Starmer will not be swayed by Trump’s ‘small and petty’ insults, says Lammy

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Exclusive: deputy PM says UK will not join Iran conflict despite Trump’s sometimes ‘incomprehensible’ social-media barbs

Donald Trump’s insults towards Keir Starmer are “small and petty” and designed to put pressure on the prime minister to change his position on Iran, David Lammy has said, as he insisted the UK would not get dragged into the conflict.

The deputy prime minister argued the US president should be able to “disagree agreeably” with allies rather than publishing attacks on social media, and that US actions had “made things worse, not better” as far as global instability was concerned.

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Judgment day as Starmer faces Commons showdown over Mandelson scandal

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Prime minister to deliver high-stakes statement to MPs over vetting controversy that has put his position in peril

Keir Starmer will deliver a high-stakes statement to MPs on Monday as he struggles to overcome fears inside his government that the Peter Mandelson vetting scandal could yet cost him his leadership.

In what is set to be a dramatic showdown, the prime minister will set out how Mandelson was able to take up his role as UK ambassador without the Foreign Office revealing it had overruled the decision to fail his vetting.

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Police chief resigns in wake of Kyiv mass shooting – The Kyiv Independent

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  1. Police chief resigns in wake of Kyiv mass shooting  The Kyiv Independent
  2. Ukraine police chief resigns after officers allegedly fled deadly shooting  BBC
  3. Ukraine: Gunman shot dead after killing spree in Kyiv  DW.com
  4. Investigators examine whether Ukraine terrorist attack was directed by Russia  The Guardian
  5. Kyiv Mass Shooting Kills 6 and Gunman Is Shot Dead After Taking Hostages in Grocery  The New York Times
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Republican senator criticizes Trump’s ‘holy war’ with Pope Leo

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Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana, a long supporter of Trump, says president’s feud with the pope is a ‘distraction’

A Republican lawmaker has condemned what he refers to as Donald Trump’s “holy war” against Pope Leo XIV.

Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana, a long supporter of Trump and the ultraconservative Maga movement, condemned the president’s attacks on the pope during a Fox News interview on Saturday.

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Pakistan prime minister speaks with Iran’s president – Reuters

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  1. Pakistan prime minister speaks with Iran's president  Reuters
  2. Iran’s president said to have told Pakistan the US is likely to ‘betray diplomacy’  The Times of Israel
  3. 'Bullying behaviour': Iran dials Pakistan's Shehbaz Sharif after US seizes cargo ship near Hormuz strait  Hindustan Times
  4. In 45-minute phone call with Pezeshkian, PM Shehbaz reaffirms Pakistan’s commitment to advancing regional peace  - DAWN.COM
  5. ‘Betrayed diplomacy’: Iran President Pezeshkian flags US 'bullying' in call to Pak PM Sharif  The Times of India
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Netanyahu: Iran war not over, Milei always visits before ‘something big’ – Haaretz

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  1. Netanyahu: Iran war not over, Milei always visits before 'something big'  Haaretz
  2. Milei, Netanyahu announce Tel Aviv-Buenos Aires flights, ink strategic Isaac Accords  The Times of Israel
  3. How Milei brought Judeo-Christian civilization home to Jerusalem - comment  The Jerusalem Post
  4. Milei Affirms Argentina's Support For Israel And US In The War Against Iran  i24NEWS
  5. Javier Milei steals spotlight at torch ceremony rehearsal, joins singers in surprise performance  ynetnews
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Starmer is facing his judgment day over Mandelson missteps

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Ahead of a showdown with MPs, prime minister looks like a man who is not really in control in his own government

Keir Starmer has spent much of the last 24 hours working on a plan for what senior government figures are already describing as his “judgment day”: his showdown with MPs on Monday over the latest Peter Mandelson revelations.

That the prime minister was apparently not told of Mandelson’s vetting failure has provoked incredulity across Westminster and accusations he sacked a senior civil servant to save his premiership.

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Intemperate Trump brings chaos and confusion to Iran talks

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US president’s unreliable style sows diplomatic confusion but leaves Tehran clear on strategic value of strait of Hormuz

Donald Trump’s decision to send US officials to Islamabad for further talks on Monday with Iran just 24 hours after Iran once again closed the strait of Hormuz will signal to Tehran that the strategic waterway remains a bargaining asset beyond parallel.

It will also confirm in Iran’s eyes that the US president’s chaotic approach to diplomacy doubles the need for Tehran to act calmly and strategically – two competencies it believes he totally lacks.

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