 2026 (20:12) Campaigners say they appreciate attempt to use Cornish but mistake points to need for more access to languageShoppers in Cornwall could have been forgiven for feeling bemused after a supermarket put up bilingual signs – in Welsh.A branch of Tesco in Helston – about 200 miles from south Wales by road – pointed shoppers towards pysgod, which is Welsh, not Cornish, for fish. It also labelled sweet potato as tatws melys – again Welsh instead of Cornish. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
EU deal on Ukraine loan could boost UK if it agrees to help pay costs 04. February 2026 (19:50) British firms could get more opportunities to supply defence equipment to Kyiv if agreement can be reachedThe UK could reap greater benefits from a €90bn (£78bn) EU loan for Ukraine, if it agrees to help pay the cost of borrowing, after European countries signed off long-awaited financial aid for Kyiv.British firms could have greater opportunities to supply defence equipment to Ukraine funded by the loan if the government agrees a “fair” contribution towards EU borrowing costs. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Father of toddler abused by nursery worker ‘frustrated’ by deportation 04. February 2026 (19:46) Polish national Roksana Lecka, sentenced to eight years in prison for child cruelty, will be deported on ThursdayThe father of a toddler who was abused by a nursery worker in a “sadistic” campaign of cruelty says he is “upset and frustrated” that the worker is to be deported to Poland on Thursday, less than five months into an eight-year sentence.Roksana Lecka, a Polish national, was convicted last June of 21 counts of child cruelty, after a jury at Kingston upon Thames crown court in London found she had smacked, punched, pinched and kicked children aged between 18 months and two years while working at two London nurseries in 2023 and 2024. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
