Author: britishbulletin.com

Emily Thornberry has challenged Sir Olly Robbins on the appointment of Lord Peter Mandelson, declaring it “doesn’t stack up”.In a grilling by the Foreign Affairs Committee, Ms Thornberry pressed Sir Olly: “Really the nub of this is how on earth did this happen? This doesn’t stack up, does it? “Because in the end, he lost his job because he was a threat, and that should have been revealed with the Developed Vetting. He was leaking secrets from the British state to a foreign bank, that’s pretty serious.”Sir Olly responded: “That was not known at the time of his withdrawal, to…

King Charles and Queen Camilla visited the British Museum today alongside the Prime Minister to examine the completed design for the national memorial honouring the late Queen Elizabeth II.Lord Janvrin, who chairs the Queen Elizabeth Memorial Committee, was among those present for the occasion.The embattled Prime Minister was welcomed outside the central London institution by George Osborne, the former Conservative chancellor who chairs the museum, alongside director Nicholas Cullinan.Smiling as he ascended the grand entrance steps, Sir Keir Starmer offered only a brief “morning” to assembled photographers while declining to engage with journalists’ questions regarding Lord Mandelson.The Prime Minister finds…

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is set to gain sweeping new powers to scrutinise the bank accounts of benefit claimants under proposed legislation.The Eligibility Verification Bill forms a central part of the Government’s efforts to reduce fraud and errors across the welfare system.Under the plans, those receiving Pension Credit, Universal Credit and Employment and Support Allowance could have their financial information examined where potential irregularities are identified.The move is intended to address rising welfare costs, with ministers seeking stronger mechanisms to verify eligibility.Civil liberties groups and privacy campaigners have raised concerns about the extent of the proposed powers.The…

JK Rowling and former Labour communications chief Alastair Campbell have become embroiled in a heated exchange on social media platform X, with the Harry Potter author accusing Ms Campbell’s daughter of labelling women’s rights campaigners “ugly.”The dispute erupted after For Women Scotland, the activist group behind a landmark Supreme Court victory on the legal definition of women, posted a farewell message from London directed at Mr Campbell, suggesting they had hoped to meet him.Ms Rowling joined the conversation by sharing an animated image of frightened Scooby-Doo characters, captioning it: “Live footage of @campbellclaret and @RoryStewartUK just in.”Mr Campbell, who co-hosts…

A motorist has been banned from driving after travelling at 53mph on the M4 motorway almost two years ago.A 60-year-old man had his licence taken off him after he was caught driving at 53mph on the motorway in June 2024.At the time, there was a 40mph speed restriction in place on the M3 near Welford, Newbury, prompting the man to fall foul of the rules.The man, from New Barnet, was caught speeding on the eastbound carriageway of the M4, with another instance seeing him travel at 50mph on the same stretch on August 9, 2024.The driver was found guilty of…

Brady’s arrival at West Ham followed more than 16 years at Birmingham City, where she was appointed managing director aged 23 in 1993. She later became the youngest managing director of a UK public limited company when she floated the club on the London Stock Exchange in 1997. At West Ham, Brady oversaw the club’s move from Upton Park to the London Stadium in 2016, beating off competition from Tottenham to secure the tenancy, as well as Declan Rice’s £105m transfer to Arsenal. On the field, the club achieved European success, reaching the Europa League semi-finals in 2021-22 and winning…

A 17-year-old boy has been charged after a suspected arson attack on Kenton United Synagogue in Harrow, London over the weekend.The Metropolitan Police confirmed the unnamed teenager, charged with arson, is a British national from Brent, north London.He is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday. The boy has been accused of arson not endangering life. On Saturday night, a person was spotted lighting a bag in the doorway of the place of worship in north west London.Officials later discovered the bag contained three bottles with fluid in them, at around midnight on Sunday morning.Smoke filled a room…

Sir Olly Robbins has admitted it would have been “very difficult” for the Foreign Office to have denied clearance to Lord Mandelson, given the “pressure” he faced from No10.Speaking to the Foreign Affairs committee, Sir Olly said: “All I can do is agree with the premise that against that backdrop, the Foreign Office saying, ‘okay sorry, we can’t grant him clearance’ would have been a very, very difficult problem.”And it would have been a difficult problem I would have been landing the Foreign Secretary with and the Prime Minister with. And of course, given the commentary of the last few…

ing Charles has opted to transfer a striking bronze sculpture depicting Hercules and Achelous from the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew to Windsor Castle, after it spent 69 years in the West London museum.The monarch’s choice, revealed last October, prompted confusion and scepticism from observers who questioned why he would need to acquire additional treasures given the royal collection already at his disposal.It has now emerged that the artwork will take its place within the fountain at the centre of the East Terrace Garden.The statue is returning to the precise location where it stood throughout the first nine years of…

The House of Lords has handed Labour a second defeat over its proposed pension ‘mandation’ powers, rejecting the plans by 219 votes to 144.Peers voted on Tuesday to block the measure, sending the Pension Schemes Bill back to the House of Commons in the latest stage of parliamentary “ping pong”.Ministers had attempted to pass a revised version of the proposal last week after securing backing from Labour MPs.However, opposition from across parties in the Lords prevented the changes from being approved.The proposal would give ministers reserve powers to direct pension schemes to invest billions of pounds into private markets.Under the…