Author: James Carter

Cabinet ministers initially withheld their messages with Lord Mandelson from Parliament before being pressed repeatedly to hand them over, The Telegraph has revealed — with the disclosure adding fresh impetus to accusations of a deliberate cover-up surrounding the disgraced peer’s appointment as US ambassador. According to The Telegraph, government officials dealing with the Mandelson files were forced to ask ministers more than once to surrender their WhatsApp messages and emails after initial reluctance. Under the terms of a “humble address” motion passed in February at the Conservatives’ initiative, all ministers, officials and special advisers were legally required to submit any…

Chipotle has confirmed it is testing a crispy chicken option at select restaurants in California — its most significant menu experiment in years — sparking a fierce debate online about whether the move is a bold innovation or a desperate departure from everything the chain stands for. The new protein was first spotted by food creators Snackolator, BookofElie and Foodbeast at a location in Tustin, Orange County, before sightings were also reported in Irvine, according to KTLA. Signage at test locations described the item as “hand cut and juicy,” raised without antibiotics and free of preservatives, gluten and artificial ingredients.…

A magnificent 13-bedroom country mansion once owned by Poundland co-founder Steven Smith has had its asking price cut by £250,000 — the latest episode in a long-running saga of an extraordinary property that has repeatedly defied attempts to sell it at anywhere near its true perceived value. Hammer Hill House, near Romsley in Worcestershire, is currently listed at around £4.75 million, down from £5 million in April 2026, as its current owners attempt to find a buyer for one of the Midlands’ most architecturally distinguished private residences. The property is being handled by estate agents Charwell Noble, who describe it…

Donald Trump threatened to bomb Oman — a longstanding American ally and key broker in current Iran peace talks — during a chaotic White House Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, in remarks that left observers struggling to determine whether the President had misspoken or was making a deliberate threat against a friendly nation. The extraordinary moment came as Trump was responding to a reporter’s question about who would control the Strait of Hormuz, the critical oil passage that has been closed since Iran shut it following US and Israeli airstrikes in late February. The strait, which in normal times carries one…

A foster couple who repeatedly raised the alarm about a vulnerable four-year-old boy have spoken of their heartbreak after the child they raised for two years was found dead and buried in a family relative’s backyard in Washington state — as a state lawmaker calls for urgent changes to child welfare laws. Gary and Magali Lopez cared for Aiden Scott Bevins from the age of one to three, but say their repeated warnings to Child Protective Services about his safety were ignored before he was returned to his biological parents in early 2025. They say they knew from the moment…

Zack Polanski has claimed he is the target of a “smear campaign” and described the media scrutiny he has faced since becoming Green Party leader as “incredibly disproportionate” — as a string of revelations about his past and conduct continue to dog his leadership at a moment when the party is otherwise enjoying its strongest electoral position in years. The Green leader made the remarks to Sky News political correspondent Rob Powell, framing the sustained attention on his background and record as a politically motivated attempt to undermine both him and his party. His comments echo those of his supporters,…

The security concerns that led the UK’s vetting agency to recommend against granting Lord Mandelson security clearance for his appointment as British ambassador to the United States included his ties to China’s finance minister, a sanctioned Russian oligarch and a former head of Israeli military intelligence, according to a report by The Guardian. The nine-page summary produced by UK Security Vetting in January last year flagged Lord Mandelson’s links to Lan Fo’an — China’s finance minister since 2023, who greeted Sir Keir Starmer on the runway during the Prime Minister’s visit to Beijing in January this year — noting the…

The Makerfield by-election on 18 June is shaping up to be one of the most consequential votes in recent British political history — a contest that could determine who leads the Labour Party and, ultimately, who occupies Downing Street. Andy Burnham, the widely popular Greater Manchester Mayor, is standing as Labour’s candidate in a seat engineered specifically to give him a path back into parliament. If he wins, he is widely expected to mount a challenge to Sir Keir Starmer’s beleaguered leadership — a prospect that has drawn national attention to what would ordinarily be a safe northern seat. But…

Energy bills are set to jump by £221 a year from July after Ofgem confirmed the price cap will rise from £1,641 to £1,862 — and with bosses warning prices are likely to remain elevated through winter, here is what you can do right now to soften the blow. The increase, driven by surging wholesale gas prices following Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, equates to £18 more per month for the average household on both gas and electricity. Gas bills will rise by 24 per cent, while electricity bills will see a 5 per cent increase. Tim Jarvis,…

A local resident has publicly challenged Nicola Sturgeon’s insistence that she had no knowledge of a £125,000 campervan bought by her embezzler husband with SNP funds — saying he saw the former Scottish first minister shopping near her mother-in-law’s Dunfermline home in the same period the vehicle was parked on the property’s driveway. Peter Murrell, the former SNP chief executive and Ms Sturgeon’s estranged husband, pleaded guilty on Monday to embezzling £400,310.65 from the party between August 2010 and October 2022. Court papers revealed an extraordinary list of items purchased with the stolen funds, including the campervan, Lalique salt and…