Author: britishbulletin.com

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…

There is plenty of talent in Europe and beyond for English clubs to cast their eye over. Robert Lewandowski may be 37 but the evergreen Poland striker is still a class act and Barcelona are yet to confirm if he will stay beyond the summer. Juventus forward Dusan Vlahovic, 26, currently out with a calf problem, has 90 Serie A goals to his name and the Serb’s contract talks seem to have stalled.Germany winger Julian Brandt, 29, is leaving Borussia Dortmund having made more than 300 appearances, while his compatriot Leon Goretzka, 31, is ending his stay at Bundesliga rivals…

Karren Brady has stepped down from her position as West Ham United vice-chair, bringing to an end a 16-year tenure on the club’s board.The 57-year-old Conservative peer, who has become a familiar face to television audiences through her role on The Apprentice, confirmed her resignation just weeks before the current season concludes.Brady made the announcement whilst in the French capital, where she is currently filming scenes for the upcoming series of the BBC business programme.Her departure marks the conclusion of an era during which she established herself as one of the Premier League’s most influential figures and football’s highest-profile female…

Fuel thefts have soared over the last two months in response to expensive petrol and diesel costs as drivers break the law to avoid paying high rates.New data shows that instances of fuel theft have surged by 62 per cent compared to the same time last year.The spate of crimes has risen in response to petrol and diesel prices reaching their highest levels in more than three years due to the conflict in the Middle East.Fresh data from RAC Fuel Watch shows that drivers are paying 157.57p for petrol and 190.13p for diesel, although prices have fallen slightly over the…

British boxer Lawrence Okolie has failed a doping test before his heavyweight fight against Tony Yoka.The 33-year-old is scheduled to fight Frenchman Yoka, a 2016 Olympic champion, in Paris on Saturday, 25 April.Fight promoter Queensberry said it was told on Monday night by the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (Vada) that Okolie “returned an adverse finding following an anti-doping test conducted ahead of the show in Paris this Saturday”.It said it would provide an update on whether the fight will go ahead “in due course”.Former world champion Okolie said he hoped “sense prevails” as he explained the failed test came after treatment…

Two 12-year-old girls have been taken to hospital after an unoccupied police van rolled into and injured them.The unmanned vehicle is understood to have collided with three bollards along the pavement.One girl was airlifted to hospital with serious injuries.Cumbria Police has told GB News she remains in a stable condition.The other girl suffered minor injuries but has since been discharged.The silver van passed a shop where the children were outside.The vehicle then rolled back down the hill before striking the two girls.Damage to a property was also reported, with the van breaking a residential window before coming to a halt.Two…

Sir Olly Robbins has clashed with Committee Chair Emily Thornberry in a fiery grilling on the appointment of Lord Peter Mandelson.Addressing the Foreign Affairs Committee, Sir Olly refused to disclose if there was anything in the in the vetting of Lord Mandelson that was “not already in the public realm”, declaring he will “not open that box”.Ms Thornberry said: “Okay, so if there was anything that wasn’t already in the public realm, just tell me that there was something that wasn’t already in the public realm. Don’t tell me what it was, just tell me, oh, yeah, there was something…

MasterChef Australia judge Poh Ling Yeow has spoken out in defence of Meghan Markle following the Duchess of Sussex’s unexpected guest appearance on the cooking competition, dismissing widespread speculation about the visit.Ms Yeow offered an unequivocal endorsement of Meghan’s conduct during filming.“There’s so much public conjecture about this,” she said. “She was so delightful, like nothing but praise for the time that we spent with her.”The judge went on to characterise the Duchess of Sussex as “very easy-going, good sense of humour, a consummate professional,” painting a picture starkly at odds with the controversy.MasterChef judge rushes to Meghan Markle’s defence…