Keir Starmer to address Parliament today amid calls for his resignation

Sir Keir Starmer will be fighting to save his job in the Commons today with a statement on exactly what he knew about Lord Mandelson's vetting.

In what Kemi Badenoch has branded a "shaming affair", the PM will face allegations he misled Parliament after telling MPs the proper process had been followed in appointing the Labour grandee as ambassador to the US.

"Keir Starmer is either grossly incompetent or a liar," Robert Jenrick said last night, adding his Government was "paralysed by a paedophile scandal".

The Foreign Office's top official Sir Olly Robbins was sacked last week after it emerged Lord Mandelson had been given developed vetting (DV) status despite failing security checks.

It also emerged that Sir Keir was told about the the warning signs which made the former peer fail his security checks - then "waved them away".

And today, the PM will try to explain how Lord Mandelson was able to take up his role without the Foreign Office revealing it had overruled the vetting decision.

One senior Government figure told The Guardian the next few days could be make-or-break for Sir Keir's career.

"We just don't know how it will all play out, but all roads lead back to the original sin: Keir's decision to appoint Peter Mandelson to Washington even though everybody knew it was high risk. This week could go either way," they said.

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Kemi Badenoch brands Keir Starmer as ‘recklessly negligent’ over Lord Mandelson ahead of Commons showdown

Kemi Badenoch has branded Sir Keir Starmer "recklessly negligent" and "dishonest" in a letter over the Mandelson scandal.

Writing about the Mandelson scandal, the Conservative leader claimed the Prime Minister had been "contemptuous of Parliament" and "discourteous to the House".

The two are set to go head-to-head in the Commons this afternoon.

In her letter to Sir Keir, Mrs Badenoch said: "This has been a tawdry and shaming affair for you and your party, and for this country.

"Not only have you damaged our relationship with the United States and insulted the victims of the paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, but you have also undermined our national security by giving the highest diplomatic post to an individual that the security services found to be of 'high concern'.

She added: "Instead of another round of blaming everyone else and demeaning the office of Prime Minister, I trust we can look forward to a frank statement in which you will take due responsibility."

WATCH: Labour Secretary of State for Scotland defends Keir Starmer amid calls to resign

Douglas Alexander has defended Sir Keir Starmer, claiming the Prime Minister has not misled Parliament and lied to the public.

The Secretary of State for Scotland told GB News: "The Prime Minister is being alleged by the leader of the opposition to have knowingly misled Parliament and lied to the public. That is not true.

"The Prime Minister will set out why that's not true when he speaks at the dispatch box of the House of Commons just behind me this afternoon.

"For that claim to be true would require you to set aside what's a growing body of evidence that would suggest every minister involved in this decision to appoint Peter Mandelson, a growing number of senior civil servants and indeed the friends and allies of Olly Robbins, the former secretary at the Foreign Office, were all part of some grand conspiracy not to tell the truth.

"It's simply not the case."

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Public will get to see 'angry Starmer' in the Commons later today, No 10 sources say

No 10 sources have said the public will get to see "angry Starmer" in the Commons later today.

The Prime Minister will make clear his "fury" with Sir Olly Robbins, the sacked Foreign Office civil servant, according to The Times.

Sir Keir claims he was not aware the Foreign Office had granted Lord Peter Mandelson vetting clearance against recommendations until a meeting on Tuesday night.

On Friday, the Prime Minister said it was "staggering" and "unacceptable" that he was not told the former US ambassador had failed his security vetting as he fought to save his job.

Speaking from Paris, Mr Starmer said: "That I wasn't told that Peter Mandelson had failed security vetting when he was appointed is staggering.

"That I wasn't told that he had failed security vetting when I was telling Parliament that due process had been followed is unforgivable.

"Not only was I not told, no minister was told, and I'm absolutely furious about that."

Today will be the first time the Prime Minister has addressed the Commons since last Wednesday.

Deadline day to register to vote in May 7 elections

Anyone not yet registered to vote in the elections taking place in England, Scotland and Wales on May 7 has only a few hours left to apply.

The deadline to register is 11.59pm on Monday.

Elections are being held on May 7 to elect members of the Scottish Parliament and the Senedd in Wales, while some 5,013 council seats in England are up for grabs across 136 local authorities.

Some 42,827 applications to register to vote were submitted on Sunday, April 19, the highest on a single day so far this year, Government figures show.

An average of 33,218 applications were made per day in the week to April 19, up from 23,255 the previous week and 21,426 a fortnight ago.

The contests on May 7 represent a crucial test at the ballot box for all political parties.

'Kemi Badenoch will lead the charge' - Chairman of the Conservative Party tells GB News

The Chairman of the Conservative Party, Kevin Hollinrake, has told GB News that Kemi Badenoch will lead the charge in calling for Keir Starmer's resignation.

Speaking to the People's Channel, the MP for Thirsk and Malton said: "We've led the way on this right from the start.

"Kemi Badenoch brought this to parliament in September last year about the issues with Mandelson and which led to his resignation, and we followed this all the way through.

"So, for the parties that want to support our efforts to hold the Prime Minister to account for his terrible lack of judgement, appalling judgement, they are welcome to do so.

"Kemi Badenoch again will lead the charge on this in Parliament today. And we think the Prime Minister is not fit to leave this country and should resign."

Kemi Badenoch says Lord Mandelson row was 'an issue of national security'

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said the Lord Mandelson row was "an issue of national security".

She told ITV’s Good Morning Britain: "Somebody who was a national security risk, and this had been flagged, was put into the most senior and sensitive diplomatic post, where all sorts of information, intelligence, which I would not have seen as a secretary of state, would have come across his desk. A national security issue.

"And what I find really shocking is how so many people’s careers are being ended over this, but the Prime Minister is not taking responsibility.

"He’s throwing everybody under a bus.”

Mrs Badenoch said that, ultimately, it would be Labour MPs who had to decide the Prime Minister’s fate.

She added: "I’ve already said that he should resign, I don’t think that he will resign."

"He’s going to cling on. He will throw everybody under a bus, including his own MPs who are, some of them, going out to defend him.

"Sadly, the public did not give enough Conservative MPs to bring down the Labour Prime Minister. It’s Labour MPs who can do that.

"They will have to look in their own hearts and decide whether they want to be complicit in this cover-up."

'The Prime Minister should be gone!' Liberal Democrat MP slams Keir Starmer for 'catastrophically poor judgement'

The Liberal Democrat Cabinet Office spokeswoman Lisa Smart has criticised Sir Keir Starmer over his "catastrophically poor judgement" on the handling of the Peter Mandelson scandal.

She told GB News: "The Prime Minister should be gone.

"He has shown catastrophically poor judgement throughout this whole sorry Peter Mandelson scandal, and he'll be coming to the House of Commons today. He'll have a lot of questions to answer.

"Did he know? What did he know? When and why didn't he come to the house when he said he did know? He said he did know last Tuesday and he came to Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday, and he didn't mention it.

"That's why we of the Liberal Democrats have said he should go on his poor judgement.

"But we've also said that he should be referred to his own ethics Adviser and also the Privileges Committee to investigate what happened, when it happened, and whether there were any breaches of the ministerial code.

"We're talking about some of the very most sensitive positions that our Government can appoint, the ambassador to the United States of America.

She added: "This whole thing is just a sorry series of catastrophically poor judgement from the Prime Minister. And he should go."

Russian agents targeted Lord Mandelson for decades and closely monitored relationship with Epstein

Peter Mandelson was a key person of interest to the Russian state and targeted by Moscow during his time as a Labour peer, it has been revealed.

The former British Ambassador to the US, who was sacked due to links to convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, had failed security vetting for his appointment to the country's most prized diplomatic position.

Security was aware of Moscow's interest throughout the years, stretching back to before his most recent diplomatic position, according to fresh reports.

The interest began in 2004, when Lord Mandelson became European Commissioner for Trade, according to the Telegraph.

READ THE FULL STORY HERE

Ed Miliband to double down on Net Zero and declare fossil fuel era 'over' as energy crisis deepens

Ed Miliband will deliver a major address on Tuesday, setting out fresh energy measures designed to tackle the crisis triggered by the conflict with Iran.

The Energy Secretary intends to reaffirm Labour's dedication to achieving Net Zero, arguing surging fossil fuel costs demonstrate the urgent need for Britain to embrace renewable power.

He is expected to say: "As we face the second global energy shock in less than five years, the lesson for our country is clear; the era of fossil fuel security is over, and the era of clean energy security must come of age."

The speech comes as oil markets remain volatile following dashed hopes that the Strait of Hormuz would reopen, with prices set to climb roughly four per cent today.

Mr Miliband will also use the address to push back against those advocating expanded North Sea drilling, a position championed by the Conservatives and Reform since oil prices surged past $100 per barrel in March.

He is expected to say: "I do not agree with those who say we should 'turn off the taps' overnight. But nor do I agree with those who suggest that somehow 'drilling every last drop' will take a penny off bills or give us energy security."

READ THE FULL STORY HERE

Away from Labour... Reform UK pledges to deport 400,000 asylum seekers and 'reverse the invasion of Britain'

Nigel Farage is set to announce that a Reform UK Government would deport as many as 400,000 asylum seekers who broke into Britain illegally.

The Reform chief is set to commit to an immediate examination of all asylum decisions made over the past five years.

The review would track down anyone who entered illegally or overstayed their visa and subsequently claimed asylum - which home affairs spokesman Zia Yusuf pledged would "reverse the invasion of Britain".

"Reform will reverse this. Today we announce that a Reform Government will review the previous five years of asylum grants, and anyone who broke into the country illegally or overstayed on another visa will be stripped of their status and deported. We will do what it takes to restore justice in Britain," he added.

READ THE FULL STORY HERE

Labour's Lord Glasman leads calls for PM to resign - 'He CANNOT continue!'

Labour peer Lord Glasman has led calls from within Sir Keir Starmer's own party for the PM to resign with a withering attack yesterday.

"He cannot conceivably continue as a credible Prime Minister any longer. And that's all because he cannot say: 'I made a mistake, I'm sorry,'" the Blue Labour heavyweight warned.

When asked last night if he would apologise to MPs, Sir Keir told the Mirror: "I shall be making it absolutely crystal clear, as I have done a number of times - and I don't think anybody is disputing this - that I was not told that Peter Mandelson had failed his security vetting, and I should have been told."

Lib Dem chief Sir Ed Davey went on to accuse the PM of "catastrophic misjudgement" - and has demanded he face an inquisition from MPs on the privileges committee as well as a probe by the Government's ethics watchdog for alleged breaches of the Ministerial Code.

On Tuesday... Olly Robbins sets out the counter-argument

Sir Olly Robbins will have a day to reel from the PM's Commons statement before he answers questions from the Foreign Affairs Select Committee on the Lord Mandelson scandal on Tuesday.

He is currently reported to to be taking legal advice over his sacking as Foreign Office chief.

The Guardian reports Sir Olly feels "angry" at what he believes to be his "unfair treatment" by Sir Keir Starmer - and is determined to put out his side of the story.

RECAP: Keir Starmer 'WAS told about Lord Mandelson's red flags - then waved them away'

Sir Keir Starmer was told about the the warning signs which made Lord Mandelson fail his developed vetting security clearance, it has been revealed.

On Monday, the Prime Minister will tell the Commons it was "unforgivable" that he was not told that the Labour grandee had failed the process prior to his appointment as US ambassador.

But it has now been claimed that Sir Keir was already aware of his "red flags" ahead of the security protocol - then went ahead with his appointment anyway.

The UK Security Vetting agency (UKSV) recommended the rejection due to Lord Mandelson's ties to China and Russia, insiders said.

The Government claimed last week that the Prime Minister would have pulled the appointment if he had been made aware of the rejection.

“The reality is that Starmer had already been warned about the major risks and he had waved them away," one senior Whitehall source told The Telegraph.

READ THE FULL STORY HERE

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