Polling from More in Common released overnight:
Do you think that the following is true or false? Morgan McSweeney faked the theft of his phone in order to hide the messages between him and Peter Mandelson.
Definitely true
Probably true
Probably false
Definitely false
| 2024 vote | Def. true | Prob. true | Total true | Prob. false | Def. false |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All | 15% | 59% | 74% | 22% | 4% |
| Conservative | 22% | 58% | 80% | 17% | 3% |
| Labour | 15% | 55% | 70% | 24% | 5% |
| Lib Dem | 18% | 56% | 74% | 25% | 2% |
| Reform UK | 27% | 56% | 83% | 12% | 4% |
| Green Party | 15% | 67% | 82% | 15% | 3% |
Source: More in Common, March 2026
They’re not buying it…
Asked again and again, with no answer. Look at the glum faces on the frontbench…
Number 10 has claimed there was “no requirement” for Keir Starmer to formally interview Peter Mandelson before appointing him as ambassador to the US. The Times revealed last night that Starmer delegated the job entirely to Morgan McSweeney and Matthew Doyle. Don’t worry, the adults are back in the room…
The Downing Street spokesman told the Lobby briefing of press hacks this morning that the “full process that was in place at the time was followed“, and the PM has since “apologised to Epstein’s victims“. When asked if it might have been a good idea to at least chat to him for a second regardless of the ‘process’, the spokesman repeated the same line almost verbatim…
Featuring Hilary Benn staring at the floor wishing the ground would swallow him up…
Numerous babies were crying during Starmer’s short speech to mothers in Belfast. This is Starmer’s first public appearance since the Mandelson Files dropped. One was so distressed it had to be taken out of the room…
Downing Street is insisting Mandelson’s £75,000 severance payout did not contradict the government’s own official guidance on public sector exit payouts, which makes clear payouts should not be used to soften reputational damage. Speaking at the Lobby briefing of press hacks this afternoon:
“[Mandelson’s payout was] Treasury-approved severance in line with standard HMT guidance and civil service practices…”
Right… here is the official guidance in question:
“Departments should not use special severance payments as an easy alternative to proper management action, e.g., to avoid difficult decisions, disciplinary processes, unwelcome publicity, or reputational damage.”
The Foreign Office’s HR boss Mark Power is quite clear in emails released in the Mandelson Files: “There is a potential, that absent a positive indication, Peter goes public on some of his claims so there is some urgency [to reach a settlement]”. Number 10 is now demanding Mandelson hands the cash over to charity, although admits it is ultimately ‘a matter for him’. So the odds of that happening are approximately zero…
The day after Starmer U-turned and refused to blame Trump for the war Rachel Reeves told the Mirror:
“Obviously no sensible person is a supporter of the Iranian regime, but to start a conflict without being clear what the objectives are and not being clear about how you are going to get out of it, I do think that is a folly and it is one that is affecting families here in the UK but also families in the US and around the world.”