‘The Mandelson affair has been badly handled and the government knows it – but poor judgment and dishonesty are not the same thing – and that distinction matters’
Learn from this failure
The Mandelson affair has been badly handled, and the government knows it.
But those calling for Keir Starmer’s head are not interested in accountability; they are interested in opportunity. The vetting process was a shambles.
The Epstein connection was visible to anyone who cared to look. Senior figures saw the danger and chose to hope for the best rather than plan for the worst.
And now former chief of staff Morgan McSweeney has admitted his own failings. It speaks to a failure of governance. But it also tells us something important – Mr Starmer was not deceiving Parliament.
The decision that the PM will not face an inquiry into whether he misled MPs will anger many. That anger is understandable. But poor judgment and dishonesty are not the same thing, and that distinction matters.
Britain does not need another period of paralysis, rather a PM who has learned hard lessons and is ready to apply them.
Dirty money
While families struggle to heat their homes and put food on the table, BP made profits of £2.4billion in three months.
Not for the year. For three months. How? The Iran war has sent oil prices rocketing. BP did not earn this money through innovation or hard work. It simply got lucky, and we are paying for that luck every time we top up our car or open an energy bill.
The oil giant will call it business. We call it profiteering. The government must act. Strengthen the windfall tax. Extend it to every sector cashing in on this crisis. And use every penny to help the families footing the bill.
Old pals act
Donald Trump has spent months kicking the UK, but put the King in front of him, and suddenly Americans have had “no closer friends than the British”. We should frame the President’s words – although the ink will still be wet before he changes his mind again.