Jo White, MP for Bassetlaw and convenor of the Red Wall Group, has just sent round a new batch of constituency newspaper-style pamphlets advertising her rebellions against the government. In a fake leader article titled “How I Won the Fight on Winter Fuel,” White writes:
“The decision to withdraw Winter Fuel Allowance from the vast majority of pensioners last year hung like a weight around the neck of the government… In May, I called on the Prime Minister to reflect, listen and issue an Executive Order to put right the wrong that had been caused. I was one of the first Labour MPs to speak out publicly and call for the threshold to be raised… I met with Rachel Reeves, Chancellor of the Exchequer, and she asked for my personal view on threshold. I told her straight: the £12,000 threshold is too ow, and it must be increased.”
White celebrates the U-turn and praises her ability to attack Reeves too:
“I have succeeded in reversing the Treasury bias towards London and the south. I have been recognised by the Chancellor for this whilst managing to annoy the -London Mayor in the process. I am not rude but I am y forceful and my Group intends to achieve much m more. Second best is no good for us, only the best will do.”
Curiously White’s selection of testimonials includes a supposed quote from Wes Streeting: “Jo White has the guts to say to the Prime Minister: you have got this wrong.” Labour MPs gaining currency by kicking Starmer while he’s down…
The suspected killer of Charlie Kirk has been identified as 22-year old Tyler Robinson. Utah governor Spencer Cox confirmed Robinson was taken into custody earlier today after confessing to his father, a 27-year veteran of the Washington County Sheriff’s Department. They got him.
As ministers trot out the line that Starmer thought Mandelson’s abilities “outweighed the political risks”, Guido thought to give a timely reminder of the rows and scandals Mandy has been embroiled in over the last few decades. It’s a long read…
- 1998: Resignation as Secretary of State for Trade and Industry – Mandelson stepped down after he bought a Notting Hill home with a £373,000 interest-free loan from MP Geoffrey Robinson, failing to declare it. He was only in post for five months…
- 2001: Resignation as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland – Mandelson quit after claims he fast-tracked a UK passport for billionaire Srichand Hinduja, whose brothers were under the corruption spotlight. An inquiry cleared him…
- 2005: Yacht Holiday with Paul Allen – As EU Trade Commissioner, Mandelson spent New Year’s Eve 2004 aboard Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen’s yacht. Raised some eyebrows…
- 2006: Free Cruise from Italian Businessman – Mandelson accepted a complimentary yacht cruise from Diego Della Valle, whose company benefited from EU tariffs on Chinese shoes. Conflict of interest allegations were denied by Mandy…
- 2008: EU Pension Row – After being handed a peerage and made Business Secretary, he came under fire for a £31,000 EU pension with a “duty of loyalty” clause.
- 2008: Corfu Yacht Trip with Oligarch – Mandelson went on Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska’s yacht shortly after EU decisions reduced tariffs benefiting Deripaska’s aluminum firm. He denied improper lobbying…
- 2009: Expenses Scandal – Mandelson claimed nearly £3,000 in taxpayer money for work on his Hartlepool home in 2004. just days after saying he would step down as an MP. The claims came back into the spotlight during the 2009 expenses scandal. Though he maintained they were within the rules…
- 2009: Bilderberg Meeting – Mandelson attended the “secretive” Bilderberg Group meeting while he was Business Secretary. Cue attacks for lack of transparency and potential influence from global elites…
- 2009: Epstein – Began to attempt to broker a £1 billion US-negotiated sale of UK taxpayer-owned banking business with Epstein.
- 2014: Declines to Address Russian Defence Firm Links – Mandelson refused to comment on alleged connections to a Russian defence company Sistema amid scrutiny of his post-government lobbying work. He faced calls to step down from his directorship role…
- January 2025: Lobbying ‘Conflict ‘as US Ambassador – After his appointment as ambassador, Mandelson was embroiled in a row over a potential conflict of interest due to his stake in Global Counsel, a lobbying firm representing TikTok, Palantir, BMW and Shell. It was reported yesterday that the firm is cutting ties with him after the Epstein emails were revealed…
- September 2025: Epstein Scandal – Called Epstein his “best pal” in the birthday book. Then admitted more embarrassing details of his close relationship would come out. They did…
- September 2025: Sacked as US Ambassador – After emails revealed Mandelson coached Epstein on his early release while he was in jail, Starmer finally sacked him. Less than 24 hours after saying he had “full confidence” in him.
No wonder Starmer’s judgement is under fire…
Entries in the comments…
Disgraced Mandelson was a key actor in convincing the US administration to initially cooperate on Starmer’s Chagos surrender deal, Guido can reveal. Sources in DC highlight his “intense personal lobbying” of members of the Trump administration to get the deal on their desks, so that Starmer would not be embarrassed by rejection in the Oval Office (many US officials were unaware of the UK Government proposal until Mandelson arrived in post). “He spent night and day on it because Starmer was pleading him for help when it looked like the Yanks would reject it”, says one official. Lammy and Mandelson worked extensively together to lubricate US officials, despite vocal opposition to the deal in Congress…
Mandelson’s work on Chagos was seen in the UK government as a test case for his talents in DC and his proximity to Trump. He privately boasted that his interventions had helped secure US backing for the deal…
With Mandelson gone, and now in disgrace in DC, the Chagos file could be reopened by the US administration, with a new (less Starmer adjacent) British ambassador. As Guido pointed out at the time, co-conspirators who listened carefully to Trump’s comments on the deal know that they were not conclusive. Could Chagos yet be met with US disapproval?
Donald Trump has told reporters today that “somebody has turned in” Charlie Kirk’s suspected killer. He says: “I think we have found him…with a high degree of certainty”. The manhunt has been underway since Wednesday night…
UPDATE: The suspect has been identified as 22-year old Tyler Robinson. According to CNN, the suspect’s father turned him in…
Lucy Powell on LBC, asked by Tom Swarbrick for her reaction to Labour MP Samantha Niblett’s call for a ‘summer of sex’ debate in Parliament: “I personally don’t own any sex toys, but each to their own… I’m not really sure that’s the right place for it, no.”
