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Tony Diver Political Editor |
A “toxic” culture in Downing Street. Claims of a cover up, bullying and misconduct at the highest level.
One thing is for sure: it wasn’t the day to fulfil Sir Keir Starmer’s pledge to “clean up” politics.
In a bombshell committee appearance Sir Olly Robbins, the sacked Foreign Office chief, claimed that Downing Street had “pressured” him over Lord Mandelson’s security vetting, culminating in a political crisis of epic proportions.
Robbins hit back at briefings against him from No 10, accusing Starmer’s team of destroying trust in the Civil Service and, at worst, endangering national security.
The Queen speaks with Sir Keir Starmer at a British Museum event yesterday |
It was the most dramatic day in a series of catastrophic developments for the Prime Minister, who is also under fire from his own backbenchers and facing disquiet in the Cabinet.
However, there is no respite. Today, he faces MPs again at PMQs, followed by more committee hearings about Mandelson and the release of further files regarding his appointment in the coming weeks.
Amid the never-ending drama, it is little wonder that MPs are starting to question how long this can go on.
One Labour backbencher described Starmer as a “dead man walking”, adding: “Someone needs to put an arm around him and say, ‘it’s over’.”
Continue reading ➤ |
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Camilla Tominey Associate Editor |
A Telegraph investigation has uncovered a troubling trend in London’s rental market where landlords are openly advertising properties restricted to specific religious and ethnic groups.
Listings across London and the south east have been found promoting rooms for “Muslims only”, “Hindus only”, or ones targeted at particular nationalities and genders – practices that appear to breach the Equality Act 2010.
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Published on platforms such as Facebook, Gumtree and Telegram, the listings reveal a shadow market operating in plain sight, often disappearing under scrutiny but leaving behind a pattern of exclusion. Our reporter contacted landlords posing as a prospective tenant and was explicitly refused on religious grounds, showing that discrimination occurs not just in theory but in practice.
The investigation also raises serious questions about the responsibility of online platforms to police such content and protect users from unlawful practices. While some listings were removed after being flagged, many others continue to circulate.
This exclusive report shines a light on a hidden layer of Britain’s housing crisis, where access to a home appears to be shaped by identity rather than fairness.
This exclusive reporting is available only to subscribers.
Continue reading ➤ |
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Ed Cumming This week’s battle between two knights was so Game of Drones: you win, or you fall asleep, or possibly you win when everyone else does Continue reading ➤
Ambrose Evans-Pritchard Markets are in la-la land as oil shortages enter the ‘red zone’ Continue reading ➤
George Robertson Britain can’t rely on America to stand up for us – we must do that ourselves Continue reading ➤ |
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Arlo the sloth is out of it before vets send him into the CT scanner |
Former officials accused Donald Trump of becoming increasingly detached from the reality of the war |
We have been here before, but this time it seems worse. Donald Trump’s talk of a “deal” with Iran grows less believable by the day, writes Arthur MacMillan, our Washington Bureau Chief.
Yesterday, the TACO president blinked again by extending the ceasefire, saying Pakistan had urged him against further bombing of Iranian targets. Iran needed more time to come up with a peace proposal, he posted.
What Trump didn’t say was that Iran had already said its officials wouldn’t attend the planned talks in Islamabad. The stalemate confirms the chasm between the respective US and Iranian positions. The US president wants an unconditional surrender. Iran, its regime still in place, wants sanctions lifted and won’t countenance any of Washington’s demands.
There is no overlap or basis for an agreement. So the war continues.
For all Trump’s bravado, he has backed down again. Now in its eighth week – two more than the 4-6 week limit he initially said military operations would take – the US president is being taught an old lesson: wars in the Middle East are hard to get out of.
Read Connor Stringer’s analysis here ➤
Plus, IDF battles against religious takeover ➤ |
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Erol Paphiti was forced to close his bar after 30 years in business when Transport for London failed to renew his lease |
Most people probably don’t realise that Transport for London (TfL) is one of the capital’s largest landlords with a portfolio worth more than £2bn. In 2022, it spun out its property arm and has since quietly raised rents on some of the city’s best-loved small businesses, forcing many to close completely.
Continue reading ➤
Plus, as TfL strikes continue this morning, here is what Tube drivers don’t want you to know about their pay ➤ |
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Michael Jackson is played convincingly as an adult by Jaafar Jackson, his nephew |
Antoine Fuqua’s Michael, starring Jaafar Jackson, the singer’s nephew, tells only half a story. The music is, of course, great; the performances, astonishing. However, says Robbie Collin, it is simply not credible for a film about Michael Jackson to avoid addressing, even obliquely, the accusations, controversies and sadness that dogged his later life. Bound to be a massive hit, Michael is a part one that pretends its part two doesn’t exist. For subscribers only ➤ |
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Siobhan Calthrop, who has had to go freelance so she can juggle looking after her mother and disabled brother, is not just worried about her loss of current earnings, but also her pension |
Siobhan Calthrop had built her future around her career, but two years ago, as her mother’s health deteriorated, she was left with no choice but to give it up. She is one of millions of unpaid carers in Britain, bearing the brunt of an overstretched social care system, at the expense of her own financial security. It’s a bleak warning for squeezed middle-class households with no option but to provide care at home. Continue reading ➤ |
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Otis Williams (second from right) was one of the ‘classic five’ original members of the Temptations. He still tours with a version of the band today |
At 84, Otis Williams is the last surviving original member of The Temptations, one of American music’s most influential and successful groups. Ahead of a new British tour, the My Girl singer speaks to Mick Brown about the dark side of the 1960s, battling against segregation and being financially exploited by Motown’s “slavery” contracts. Continue reading ➤ |
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Many women preferred a wider toe box, narrower heel and more cushioning compared with typical trainers |
Longer days, sunshine and a rush of running events (not least this Sunday’s London Marathon) have seen more of us lacing up. Research shows that many women’s trainers get the “shrink it and pink it” treatment, rather than being designed with female biomechanics and performance needs in mind. Lucy Gornall trials shoes made for female feet. Continue reading ➤ Below is another article I hope you’ll find helpful this morning:
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Our writer Quintin Lake walked the entire 6,835-mile coastline over the course of several years |
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Quintin Lake |
I spent five years walking the entire 6,835-mile coastline of mainland Britain, with the initial aim of creating a photographic record of the country’s edge. The journey became a deeper study of Britain itself.
The British coast is never one thing for long. It shifts between the elemental and the inhabited: cliffs and estuaries, industry and erosion, places shaped by centuries of departure and arrival. Seen at this pace, Britain feels less contained and more provisional, its edges constantly being remade.
A wholesome moment of friends gathering for a birthday celebration |
From hundreds of images, I have chosen 10 that represent perhaps the most memorable moments of this long journey. They include a convivial moment on a Sussex beach, a place of literary pilgrimage, a staggering view of the Scottish Highlands and the most perilous byway in England.
Continue reading ➤ |
Sweet toothWhile Orlando Bird, our loyal reader correspondent, is away, Kate Moore is on hand to share an off-piste topic that has brought out the best of your opinions and stories. Kate writes...
It’s been more than twenty years since Britain got an education on the evils of Turkey Twizzlers, courtesy of Jamie Oliver, yet we seem to be in another tangle about school dinners. In a bid to tackle rising rates of obesity, the Government is plotting fresh restrictions on battered and deep-fried food. “Giving 16-year-olds the vote while depriving them of chicken nuggets?” decried one reader. “They will all vote Reform!”
For those with a sugar habit to maintain, the news was even worse. From September 2027, it will be mandatory for school puddings to be made of 50 per cent fruit.
Personally, I would have welcomed the end of bone-dry sponge and cornflake tart that was so unyielding it got the better of our spoons. Others had fonder memories. “At Durham Johnston Grammar School in the 1970s, I loved rice pudding and semolina pudding, served with a dollop of red-fruit jam,” said Celia Wright.
“It is a travesty that children are to be denied memories of cornflake tart, sponge pudding with fluorescent pink or mint custard, and jam roly-poly.”
Even the unfashionable (and, I’ll be frank, revolting-looking) dishes had their fans. “I got called the Tapioca Kid because I loved eating the stuff, even if most kids knew it as ‘frogspawn’,” recalled Stephen Harris. “I would happily eat four portions.”
If you found any of that hard to get down, solace could be found in the jug that came with it. My kitchen-scourer sponge was (just) palatable if drenched in chocolate sauce. Custard is a more delicate matter, subject to the whims of both diner and cook. “My husband’s family like their custard cold, and with a skin on top, but they are Scottish and have to find their pleasures where they can,” said Ruth Sinclair. “I resort to serving hot and cold custard in two jugs.” Which school puddings have stuck in your mind (if not your craw)? Send your responses here and the best of the bunch will feature in a future edition of this newsletter.
Please confirm in your reply that you are happy to be featured and that we have your permission to use your name. |
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Air force cadet pilots have been reprimanded for drawing penis shapes in the sky with their flight patterns. Which European country are they from?
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Find as many words as you can in today’s Panagram, including the nine-letter solution. Visit Telegraph Puzzles to play a range of head-scratching games, including The 1% Club, Cogs, and Quick, Mini or Cryptic Crosswords.
Yesterday’s Panagram was DIRECTIVE. Come back tomorrow for the solution to today’s puzzle. |
Thank you for reading. Have a fulfilling day and I hope to see you tomorrow. Chris Evans, Editor
P.S. I’d love to hear what you think of this newsletter. You can email me your feedback here. |
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