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Alex Wickham
16, April

Alex Wickham: Where we are this morning…

Where we are this morning — Keir Starmer’s immediate challenge is convincing the cabinet and Labour MPs to believe him. There was general incredulity last night that FCDO/Olly Robbins would overturn Mandelson’s failed vetting of his own accord without telling the PM, ministers or aides. If that’s the case it would be an extraordinary failure of the system. — Why did Robbins do it and what will he say about it? If something emerges to disprove the PM’s version of events that would be terminal, most think. Either way, many in Labour think the revelations increase the chances of Starmer being ousted in May, just when he had seemed to be dodging a challenge in part thanks to the Iran crisis. — Some familiar with the thinking in the centre say they, including the PM, appear to have been genuinely in the dark about all this until Tuesday. They say they are absolutely furious about it and especially with Robbins, hence why he was straight-up sacked by the PM last night. If you take their story at face value, that’s where there is some sympathy in Labour with No10. — It still means Starmer made false statements to the public and arguably misleading ones to parliament. He himself has set a high bar for standards which it is hard to argue he’s met. He will have to explain why he didn’t immediately correct the record at PMQs on Wednesday and only when the Guardian revealed it. The relatively short amount of time that elapsed may be in his favour there, but it is still awkward. — In terms of the big question about his survival, clearly a lot depends on what else emerges and what Robbins does. That’s really the only thing that matters. The timing of the revelations may help Starmer. If this had come out in the days after the locals he would be finished, but it happening now means he at least has a chance to weather it, one Labour figure argues.
Martin Daubney
16, April

Martin Daubney: DOUBLE DINGHY TERROR SUSPECT…

DOUBLE DINGHY TERROR SUSPECT "CHOSE THE PATH OF MARTYRDOM" Abdullah Albadri arrested on terror charges as he climbed a fence to get into the Israeli embassy Charged with preparing terrorist acts and possession of two knives In a note Albdri wrote: "I chose the path of martyrdom. I will not go back on my decision to go in the cause of Allah, to come out for His sake and to stand up to the enemies in order to support the religion of Allah Almighty" Albadri had TWICE come to Britain on a dinghy: first arrived from France on 5 August 2021 By November 2023 he had left the country He re-entered the UK by dinghy on 12 April last year Two weeks later, he staged his Israeli Embassy attack He lived at the Crowne Plaza asylum hotel in Basingstoke Claimed to be a "human rights activist" who had been arrested in Kuwait He said his life and his family's lives were being threatened Albadri was in helped by charities including Migrant Help and Care4Calais Albadri denies the charge of preparing terrorist acts and two charges of possession of a bladed article. The trial is expected to last around 10 days
Lee Hurst
16, April

Lee Hurst: The only thing that will save us…

The only thing that will save us financially in the UK is cuts. The government needs to stop spending. Start with a recruitment freeze. For every three people who quit or retire you are allowed to hire one person. This immediately allows the public sector to shrink in a managed way. As you hire new staff, they will not be allowed a public sector pension. They will only be allowed a private one if they choose to take one out. This immediately starts to shrink the cost of the public sector pension bill in a managed way. Non jobs that provide no worth to the public will be ended and the staff relocated within the public sector on the same pay to roles that are needed. Using the above template, you will not have to make anyone redundant. You will just shrink the public sector until we end up with one we can actually afford doing what we actually need. Alongside this you encourage investment in the private sector to create jobs that add worth to our economy and society. Social Housing apartments can be built which can then have a degree of rent control thus reducing the benefits bill by reducing the rents the taxpayer is forced to cover at the same time as reducing benefits payments in general by putting people back to work. The apartments will also provide a guaranteed safe, stable return for the investors. None of the above is sexy or fabulous. It’s not an entertaining post. In fact it is very boring, but it is full of ideas that we need to consider. What’s your idea?
Wolfgang Munchau
15, April

Wolfgang Munchau: The main reason why European governments…

The main reason why European governments led by the far-right are failing is poor economic performance. One of the biggest differences between Trump and Orbán is that the US economy – so far – performs quite well, whereas the Hungarian economy is a basket case. What RN, AfD, and Reform have in common is lack of an economic strategy. If they don’t know how to raise growth, they will be blown away. http://eurointelligence.com
Dale Vince
15, April

Dale Vince: An amazing collection this…

An amazing collection this, of hope over reason. Britain just invested £600m into Rolls Royce’s ‘mini nuke’ program - that was always coming. But here we see it’s being done in the hope that these things can be built faster than the big versions that are famously slow and always late. Hope. This sentiment get’s worse when we hear that this mini nuke investment is intended as an answer to the middle east inspired - second fossil fuel crisis of this decade so far. The ‘hope’ is to have the first three up and running by 2035, nine whole years from now. This crisis will be over by then and the ones that will follow. How on earth can anyone think that something coming in ten years is an answer to a crisis we’re in right now? And that’s not all. Rachael Reeves is right to flag the importance of making our own energy here, to protect us from future crises - but she overlooks the elephant in the room (no not Trump) - we don't set the price of electricity made here, whether from the wind, sun or nuclear. Global fossil markets do. So these nukes could appear tomorrow, could even make affordable energy - but it won't affect our electricity bills at all - because all of the stuff we make here is priced somewhere else. Why won't Labour grasp this nettle - we need to break the link between the price of fossil gas and the price of all other forms of electricity made here. That (and only that) can bring bills down immediately. And protect us for the future. Legislation to do it exists - only the will seems missing. We can find £600m for tech that might help us in ten years (big bold announcement) - but not the courage to take on this foolish market mechanism. Shame. https://independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/rolls-royce-smr-nuclear-reactor-iran-b2957118.html
Franz-Stefan Gady
15, April

Franz-Stefan Gady: Iran secretly acquired a Chinese spy…

‚Iran secretly acquired a Chinese spy satellite that gave the Islamic republic a powerful new capability to target US military bases across the Middle East during the recent war, according to a Financial Times investigation. Leaked Iranian military documents show the satellite, known as TEE-01B, was acquired by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Aerospace Force in late 2024 after it was launched into space from China.‘
Deborah Haynes
15, April

Deborah Haynes: A decision by Lord George Robertson...

A decision by Lord George Robertson to call out the prime minister and his chancellor over their failure to rearm the UK at speed in the face of growing threats marks the most significant intervention on defence spending since the end of the Cold War. The key question now is whether it will have any effect on political debate and the wider public mood - or whether his bellowing cry for action will be wafted away by reassuring soundbites from Sir Keir Starmer and his team that they have defence and security covered. The former Labour defence secretary, former NATO chief and, most pertinently, lead author of the government's own defence review, said he was speaking out against his own party with a "heavy heart" and knowing full-well it would not go down well inside Downing Street. Yet Lord Robertson clearly felt that he had no choice but to put country before politics. He has waited patiently for almost a year for the government to turn his strategic defence review into a fully-funded plan that was rapidly getting the country - as the prime minister has said needs to happen - ready for war. Instead of a flood of activity, though, with defence factories churning out weapons and the Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force expanding their warfighting prowess, there has been paralysis as Sir Keir Starmer, Rachel Reeves and John Healey, the defence secretary, attempt to finalise a plan on how to pay for everything. The Defence Investment Plan should have been published last autumn. It is still on the prime minister's desk awaiting sign off. "There is a corrosive complacency today in Britain's political leadership," Lord Robertson said in a carefully crafted speech at the Guildhall in Salisbury to an audience of largely local residents and a sprinkling of journalists, including me. "Lip service is paid to the risks, the threats, the bright red signals of danger. But even a promised national conversation about defence can't be started." Full analysis ⬇️
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