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Here are a selection of your questions on the Starmer-Mandelson scandal, and the answers from Tony Diver, our Political Editor, and Nick Gutteridge, our Chief Political Correspondent. Sorry we couldn’t answer them all, but thank you so much for sending through such brilliant and provocative queries.
Andrew Hooper: Has Starmer stated that he has physically seen the UK Security Vetting red flags sheet, or is he relying on hearsay?
Nick Gutteridge: It is not clear whether Starmer has personally seen the final vetting recommendation form, but senior officials in both No 10 and the Cabinet Office have. The Prime Minister will at the very least have been briefed on its contents by those officials, so he is not merely relying on hearsay.
The form contains a brief summary of the vetting officer’s notes and two rows of tick boxes in traffic light colours of green, amber and red. The vetting officer ticked both red boxes for Mandelson, denoting “high concern” and “clearance denied”. The form is only a summary and not the full vetting report, which even Sir Olly Robbins has said he has not seen.
Rob Evison: In law, the King could dissolve Parliament, but in a democracy, is there no other way in constitutional law that if a Prime Minister lies to the people he is supposed to represent, he can be removed?
Tony Diver: Like most parts of our constitution, the process to remove ministers lying to Parliament mainly relies on a gentlemen’s agreement and the confidence of MPs, who would be expected to abandon their leader if they were proven to have misled the House.
There is a more formal process under the ministerial code, which can now be independently investigated by the Prime Minister’s ethics adviser, Laurie Magnus. Under reforms that Starmer imposed, Magnus now has the power to launch his own investigations and does not have to be asked to open an inquiry by No 10.
Boris Johnson honored the gentlemen’s agreement and resigned in 2022 |
The third method is even more complicated. In extremis, Parliament itself can act to censure a Prime Minister. This is what happened to Boris Johnson, when he was accused of lying to the Commons over Partygate. The privileges committee can investigate and impose a suspension from the Commons, which in severe cases can then trigger a by-election. Johnson resigned before the committee found against him in 2022, effectively honoring the gentlemen’s agreement, but much later than expected.
John Boulton: Initially Mandelson was denied clearance, but that decision was changed. So, who actually did it?
Tony Diver: There has been some confusion about the way this process works, which is no surprise, given the complexity of it. The UK Security Vetting agency (UKSV) “red flagged” Mandelson’s appointment, which amounted to a recommendation to the Foreign Office that he should not be given clearance. Robbins, the head of the department, said he had not seen that report, but he was told that there were concerns about giving security clearance. However, an odd quirk of the system means that some departments including the Foreign Office and Ministry of Defence make their own decisions about clearance, regardless of the recommendations put to them by the UKSV. So in this case, it was Robbins that made a decision against the advice he was given.
Casie McDonald Wood: Who thought it was a good idea to put Mandelson forward for the role in the first place?
Nick Gutteridge: This is one of the great unanswered questions. The first report that Mandelson was being lined up for the ambassador job actually came in April 2024, in the Evening Standard diary, before the general election. It therefore follows that it was someone party-political who had the idea, rather than a government official. The received wisdom in Westminster is that Morgan McSweeney, Starmer’s former chief of staff, pushed the appointment. The truth is we may never know.
Lee Furr: If Starmer believes in his party, why doesn't he resign now to allow Labour to win more seats on May 7 than they are currently destined to lose?
Tony Diver: This is an interesting take! I am not clear that Labour would necessarily win them more seats. If he resigned now, the party would be in the throes of a leadership election on May 7, which is not something the public usually rewards. Regardless, it doesn't seem that the main potential replacements, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting, would be ready to go if there was a leadership race now.
For daily insight on the biggest political stories, sign up to our Politics Newsletter here. |
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Michael Searles Deputy Health Editor |
Cancer patients are being denied vital drugs as a medicine supply crisis deepens in the wake of the Iran war.
Leading pharmacists have told us that existing cancer drug shortages are likely to worsen because of the conflict, while some crucial drugs used to treat the symptoms and side effects of gruelling treatment regimens are also out of stock. At the same time, the prices of drugs that are still in stock are soaring because of increasing strain on fragile supply chains.
Exclusive data shared with The Telegraph have revealed how common medicines are now being sold for up to 11 times the price they were before the war. The research from 400 pharmacies across Britain found that they have all seen price hikes in some of the most commonly prescribed medicines.
Every respondent was concerned that the conflict would worsen medicine shortages they were already facing. Some manufacturers have reported “receiving only around a quarter of their usual volumes due to the conflict in Iran” and experts said the dramatic price hikes and scale of NHS price concessions show just how precarious the supply chain has become.
Meanwhile, pharmacies say they are already losing vast sums because the NHS is reimbursing them far less than they are having to fork out for the medicines.
This exclusive reporting is available only to subscribers.
Read the full story ➤ |
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Charles Moore The best relationships between mandarins and their masters require leaders with vision Continue reading ➤
Camilla Tominey Let’s not take any lessons from Starmer the plastic patriot Continue reading ➤
Judith Wood Musicals should be prescribed on the NHS. Seriously Continue reading ➤ |
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We examine the joys and woes the couple has experienced since they wed in 2011 |
The Prince and Princess of Wales will celebrate their 15th wedding anniversary later this month, writes Hannah Furness, our Royal Editor. After a challenging few years, which have served enough curveballs at them to last a lifetime, the future King and Queen are enjoying something of a renaissance. Via interviews with those who know and work with them, and even the man who married them, we reveal how William and Catherine are facing their destiny, side by side. It is the start, I’m told, of a “new chapter”. Continue reading ➤ |
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Settlers celebrating Israel’s independence day at Ras Ein al-Auja |
It was a party, but not for the faint-hearted, writes Henry Bodkin, our Jerusalem Correspondent. On Wednesday, I joined about 200 settlers and other Israelis in a secluded part of the rural West Bank to mark their country’s independence day. Using language that could have come straight from the Bible, they celebrated their return to “our land after 2,000 long years of exile”. Where were the Palestinians? Driven out, they said, after a years-long campaign of attacks and intimidation by local settler activists. By a picturesque stream north of Jericho, the rapidly changing face of the West Bank in 2026 was plain to see. Continue reading ➤ |
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The planned Halcyon Retreat comprising luxury apartments and villas around the 19th-century Château de la Cazine. Lora Jones investigates |
The Halcyon Retreat was sold as a chance to make money on a dream holiday home in France’s lake district, but luxury apartments stand empty. Investors fear their life savings are gone – and The Telegraph found police tape on the derelict site. Our new consumer affairs unit will bring you more stories like this. Got a tip? Email us. For subscribers only ➤ |
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Driven by fury and operating under constant surveillance, Petro Andryushchenko recounts what life is like under Russian occupation |
In a global exclusive, our journalists interviewed a leading member of Ukraine’s resistance movement. Petro Andryushchenko explains to Dominic Nicholls, our Associate Defence Editor, how men and women are operating in the occupied territories to take the covert war to Russia. From car bombings to poisoned vodka, he explains the character and motivation required to be a resistance fighter. Continue reading ➤ |
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We readily dump romantic partners for bad behaviour, yet we tolerate far worse from our friends. From “chaos merchants” who arrive 50 minutes late to “energy vampires” who use us for unpaid therapy, Meehika Barua reveals the five platonic red flags to avoid. Continue reading ➤ |
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Chris Smith (left) gives a frank reflection on the triumphs and troubles of Robin (right) who died aged 62 in December |
Chris Smith is true to his word, writes Nick Hoult, our Deputy Cricket Correspondent. “I’m a straight shooter,” he says when I ask him for his memories of brother Robin, his fellow Hampshire and England batsman who died last year aged 62. “For the last 17 years I tried to straighten him out … but despite my efforts, I couldn’t. There was nothing anyone could do for him. He just had his finger on the self-destruct button.” It is a raw interview, laced with affection, and only a brother could be so honest about a much-loved figure. Continue reading ➤ |
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- Read | Ten years on from Prince’s death, our culture team revisits his record-breaking 2007 stint at the O2 arena, with reviews from Bill Oddie, Jo Brand and more.
- Eat | Cheap produce from around the world is tempting, but seasonal bounty is flavoursome and fresh. Here’s Xanthe Clay’s guide to the best British foods.
- Wear | From high fashion to versatile all-weather options, modern rainwear is rewriting the rules of practical fashion. The anorak is back in vogue – this is how to style it.
- Tidy | If you have slightly too much photo clutter – in your house or on your phone – then try our expert’s spring cleaning tips. Knowing what to keep, and how to do it, is valuable.
- Watch | Benji Wilson, our critic, thinks This is a Gardening Show is brilliant. Whether it’s truly a gardening show is a different story. Read his review, watch it yourself and make your own mind up.
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Roast chicken with dill and leeks |
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Diana Henry The Telegraph’s award-winning cookery writer |
Spring brings out the best in us. I am usually a bit of a hibernator, which is what you need to be in the winter as you’re resting and recharging. Just as animals “winter”, so can we.
I’m reluctant to go out in the cold to meet friends. Now I sit at the kitchen table with the back door open, looking at the tulips in the garden and wondering who I’ll invite to lunch. It’s too cold to sit outside yet but the light in the kitchen is beautiful.
Many feel that roasts are for Sunday, but I think some kind of roast chicken is good across the weekend. It’s the easiest thing you can do, especially if you cook the starch and vegetables in the same dish. This chicken is perfect, very spring-like and a bit Scandinavian.
Asparagus, peas, radishes and burrata salad with anchovy-pistachio dressing |
You don’t need a “starter” but you can do something you can all pick at. Radishes – especially if you can get the torpedo-shaped French breakfast variety – look beautiful. Add some charcuterie if you want to and make this pistachio dip for when people are standing around with drinks.
Rhubarb, marmalade and rosemary cake |
Pudding-wise I’m a big fan of a cake you can have with coffee a bit later in the afternoon. I’m going to make this one with rhubarb. Try not to add to this meal. It’s very easy to do another side vegetable or decide you’re going to make your own bread. Just relax.
Find me here every Saturday and in the new Recipes newsletter, which you can sign up to here. |
Treats of oldEvery weekday, Orlando Bird, our loyal reader correspondent, shares an off-piste topic that has brought out the best of your opinions and stories. Orlando writes...
On Wednesday, this section chewed over the Government’s plans for school dinners. From 2027, all puddings will have to be at least 50 per cent fruit. Yes, it’s an annoying bit of meddling, and it might even be ventured that there are one or two more pressing concerns around at the moment. On the other hand, school food can hardly get worse, right?
Wrong. Responses have cascaded in from readers, celebrating the soon-to-be-forbidden delicacies of their schooldays. Let them eat pink custard!
“I challenge anyone to make apple crumble as tasty as my school pudding was in the early 1960s,” wrote Brian Parker. “It had that distinctive crumble tang, which is so often lost today. Another favourite was chocolate concrete with mint custard. I fought battles to secure a second helping.”
Pat MacDonald recalled: “At Uplands School in Dorset we had a pudding called ‘Poole Harbour’: a big bowl of chocolatey goo with a skin of evaporated milk on top, ladled into individual portions. In the 1950s we knew nothing of the dangers lurking in this much-loved treat.”
Another added: “My peers moaned about everything that landed on their plates, but I loved school dinners in Tonbridge. The gypsy tart was wonderful. I think it was a Kentish recipe; you don’t see it these days.”
Not everyone was so enthusiastic, though. Honoria Hunter still found herself haunted by the memory of school puddings. “I hated them. One in particular was called ‘Californian fruit salad’ – not brightly coloured, as you would imagine, but grey-brown. It consisted of rehydrated figs, prunes and apricots, often served with lumpy custard.”
I also enjoyed this, from Shirley Dunmall: “I found tapioca absolutely revolting, both to look at and to eat. The headmistress wandered around the school canteen with a cigarette dangling from her lips; it had an inch of ash at the end, which I was convinced was going to fall off into whatever I happened to be eating.” Tapioca garnished with cigarette ash: not on Bridget Phillipson’s watch. That’s all from me for this week, folks. I’ll be back on Monday to bring you our talking points. In the meantime, you can contact me here. |
Andrew Baker’s Saturday Quiz |
Gather round for the latest instalment of my Saturday quiz.
1. Oliver Cromwell was born on this date in 1599. What was his title as head of state during the Commonwealth (1653-58)?
2. Kansas City is the largest city in which US state?
3. In which 1939 film does Dorothy say to her dog Toto: “We’re not in Kansas anymore”?
4. Toto Wolff is team principal of which Formula One motor racing team?
5. Who composed Peter and the Wolf, a “symphonic tale for children”?
You can find the answers at the end of the newsletter. Plus, can you tackle our new daily puzzle? Scroll down to see if you got the questions right – and play for free on our website and app.
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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 HARBINGER. 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. Please send me your thoughts on this newsletter. You can email me here. |
Quiz answers:
- Lord Protector
- Missouri
- The Wizard of Oz
- Mercedes
- Sergei Prokofiev
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1% Club answers:
- Four (all daughters have the same brother, so there are four altogether)
- LEG (to make ELEGANCE)
- Alan P
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