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Tony Diver Political Editor |
“A s---show”. That was the verdict of one Labour minister as they surveyed the wreckage of the last 24 hours.
Keir Starmer has driven headfirst into one of the most dramatic Mandelson scandals for weeks, and he’s not out of the woods yet.
An extraordinary row between No 10 and the Foreign Office raged on yesterday, with claims and counter-claims about who knew Lord Mandelson’s security vetting had been denied.
Starmer said the “unforgivable” error of Olly Robbins, the most senior Foreign Office official, justified his departure from the Government and described himself as “furious”.
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All sides now agree that Starmer did not know about Lord Mandelson’s vetting when he assured MPs that “due process was followed” over the disgraced peer’s appointment as ambassador to the US.
However, there are remaining questions about the role of Antonia Romeo and Cat Little, two of the most senior officials in the Government, who reportedly knew about Lord Mandelson’s vetting last month and failed to tell the Prime Minister.
Next week, Starmer will go head to head with Robbins as both men update MPs with their version of events.
Many questions remain about what Downing Street really asked the Foreign Office, and about the apparent lack of grip by No 10 on a highly sensitive appointment.
Kemi Badenoch, the Tory leader, is still looking for a scalp. The way this story is moving, she might yet get one.
This exclusive reporting is available to subscribers only.
Continue reading ➤
Robbins in line for massive payout as allies insist he did nothing wrong ➤
Inside the 48 hours of fury in No 10 ➤
‘I was vetted like Mandelson. Even if Starmer isn’t lying, he’s still to blame’ ➤ |
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Camilla Tominey If Sir Keir is telling the truth about Lord Mandelson’s vetting, it means officials deemed him too irrelevant to inform Continue reading ➤
Charles Moore The Mandelson affair is a failure of our system, not one prime minister Continue reading ➤
Richard Kemp Even Iran’s European appeasers now can’t deny the ayatollahs are losing Continue reading ➤ |
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Malta-flagged tanker Agios Fanourios I arrives in Iraq after sailing through the Strait of Hormuz |
Iran has declared the Strait of Hormuz “open”, giving Donald Trump the breakthrough his administration has pursued so doggedly. Yet caution is warranted, writes Adrian Blomfield, our Senior Foreign Correspondent. While the US president has chosen to interpret the strait’s opening as evidence of his military strategy working, Iran has proved a point of its own: that it can close and reopen the waterway on its own terms. The threat it poses to the world’s most critical maritime chokepoint has not diminished. If anything, it has been underlined. For subscribers only ➤ |
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‘There’s not a whole load of different Jeremys in the wardrobe,’ says Vine on juggling his jobs |
Jeremy Vine’s relentless routine – juggling live TV, a flagship radio show and a late turn to crime writing – leaves little room to dwell on events around him. However, in this interview, he speaks about the long shadow cast by one of his former colleagues. From memories of Huw Edwards’s “unknowable” presence to his own run-ins with anti-vaxxers and online abuse, Vine offers a candid account of a media landscape under strain. Continue reading ➤ |
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Britain’s traditional three-class system has little relevance today, but our perception of “poshness” remains fiercely intact. The Telegraph’s survey of 13,000 people has mapped the modern boundaries of status and, while private education remains a heavy indicator, the public now judges class on everything from voting Conservative to rhyming “scone” with “cone”. With four-bedroom detached homes and one specific countryside hobby topping the list, the new social ladder is utterly ruthless.
Continue reading ➤
What class are you? Try our tool ➤ |
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Cliff Thorburn, 78, is snooker’s oldest living world champion |
There was a time during the 1980s when snooker briefly outstripped football in popularity, and one of its leading figures was the “Grinder” Cliff Thorburn. Now snooker’s oldest living world champion, Thorburn reveals the incredible stories behind his hustling days in North America, from fist fights with Alex Higgins to making the first 147 break at the Crucible. Continue reading ➤ |
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We tend to focus on diet when it comes to gut health, but exercise plays a crucial role too. From walking to marathon training, the type and intensity of your workouts can shape your microbiome – for better or worse. Aimee Newton, a gut health specialist, explains what helps, what harms and why balance matters. Continue reading ➤ |
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Michelle Bassam, 65, is a couples therapist at Harley Therapy, with more than 25 years’ experience in counselling |
Over 25 years, I have witnessed subtle changes in my consulting room, writes Michelle Bassam. While technology and its implications (gambling, porn, online shopping) loom large, many of the themes remain the same as they’ve always been: money, affairs and a lack of communication. These are the signs your marriage will last – and when it’s time to throw in the towel. Continue reading ➤ |
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- Read | This year has given us some marvellous books so far. Our literary editors have selected the best ones to try, plus new releases to look forward to.
- Eat | Has tuna been cancelled? Unfortunately so. If you’re looking for an alternative, these are the healthiest tinned fish on the supermarket shelf.
- Book... | We have some big events coming up at The Telegraph. Our class debate is next Friday (which you can get tickets for here) and The Daily T podcast is going on the road ahead of the local elections (you can be there in person by clicking here).
- ... and save | You should shield your energy bills from the oil crisis too. These are the best deals to lock in before the price cap rises in July.
- Sip | Jacob’s Creek is a nostalgic brand for many. The light, casual wine has returned to Tesco’s shelves – but has the wait been worth it?
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A successful fridge raid
Roast tomato soup with goat’s cheese and thyme toasts |
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Diana Henry The Telegraph’s award-winning cookery writer |
Spring means the contents of my fridge have completely changed. There are lots of herbs – quite often half a packet – that need to be used. I buy parsley, thyme, chives and dill most weeks, even if I don’t know what I’m going to do with them. From April, there are always radishes and carrots in there too. It’s not the season for tomatoes, but I do what I’ve been doing all year: I buy big plum tomatoes, halve and roast them. If they’re getting too soft, whip them out and get them into the oven. If you have half a red pepper or some courgettes, stick these in a roasting tin as well. It’s never too early to make a roast tomato – or roast Mediterranean vegetable – soup. This one comes with goat’s cheese and thyme toasts, too.
Chicken, sugar snap and radish salad with carrot-miso-ginger dressing |
We are at the salad-ish time of the year. It’s too early to go for feta, blueberries and baby leaves, but a substantial salad, with some meat in it, feels right. A recent fridge raid surfaced leftover chicken, sugar snaps – always sugar snaps, because I forget to eat them – and radishes that were getting a bit soft. I put them together in this salad, with a dressing that is more than a vinaigrette (the carrot and ginger dressing is basically a purée), which makes it seem more substantial.
Smoked trout and sea bass crudo with pickled radishes and salmon roe |
It’s unusual to find fish in the “we need to eat this now” section of the fridge, but I bought sea bass this morning so that I could have it raw. I love raw fish. Those radishes needed to be soaked in iced water to restore their crunchiness, but this recipe was another good vehicle for them (in a very quick pickle that you keep in the fridge). There’s also smoked trout in this dish which you can use if you have any, or else stick with raw fish. A delicious reward for a raid.
Find me here every Saturday and in the new Recipes Newsletter, which you can sign up to here. |
Egg-cellent techniqueEvery weekday, Orlando Bird, our loyal reader correspondent, shares an off-piste topic that has brought out the best of your opinions and stories. Orlando writes...
Chaos in the Middle East, turmoil in No 10: such matters have their place in the news cycle, but this week, among Telegraph readers, one topic has arguably loomed larger than any other. I am talking, naturally, about boiled eggs, and, in particular, the question of how to peel one without disfiguring it.
Thanks for all your responses to Tuesday’s edition of From the Editor; the tips are still coming. Jane Thompson advises: “Drain the hot water the egg was boiled in, then refill the pan with cold water and leave for a minute or so. I’ve done this all my adult life. I learnt it from my mother, and mothers know best.”
According to Helen Kindt, meanwhile, “a squeeze of lemon juice or slice of lemon in the cooking water makes the shell slide off”. I hadn’t heard that one before.
“The classic”, adds Nick McCall, “is to pick a small hole at the narrow end and a slightly bigger hole at the opposite end, then gently cup the egg with your hands, put the narrow end to your lips and blow hard. The egg will fly out, completely peeled”.
If that sounds a bit laborious, another reader writes: “We have an egg-peeling tool from Lakeland. One of the best things we’ve ever bought.”
In other news, there was concern among readers on Thursday that this year’s swallows are taking their time to return. So it was cheering to receive the following vignette from the New Forest: “They are back in our stables and outbuildings, with many nests. They delight and scare us with their daredevil swoops in and out of the stable doors as we go about our routine with the ponies, narrowly avoiding colliding with our heads.
“They are not at all perturbed by our presence. Once the babies are born, it’s wonderful to hear the chirping as they eagerly await their next mouthful.” That’s all from me for this week, folks. I’ll be back on Monday to bring you the best Telegraph talking points. In the meantime, you can contact me here. |
Andrew Baker’s Saturday Quiz |
Gather round for the latest instalment of my Saturday quiz.
- The Norwegian adventurer Thor Heyerdahl died on this date in 2002. What was the name of the raft on which he sailed across the Pacific in 1947?
- Rikki Tikki Tavi is the valiant hero of a story in Rudyard Kipling’s collection The Jungle Book. What kind of animal is he?
- Who fought Muhammad Ali in the famous Rumble in the Jungle in 1974, in Kinshasa, Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo)?
- Which author created the rumpled barrister Rumpole of the Bailey?
- All practising barristers in England must belong to one of four Inns of Court: Lincoln’s Inn, Gray’s Inn, Inner Temple and which other?
You can find the answers at the end of the newsletter. |
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Find as many words as you can in today’s Panagram, including the nine-letter solution. Visit Telegraph Puzzles to play a range of head-scratching games, including The 1% Club, Cogs, and Quick, Mini or Cryptic Crosswords.
Yesterday’s Panagram was GEARWHEEL. Come back tomorrow for the solution to today’s puzzle. |
Thank you for reading. Have a fulfilling day and I hope to see you tomorrow. Chris Evans, Editor
P.S. Please send me your thoughts on this newsletter. You can email me here. |
Quiz answers:
- Kon-Tiki
- Mongoose
- George Foreman
- John Mortimer
- Middle Temple
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