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Russian intelligence compiled a secret dossier on Lord Mandelson |
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Camilla Turner Sunday Political Editor |
For the past 30 years, Lord Mandelson has been a major figure in British politics, culminating in his appointment as US ambassador in late 2024.
His career came crashing down after his close relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, the American financier and convicted paedophile, came to light. It subsequently emerged that the disgraced peer failed security vetting amid concern over his links to senior figures in Russia and China.
Now, The Telegraph can reveal the existence of a secret dossier compiled by a former MI6 agent, which makes the extraordinary claim that Mandelson was considered to be a “privileged contact” by Russian intelligence.
According to the leaked report, codenamed Project Fish, Moscow spymasters regarded him as one of their most “significant” achievements in “manipulating” British politics for over three decades. Despite this, it does not provide evidence that Mandelson spied for Russia.
The dossier, compiled by Christopher Steele, the former head of MI6’s Russia desk, alleges that Mandelson was first contacted by the KGB shortly after the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Project Fish also alleges that the Russian intelligence services kept files on Boris Johnson, his former adviser Dominic Cummings, Nigel Farage and Jeremy Corbyn, among others.
This report is available only to subscribers.
Continue reading ➤
Secret dossier reveals top politicians spied on by the Kremlin ➤ |
Kane headed in England’s equaliser then smashed in his second with his right foot |
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Oliver Brown Chief Sports Writer at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta |
Pure, unbridled relief. England were just 15 minutes away from one of their ghastliest World Cup humiliations when Harry Kane – who else? – engineered a glorious turnaround. His two late goals cemented his status as the country’s finest modern player and propelled him past even Pelé’s record with 13 goals on the grandest stage.
“Hero moments,” he called them, although that description had nothing to do with hubris. It came instead from overwhelming happiness, after the extraordinary striker dragged his team out of a hideous predicament once more and saved Thomas Tuchel’s job.
England cannot keep doing this. The semi-finals should be the time for brinkmanship, not a round-of-32 tie against the Democratic Republic of Congo.
For all that Tuchel’s changes worked, as Anthony Gordon played a part in both goals and Declan Rice proved to be a revelation as a makeshift right-back, the manager should not have been relying on his second hydration break team talk to make the difference.
He has been living on the ragged edge all tournament and can hardly expect such an error-strewn performance to work for England in the thin air of Mexico City in four days’ time. That match at the Azteca Stadium, against the endlessly vibrant co-host Mexico, promises to be monumental.
Read the full report and Oliver’s column here ➤
Jamie Carragher: Harry Kane would be England’s greatest ever – if he had better team-mates ➤
Sign up to Total Football for daily updates during the World Cup ➤
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The USA’s impressive win over Bosnia was marred by Folarin Balogun’s sending off, while Belgium staged a late comeback to beat Senegal |
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Allister Heath London and the South East already vastly subsidise the rest of the country. The answer is to liberate the North, not seize southern wealth Continue reading ➤
Tom Harris Starmer’s spiteful, staggering £5bn hypocrisy Continue reading ➤
James Innes-Smith The last thing drivers need is cyclists snitching on us to the authorities Continue reading ➤ |
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The plane crashed at midday yesterday |
Rory McIlroy attends day three at Wimbledon |
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James Corrigan at Wimbledon |
Such are the joys of the Great British summer of sport that every now and then your golf correspondent has the pleasure of covering Wimbledon.
Sometimes you just cannot escape the day job, and so it proved yesterday when reporting from Centre Court felt oddly similar to covering the Ryder Cup. Rory McIlroy arrived decked in his Masters jacket, with his wife Erica alongside him. McIlroy, who retained his Masters title in April, is allowed to wear his Green Jacket outside of the Augusta National golf course because he is the reigning champion. Otherwise, it has to remain in the ultra-exclusive club.
This was not McIlroy’s first time at Wimbledon. Formerly engaged to the one-time world number one Caroline Wozniacki, the Northern Irishman is a huge tennis fan. As well as turning up at majors – he was at last year’s US Open – he often plays with Harry Diamond, his caddie. This is the first time he has shown up in SW19 in his Green Jacket, as he did not attend last year.
In 2016, England’s Danny Willett wore his Green Jacket in the Royal Box, having made his major breakthrough three months earlier. Fellow Team Europe stars Justin Rose and Tommy Fleetwood were also in attendance with McIlroy. Two-time captain Luke Donald was also there, along with assistant captains, Francesco and Edoardo Molinari, as the Royal Box started to resemble the Europe teamroom.
Go deeper with our full coverage:
Defending champion Sinner overcomes slow start to reach third round ➤
Djokovic produces mini highlights reel as he romps past Tsitsipas ➤
Watch: Andreeva hurls racket at umpire’s chair in match disrupted by Harry Kane goal ➤
The Poshcast: Is tennis still the poshest summer sport? ➤ |
From delayed armoured vehicles to cancelled communications contracts, the Ministry of Defence’s (MoD) chronic mismanagement and shifting requirements have left our Armed Forces critically exposed, writes Roland Oliphant, our Chief Foreign Analyst. More military funding is finally on the way, but the MoD’s track record suggests the biggest battle will be spending it successfully. For subscribers only ➤ |
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A single phrase from Iran’s supreme leader has plunged the Islamic Republic into chaos. By blessing a peace deal with the US “in principle” while admitting he favoured a different path, Mojtaba Khamenei has split his regime. As hardliners threaten Masoud Pezeshkian, the Iranian president, with his life and revolutionary guards prepare for war, Akhtar Makoii, our Foreign Correspondent, reports on a leader who refuses to be seen, leaving the men with the missiles to decide what happens next. Continue reading ➤ |
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Dr Emilie Steinbach says families in France prioritise home-cooked meals over ultra-processed convenience foods |
What is it about our Gallic neighbours’ approach to life that seems to make them happier and healthier than us? Emilie Steinbach, a French neuroscientist and nutrition expert who has lived on both sides of the Channel, may have the answer. She shares the everyday habits that differ between the two cultures, and how they affect our waistlines, minds and romantic lives. The question is: which is the better, the British or the French way? Continue reading ➤ |
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America will celebrate 250 years since declaring independence on July 4, but suppose it never happened and a United Kingdom of Great Britain and North America had bestrode the Atlantic to become a global superpower? A joint Pax Britannica-Americana might have been unchallengeable, writes David Blair, our Chief Foreign Affairs Commentator, preventing any world wars in the 20th century. All fanciful, of course, except that American independence could have been avoided 250 years ago if only the British government had been more sensible. Continue reading ➤ |
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When it comes to holiday reading, writes Emily Bearn, children tend to want something that is comfortable enough to enjoy in a deckchair, while still containing enough excitement to make them sit up straight. For younger readers, I would recommend The Adventures of Portly the Otter by MG Leonard – an enchanting collection of stories imagining what happened to Portly, the young otter cub from The Wind in the Willows.
Read the full review ➤
For slightly older readers, Lauren St John’s latest novel Wild Horse Summer contains a winning combination of outdoor adventure and tack-room romance. Read the full review ➤ Here is another helpful article to read this morning:
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Alastair Sooke Chief Art Critic |
“A lovely idea, but it’s never going to happen.”
For years, that was how colleagues at Normandy’s Bayeux Tapestry Museum responded whenever English medievalist Michael Lewis suggested that the 11th-century embroidery should return to Britain for the first time in a millennium.
Others fretted that the risks involved in transporting across the Channel this unique but fragile artefact – which, at 224ft, is as long as a football pitch is wide and already pockmarked with 24,000 stains and almost 10,000 holes – were simply not worth taking. Thanks in large part to Lewis’s persistence, those doubters are about to be silenced.
This autumn, the Bayeux Tapestry will appear in a British Museum exhibition, curated by Lewis, that looks set to rank among its biggest blockbusters; when tickets went on sale this week, the museum’s website was inundated.
Ahead of the tapestry’s arrival in Britain, I talked to Lewis, Nicholas Cullinan, the museum’s director, and others in an attempt to understand whether this once-in-a-generation exhibition represents a victory for diplomacy and determination, or a reckless act of hubris.
Continue reading ➤ |
In the driving seatEvery 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...
The driving theory test is now a venerable 30 years old. Sitting mine was probably the high point of my motoring career to date. Oh yes, I was great at driving – top of the class – in theory. The difficulty was doing it in practice. It took me so long to pass that bit, in fact, that I ended up having to sit my theory test again. Which perhaps casts some doubt on the usefulness of the theory test in the first place.
This was Michael Dakin’s view after completing the condensed version included in our article: “All that little test confirmed for me was that knowing the correct answers bears little correlation with the ability to drive safely.”
David Cuthbertson added: “I don't think any of those questions were asked when I passed my test first time 40-odd years ago.”
Another reader complained: “I failed the hazard perception section because I spotted upcoming threats way before the test expected you to, and was told that ‘random’ clicking was not allowed.” I remember feeling similarly aggrieved about this during practice tests, so trained myself to be less superhumanly perceptive.
Others recalled a more relaxed system. E Parker wrote: “My theory test in the 1970s consisted of my examiner sitting in the car and asking me a few questions after the driving test. I got them all right and passed. Happy days.”
G Davies, meanwhile, looked back to the days before anyone thought a practical test might be a good idea: “My grandfather didn’t have to sit one. He just bought a licence from the post office. He never had an accident.” How did you fare in our quiz? 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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2005 | Ten Live 8 concerts are held around the world organised by Bob Geldof (and our front page the following day)
2014 | Nicolas Sarkozy is charged with corruption
2019 | Ursula von der Leyen is the first woman nominated to lead the European Commission with France’s Christine Lagarde, the first woman nominated to lead the European Central Bank
Birthdays: Margot Robbie (36), Lindsay Lohan (40), Larry David (79)
Plus, in the news today, Canada will compete in the 2027 Eurovision Song Contest, organisers have announced. Australia was the last country to join – in which year?
Canada will debut next year in the Eurovision Song Contest, which was won by Bulgaria this year |
1. 2017
2. 2015
3. 2014
4. 2012
Click one of the options to reveal the answer... |
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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 HALFPENNY. 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 at fromtheeditor@telegraph.co.uk. |
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