The Dark Lord has finally been asked the question he should have been quizzed with before he became the UK’s Ambassador to the US at Starmer’s behest: what about that close connection with Jeffrey Epstein? A report by bankers JP Morgan revealed that Epstein wrote to his private banker on 17 June 2009: “Peter will be staying at 71st over weekend…” That Peter was none other than Lord Mandelson, who up until Sky’s doorstep interview, had not commented on the sleepover at Epstein’s place. At that time, Epstein was serving an 18-month sentence after pleading guilty to procuring a person under the age of 18 for prostitution. Would you stay in the apartment of a jailed sex offender?
Lord Mandelson was then Business Secretary under Gordon Brown – a full Cabinet minister (in fact, by that stage, Brown’s premiership was imploding and Mandelson had become known as the de facto PM). He was appointed UK ambassador to the United States in December 2024. Labour sleaze like this and the Tories still can’t move the dial?
Water watchdog Ofwat has slapped Thames Water with a whopping £122.7 million fine after two investigations into wastewater and dividend payments. The largest fine the regulator has ever issued…
The water giant and its investors will pay £104.5 million for breaches of rules relating to its wastewater operations, after Ofwat said it “failed to protect the environment” and £18.2 million for breaking rules related to dividend payments. Ofwat chief executive David Black said:
“Our investigation has uncovered a series of failures by the company to build, maintain and operate adequate infrastructure to meet its obligations. The company also failed to come up with an acceptable redress package that would have benefited the environment, so we have imposed a significant financial penalty.”
Perhaps Ofwat should have insisted on better conduct a long time ago rather than waiting to fine Thames Water. Environment secretary Steve Reed said “The era of profiting from failure is over. The Government is cleaning up our rivers, lakes and seas for good.” A tidal wave of trouble for Thames Water…
Not long after MPs and their teams get back from yet another recess holiday on 2 June Parliamentary staffers have been invited to not one but nine “Anti-Racism Online Workshops.” Taxpayer-funded…
Instead of doing casework it’s an hour and half of inclusivity training then off to lunch:
“The course is 90 minutes long and aims to increase confidence and the ability to engage in conversations with colleagues about race to foster a more inclusive workplace and, ultimately, contribute to decreasing our ethnicity pay gap. The first date is Tuesday 17 June from 10-11:30am, if the course is full please sign up to the waiting list as eight other dates are planned.”
At the same time staffers have the opportunity to take classes on “imposter syndrome” with the Commons’ Learning and Development manager:
“Explore Imposter Syndrome and how to counter it with qualified coach and in-House trainer. Including a group discussion, this one-hour presentation comes in two parts, exploring firstly, Imposter Syndrome, and secondly, Growing Confidence. This session will take place in-person on Social Mobility Day, 12 June, with a session online through Microsoft Teams taking place the following week on 19 June.”
Should be a laugh on the terrace after those sessions…
Four Just Stop Oil activists – whom the group has dubbed ‘The Manchester Four’ – have been jailed after being convicted of conspiracy to intentionally cause a public nuisance at Manchester airport last August. The Minshull Crown Court heard the eco-warriors were arrested after planning to glue themselves to the taxiway. Each were ordered to pay a £2,000 fine, with the four given the following sentences:
Any Just Stop Oil activists left will be pleased the group has decided to give up on protest stunts…
The TaxPayers’ Alliance has dropped its latest NHS Rich List for the financial year 2023-24. A staggering 1,694 senior NHS managers pocketed over £100,000 in total remuneration, with 279 raking in more than £200,000 annual salaries. Among them is Ajit Abraham, “Group Director of Inclusion and Equity” at Barts Health NHS Trust, taking home £202,500, while the Trust limps in at 106th out of 149 for Referral to Treatment waiting times and 70th out of 136 for A&E waiting times. Brits are running out of patients with this waste…
UK DOGE has seen the breakdown of the list and can exclusively reveal a whopping 185 HR senior managers received over £100,000 in total remuneration, 14 of them on salaries higher than the prime minister (£172,153), and two topping £200,000. That’s at least £18.5 million of taxpayer cash splashed on HR head honchos in the NHS alone. For that you could:
The taxpayer may have a view on which should be prioritised. UK DOGE recommends costs are cut here…
More embarrassment for the Tories as the latest leaked audio from a private event hits the newspapers. This time shadow transport secretary Gareth Bacon told Tory activists: “Taking a punt today, am I likely to be recommending that we re-privatise the railway in our next manifesto? I would say probably not, because I don’t think it would have been bedded in enough at that time for the public to think that that was a good idea.“ One way to let policy be announced…
Co-conspirators will spot a trend here of audio leaks coming from little-attended events: Jenrick talking up a deal with Reform, Philp saying the Tories bungled Brexit, and Bacon supporting nationalisation. Some spies doing a good job…
The Tories are busy using their shadow frontbench to fire parliamentary questions at Labour – they are essentially an expedited form of FoI. In the meantime Labour ministers are out and about…
Red Wall Labour backbencher Jonathan Brash told GB News that Starmer should resign:
“I’m completely fed up about it, and I think it’s got to the point now where I genuinely think that, as far as the Prime Minister is concerned, it’s not a case of if, it’s when.”