4 h. ago Spotlight falls on Starmer’s political judgment after Mandelson sacking

Decision to end support for US ambassador over Jeffrey Epstein links comes just before Donald Trump state visit Keir Starmer is facing serious questions about his political judgment after he was forced to sack his US ambassador, Peter Mandelson, over his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein.In the second damaging departure for the government in a week, the prime minister withdrew support for Lord Mandelson over emails to Epstein from 2008 suggesting his sentence for soliciting a child for prostitution should be challenged. Continue reading...

Politics

5 h. ago The Guardian view on Peter Mandelson in Washington: a parable of short

Any association with Jeffrey Epstein was obviously toxic and it reflects poorly on Keir Starmer’s judgment that he didn’t anticipate the riskAs UK ambassador to Washington, Peter Mandelson was obviously a risky appointment. There was never any doubt that the former cabinet minister, European commissioner and international business lobbyist would be a skilled operator. The danger came from another of his reliable traits – attracting attention for the wrong reasons.Sure enough, little over six months into the role, Lord Mandelson’s position became untenable. Sir Keir Starmer had stood by him when links to Jeffrey Epstein first resurfaced – extraordinary given the billionaire financier’s status as a convicted paedophile. The position changed with the publication of evidence showing that Lord Mandelson reaffirmed the friendship even after Epstein’s conviction, expressing solidarity and urging him to seek early release.Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this ar...

Politics

7 h. ago Why the Mandelson affair raises questions about Starmer’s judgment

‘Withdrawal’ of Labour peer from America is more evidence of prime minister’s failure to pick right people, say critics

Politics

10 h. ago Mandelson’s sacking has left one big question – and it has nothing to do with Epstein

Lord Mandelson is part of a long list of key appointees that Sir Keir Starmer has been forced to sack for predictable problems, which poses big questions about his judgment, as David Maddox explains

Politics

51 h. ago MPs and military figures urge Trump to intervene and block Starmer’s Chagos deal

Labour MPs vote to push through Chagos Islands deal but questions raised over legal case as defence secretary John Healey finally reveals details

Events

64 h. ago Inside the missing millions scandal that still haunts Diana's family

When Johnnie, the 8th Earl Spencer, died, serious questions were raised as to the legacies he left behind - both in his £200m will, and in other bequests.

Events

4 d. ago The Guardian view on the ‘twin’ Vermeers: how to spot a masterpiece | Editorial

Two versions of the Guitar Player raise important questions of attribution. In our age of fake images, authenticity in art is more vital than ever“How do you know how much to pay if you don’t know what it is worth?” So ends Theft: A Love Story by the Australian novelist Peter Carey. This scabrous riff on the slipperiness of cultural value in the international art scene asks: is a copy so good that even experts mistake it for the original painting still a fake?Questions of authenticity and attribution are behind a new display by English Heritage at Kenwood House in London to mark the 350th anniversary of the death of Johannes Vermeer. For the first time in 300 years, two nearly identical paintings of the Guitar Player, one signed by the Dutch master, the other on loan from the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and until recently believed to be a 17th- or 18th-century copy, will hang side by side. Experts have puzzled over the relationship between the two paintings for 100 years. Now visito...

Politics

5 d. ago Reshuffle of junior ministers raises fears over future of Labour’s workers’ rights bill

Some believe fight is looming over sweeping reforms after employment rights minister Justin Madders sacked and union allies sidelinedKeir Starmer has sought to tighten his grip on his government with a wave of junior ministerial changes that has sidelined allies of the unions, raising questions over the future of Labour’s workers’ rights package.The reshuffle has been used by Downing Street to signal a tougher stance on immigration in an apparent bid to take on Reform UK, with Shabana Mahmood – a self-described social conservative rising star – now in charge of the Home Office, supported by Sarah Jones who returns to her former policing brief. Continue reading...

Politics

5 d. ago Professor raises 'major question' ahead of UK Government test alert

Dr Rowena Hill, of Nottingham Trent University, has highlighted the need for discussions on emergency preparedness

Politics

6 d. ago Takeaways from AP reporting on Israeli strike on Gaza hospital that killed journalists and medics

AP reporting raises questions about Israel's rationale for a deadly attack on Gaza’s Nasser Hospital

Events

6 d. ago AP reporting calls into question why and how Israel attacked a Gaza hospital

Associated Press reporting into an Israeli attack that killed 22 people at a Gaza Strip hospital, including five journalists, raises questions about Israel’s rationale for the attack and the way it was carried out

Politics

6 d. ago Questions raised as Stone of Destiny closed to the public for almost two months

The jewel in Perth Museum's crown has been closed during the height of the summer tourist season following July 12 incident.

Politics

7 d. ago World Cup qualifying preview and new WSL season kicks off – Football Weekly

Max Rushden is joined by Barry Glendenning, Paul Watson, Jonathan Fadugba and Suzy Wrack to discuss a new Women’s Super League format and the race to reach the 2026 World CupRate, review, share on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Audioboom, Mixcloud, Acast and Stitcher, and join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and email.On today’s pod: the international break is here, and England’s squad raises more questions than answers. No Trent Alexander-Arnold, no Phil Foden or Jack Grealish, but a surprise return for Ruben Loftus-Cheek and call-ups for Elliot Anderson and Djed Spence. The panel asks how good England must be for us to learn anything new against Andorra before Tuesday’s trip to Serbia. Continue reading...

Politics

7 d. ago MIKEY SMITH: 7 unhinged Donald Trump moments as Nigel Farage roughed up by Democrats

Farage's testimony raised a number of questions over here in the States. Most of them along the lines of "who on earth is this guy?"

Politics

8 d. ago Was Trump’s Venezuelan boat attack a ‘war crime’? Experts say extrajudicial killings violate international law

Attack raises serious questions about president’s legal authority for lethal strikes against suspected drug traffickers

Events

8 d. ago Eberechi Eze decision raises Alan Shearer eyebrow as Ian Wright also questions Mikel Arteta

Eberechi Eze was on the substitutes bench for Arsenal's clash with Liverpool on Sunday, leaving Alan Shearer and Gary Lineker at odds over Mikel Arteta not playing the new signing from the start

Politics

8 d. ago Four horrifying words as first woman to die in 'suicide pod' ended her life

The first woman to die in a 'suicide pod' in the middle of a Swiss forest was found with mysterious strangulation marks on her neck, raising questions about her death

Events

1 week ago Politicians urge Badenoch to ‘come clean’ after doubts cast on US medical school claim

Labour and Lib Dem MPs ask Tory leader to clarify how alleged offer of place came about after Stanford University staff raise questionsLabour and the Liberal Democrats have called for Kemi Badenoch to come clean about her claims of an offer from Stanford University at the age of 16, after former admissions staff said she had described an impossible scenario.Labour MP Peter Prinsley has written to the Tory leader saying she should lay out the specifics of how the alleged offer came about, given the doubts cast over her story. The Lib Dem education spokesperson, Munira Wilson, said Badenoch risked undermining trust. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago David de Gea asks transfer question amid Manchester United goalkeeper search

Former Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea has raised several questions over the transfer window as his old side look to sign Senne Lammens from Royal Antwerp

Sport

1 week ago Doubts cast on Kemi Badenoch’s claim of US medical school offer

Stanford University staff and academic experts raise questions over Tory leader’s claim of place and partial scholarship offered at 16Doubts have surfaced over Kemi Badenoch’s claim to have been offered a place at a prestigious US medical school at 16, with admissions staff unable to recall the proposal and the university not providing the course.The Conservative leader has said in interviews that she was offered a place and a partial scholarship to study medicine – sometimes describing it as pre-medicine – at Stanford University in California, one of the most competitive in the US. Continue reading...

Politics