Man arrested on suspicion of Chinese spying was in UK parliament as recently as January

new Gino d'Acampo adage just dropped

NEW: Talks on reopening the Strait of Hormuz remain deadlocked amid confusion over Donald Trump’s call for support to U.S. allies, per 4 European govt officials. So far, Washington has not made any requests for equipment. @estwebber.bsky.social www.politico.eu/article/donl...

Moscow proposed a quid pro quo to the U.S. under which the Kremlin would stop sharing intelligence information with Iran, such as the precise coordinates of U.S. military assets in the Middle East, if Washington ceased supplying Ukraine with intel about Russia.

We've got new reporting on how Trump's team repeatedly tried to intervene over Starmer's removal of Karen Pierce as ambassador in favour of Mandelson. It was raised with Jonathan Powell and Morgan McSweeney in Florida *and then* in a phonecall weeks later: www.politico.eu/article/dona...

My X account has been hacked in what might be my final nudge to leave that site - please ignore any DMs from me over there!

EXCL: Ministers are poised to cut the watchdog that measures the UK’s overseas aid spending. Labour MPs pointing out that the party made an explicit commitment to “work closely” with the watchdog in the 2024 manifesto. www.politico.eu/article/over...

EXCL: Gulf allies let down after Starmer acted too slowly and deployed wrong assets to the region, according to military and diplomatic figures. “No.10 was determined to downplay perception of us getting involved and now is playing catch up” www.politico.eu/article/brit...

EXCL: The British Council is preparing to shed hundreds of jobs and scale back operations across Europe. Part of a squeeze on British soft power institutions funded by government, with BBC World Service also facing cuts. by Hannah Roberts @masonboyowen.bsky.social www.politico.eu/article/keir...

EXCL: Nigel Farage has quietly been trying to fix his Russia problem. Reform aides have been holding meetings with embassies, including Ukraine. But diplomats are not wholly reassured. “We don’t have clarity of what their position on Ukraine is, to be honest.” www.politico.eu/article/nige...

EXC: Former defence sec Ben Wallace + Labour MPs call on Starmer to make a more visible show of support for Greenland against Trump threats. They want Britain to exploit links in the High North through the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF). w/@samblewett.bsky.social www.politico.eu/article/uk-u...

I wrote about London's new Holocaust memorial, due to get the green light this year. Supporters believe the project has already been delayed for too long. But critics fear it will oversimplify Britain’s relationship with its past and with present-day antisemitism. www.politico.eu/article/brit...

"We have built factories that could start making equipment tomorrow. But we can’t until an order is placed” Worked with @estwebber.bsky.social on a sad tale about Britain's defence industry, waiting to hear if the government will ever pour money into the sector www.politico.eu/article/keir...

EXCL: Final decision on restoring the Palace of Westminster will be delayed until 2030s MPs were expected to vote by the end of 2025 on a way forward for fixing the crumbling parliament, but that now won't happen Story w/@danbloom1.bsky.social www.politico.eu/article/fina...

🚨🚨🚨 EXCLUSIVE by @estwebber.bsky.social and me Final decision on restoration of parliament is set to be postponed **beyond the next general election** MPs were due to vote this year on 4 options Plan is now: pick 2 options, and start "preparatory work" Final option may only emerge in early 2030s

EXCL: MPs urging Yvette Cooper to use the G7 to ramp up pressure for a breakthrough in Sudan, warning that "global attention has drifted away" Labour MP David Taylor: the UK “has a moral duty to redouble its diplomatic efforts and push for a lasting resolution" www.politico.eu/article/uk-g...

Defence ministers went to the Arctic this week to war game what would happen if Russia seeds disorder on their doorstep. “Russia is living in the Arctic. We need to step up on the European side to learn to live in the ice-covered polar sea.” My piece from Bodø: www.politico.eu/article/brit...

EXCL: Two alleged members of the Sudanese paramilitary group RSF were invited to speak at a Labour conference fringe event. RSF is accused of crimes against humanity including the rape and murder of civilians www.politico.eu/article/suda...

👑🇺🇦 Ukraine’s best hope for influencing Trump? King Charles. The King is “very close” to detail of Ukraine negotiations and to Zelenskyy himself. While he won't speak publicly about matters of government, he is “adept at finding other ways of showing his views.” www.politico.eu/article/dona...

NEW: Full story of extraordinary Mandelson affair and what next — Trump upset by handling and that Starmer didn't tell him personally — Edgy about state visit being overshadowed — Pushing for a replacement to happen before state visit w/@samblewett.bsky.social www.politico.eu/article/how-...

NEW: Keir Starmer keen to big up tackling illegal migration when he meets Friedrich Merz, but the steps announced today are limited. Both men facing domestic pressure on migration but less clear how they can help each other compared with France. w/Nette Noestlinger www.politico.eu/article/keir...

Starmer and Macron going big on defence today, but are they papering over the cracks? — differing approaches to Trump — France reluctant for UK access to EU fund — coalition of the willing at an impasse www.politico.eu/article/emma...

State Visit time! While it's all about amity, the King's words will be watched for hints about where the allies have further to go. “Look at what the king has done on Canada and on Ukraine without saying a word” said one ex-diplomat. w/@cleacaulcutt.bsky.social www.politico.eu/article/keir...

EXC: Alan Turing Institute ordered to drop health and climate research and focus on defence In a letter to its director Science Sec Peter Kyle says it needs a complete overhaul to “strengthen government’s confidence in the institute” w/Joe Bambridge, Tom Bristow www.politico.eu/article/uk-g...

EXC: Britain and Germany are preparing to sign a treaty covering defence, travel and illegal migration. It features a mutual assistance clause in the case of a threat to either nation. w/Chris Lunday, Nette Nostlinger www.politico.eu/article/uk-g...

🪖 Keir Starmer's discomfort last week - trumpeting defence spending at NATO as welfare rebellion brewed - is only going to get worse. Defence is Labour's top priority, says a Cabinet minister, and “people will need to get used to it” www.politico.eu/article/labo...

Pledging to spend 5 percent of GDP on defense may have been the easy part for NATO allies. Now European leaders face a tougher test — selling this at home, figuring out how to spend the money, and preparing for potential U.S. troop reductions. www.politico.eu/article/euro...

When you drive into Clackmannanshire, the sign says "CLACKMANNANSHIRE - more than you imagine" and I think that raises all sorts of questions.

Wrote something on tension in Labour between town vs city MPs - and how the welfare vote could make it worse. “A London MP [is] not going to be cheering on what’s happened with defence spending and foreign aid, but in my constituency it’s been very well received.” www.politico.eu/article/uk-l...

While Starmer and Reeves remain close, there are signs of No.10 asserting independence. The PM insisted on defense uplift taking place more quickly than Reeves wanted, per sources. No.10 is also finally recruiting an economic adviser. with @danbloom1.bsky.social www.politico.eu/article/keir...

This would once have fed Twitter for a whole week

EXC: Commons Leader Lucy Powell says “we cannot have” a situation where MPs who can't sit for long hours due to disabilities are excluded It comes after Labour's Naz Shah was forced to leave the assisted dying bill committee early to recharge her hearing aids www.politico.eu/article/mini...

The govt could make a start by addressing how hilariously inaccessible the whole disability benefits system is - reliant on forms you can only fill out by hand (!) and helplines which need use of keypad/voice commands

Starmer's national security adviser Jonathan Powell has emerged as a key figure in Ukraine negotiations. The ceasefire plan for Ukraine bears the hallmarks of his experience in Northern Ireland. "His preparedness to build relationships with former enemies was vital" www.politico.eu/article/jona...

💥 "Not why I joined Labour" 💥 "Self-defeating" 💥 "Hypocrisy" 💥 "What’s the point of being an MP if we can’t end injustices like this?” What MPs are saying about Keir Starmer's planned cuts to welfare, by Annabelle Dickson, @danbloom1.bsky.social and me www.politico.eu/article/keir...

Bit of a marmalade dropper this morning from @estwebber.bsky.social

Committee stage on the hereditary peerages bill began with a classic

How Donald Trump rebooted Keir Starmer Since Trump turned his back on Ukraine, Starmer has played an increasingly assured role. Labour insiders and European allies saying his moment has arrived. “All of a sudden, there is a reason. There is a galvanizing purpose.” www.politico.eu/article/keir...

Exclusive: A former Labour MP facing numerous sexual harassment claims has quit the party rather than face a hearing over his conduct. Geraint Davies resigned his membership just ahead of a disciplinary hearing in November after 12-month investigation www.politico.eu/article/form...

Simon Hart's diaries 🤝 what people think everyone at Westminster is secretly up to

NEW: Britain sees itself as a leader on Ukraine, and now that will be put to the test. Brits and others think there's a particular role bridging the gap between higher and lower spending NATO countries >>> www.politico.eu/article/dona...

EXC: Top lawyer and Mauritius counsel Philippe Sands condemns Kemi Badenoch's recent comments about "North London lawyers" He told me they were "understood to be a trope of a most unfortunate kind" aimed at Jewish lawyers. www.politico.eu/article/uk-b...

Earl Howe finally addresses allegations that he is a legend www.politicshome.com/thehouse/art...

EXC: Strangers bar *will* have CCTV installed when it reopens after an alleged spiking incident in parliament last month. Other safety measures will include: - enhanced staff training - covers for glassware on request - safety notices - increased security presence.

somehow wrong that you can apply for the role of Black Rod on LinkedIn

Are Starmer's lawyerly instincts interfering with his political antennae? Ex-aide to Starmer calls Chagos deal “fucking nuts” - the product of “Matrix Chambers radical chic.” Fmr justice sec Robert Buckland: "A 30-year career at the bar really does enter the soul.” www.politico.eu/article/keir...

this is such a brilliant interview/profile with Peter Mandelson by @georgewparker.bsky.social www.ft.com/content/085e...

✍️ New piece on UK relationship with Rubio and the influence of Heritage 2025 “When we get down to the bare brass politics of it all, I think that Republican voters just are fundamentally isolationist, and increasingly so” www.politico.eu/article/uk-m...

SCOOP: UK urged to probe spate of Chinese flights for forced labor Three new cargo routes carrying e-commerce goods from China’s Xinjiang province to major U.K. airports have opened up since last summer. www.politico.eu/article/new-...

Feels very British on a nihilistic level. 2016: Do you want to leave the EU? yeah fuck it 2025: Do you think anything's better? nah not really