'Starmer on the ropes' and 'Sobbin' Robbins spills the beans'

4 hours ago

News image — Most of Wednesday's papers lead with the furore over Lord Peter Mandelson's appointment as British ambassador to the US after he was found to have failed vetting for the role. Former senior official Sir Olly Robbins was sacked as Foreign Office boss last week after it emerged he had cleared Lord Mandelson to take up the role without telling Sir Keir Starmer about the security concerns. The Times says Sir Keir is "on the ropes" after Sir Olly made an "extraordinary" appearance in Parliament on Tuesday. Sir Olly said Downing St had exerted "constant pressure" on officials, including to approve Lord Mandelson. Now, the Times says, "cabinet allies turn on" the PM with the allegations.

"Starmer on the ropes over Mandelson vetting fiasco" reads the headline on the front page of the Times. — Most of Wednesday's papers lead with the furore over Lord Peter Mandelson's appointment as British ambassador to the US after he was found to have failed vetting for the role. Former senior official Sir Olly Robbins was sacked as Foreign Office boss last week after it emerged he had cleared Lord Mandelson to take up the role without telling Sir Keir Starmer about the security concerns. The Times says Sir Keir is "on the ropes" after Sir Olly made an "extraordinary" appearance in Parliament on Tuesday. Sir Olly said Downing St had exerted "constant pressure" on officials, including to approve Lord Mandelson. Now, the Times says, "cabinet allies turn on" the PM with the allegations.

"Peers pressure" reads the headline on the front page of the Metro. — The Metro says the PM is "reeling as sobbin' Robbins spills beans". The paper reports "peers pressure", saying No 10 wanted an ambassador role for "another lord sacked over links to sex offender". Sir Olly said he had been pressured to find a position for Sir Keir's former communications chief, Lord Matthew Doyle. Lord Doyle was suspended from the Parliamentary Labour Party earlier this year after it emerged he had campaigned for a friend to become a councillor who had been charged with child sexual image offences. His friend was later convicted.

"Labour MPs vent fury at 'toxic' No 10" reads the headline on the front page of the Daily Telegraph. — According to the Telegraph, "Labour MPs vent fury at 'toxic' No10". Both Energy Secretary Ed Miliband and Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper are "publicly distancing themselves" from the PM after the "most damaging day to date" for Sir Keir. The Matt cartoon shows two bears walking in the woods, with one telling the other: "Keir Starmer says it's incredible that nobody told him what bears do in the woods."

"Starmer's support starts to crack" reads the headline on the front page of the Daily Mail. — The Mail's take on the Starmer drama is that his "support starts to crack". Sir Olly "plunges the knife into reeling PM" as Lord Mandelson's "poison spreads", it says.

"Eye of the Starm" reads the headline on the front page of the Daily Mirror. — Sir Keir is caught in the "eye of the Starm" according to the Daily Mirror. "Meanwhile... [former Deputy Prime Minister Angela] Rayner calls for 'bold action' on living cost rises," it adds. The stars of the Devil Wears Prada also make the front, at the premiere for the second film in the franchise.

"Wounded Starmer given public dressing down by his Cabinet" reads the headline on The i Paper' — A triptych of pictures of Sir Olly leads the i Paper - along with the headline that a "wounded Starmer" was given a "public dressing down by his Cabinet".

"Robbins tells of No 10 pressure to approve role for Mandelson" reads the headline on the front page of the Financial Times. — The Financial Times also leads with Sir Olly's day in front of MPs, quoting him on the "atmosphere of pressure" he said he felt he had been under to rush Lord Mandelson's appointment. Meanwhile, in a "senate grilling", US President Donald Trump's pick to be the next chair of the Federal Reserve, Kevin Warsh, said he would not cut interest rates to please Trump.

"Robbins accuses No 10 of applying huge pressure over Mandelson job" reads the headline on the front page of the Guardian. — Sir Olly leads the Guardian too, but also on its front is the news that the US "extends Iran ceasefire hours before deadline". It says it has been a "day of brinkmanship" for President Donadl Trump, who had told a US news outlet earlier that he did not want to extend the ceasefire.

"Just say: 'Yes, Prime Minister'," reads the headline on the front page of the Sun. — The "No 10 orders on Mandy" were to "just say: 'Yes, Prime Minister'," writes the Sun on Sir Olly's comments.

"Just f***ing approve it!" reads the headline on the front page of the Daily Star. — "Just f***ing approve it!" is the headline on the Daily Star.

"No 10 secretly sought ambassador role for disgraced Starmer ally" reads the headline on the front page of the Independent. — The Independent leads with No 10 too, saying it "secretly sought ambassador role for disgraced Starmer ally", referencing Lord Doyle. The paper describes Sir Olly's evidence as "explosive".

"Hero manager Sean must get his job back!" reads the headline on the front page of the Daily Express. — The Daily Express uses its front page to call for "hero manager Sean" to "get his job back!" Store manager Sean Egan has said he was sacked by Morrisons after tackling a repeated shoplifter. Morrisons said it could not comment on individual cases, but the health and safety of all colleagues and customers was of paramount importance.

The front pages of the papers are dominated by Sir Olly Robbins's evidence to MPs about the vetting of Lord Mandelson for his appointment as US ambassador.

The Times says it was "an extraordinary appearance" from the former senior civil servant, and believes it is one that's left Sir Keir Starmer "on the ropes". The Daily Mail suggests there are signs that the prime minister's support in cabinet is beginning "to crack" after it says Sir Olly "put the knife into" him during his appearance before MPs. The Daily Mirror warns that Downing Street is now in the "eye of the STARM" - in what it dubs the "Mandelson vetting crisis".

The i Paper suggest that Sir Keir was given a "public dressing down" by his cabinet -- while the Daily Telegraph says Labour MPs have been directing their fury at what they think is a "toxic culture" in No 10. The Financial Times opinion section says the appointment of Lord Mandelson is "emblematic" of the prime minister's poor judgement - and has exposed him as a "weak politician".

Elsewhere, the Express uses its front page to call for a man it describes as a "hero" supermarket manager to get his job back - after he was fired by Morrisons for trying to stop a violent serial shoplifter. The paper says Sean Egan is "heartbroken", and struggling to support his young family. Morrisons says it has detailed procedures for handling shoplifting incidents.

The Times reports that Nasa has shut down one of the final remaining instruments on the Voyager 1 spacecraft - the furthest man-made object from earth. It was launched in 1977, and is now nearly 16 billion miles away. The paper says engineers hope this will give the mission at least another year of operation - and let them prepare for a more ambitious power saving manoeuvre they are calling "the Big Bang".

And, it is bad news for hayfever sufferers as the Guardian is one of a number of papers that picks up on research that has found the pollen season is getting longer. The study, published in the Lancet, discovered that it is at least a week longer than it was in the 1990s, driven by the warming climate and higher carbon dioxide levels.

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'Starmer on the ropes' and 'Sobbin' Robbins spills the beans'

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