Mailwatch(ed) Forum

The Weeping Angel wrote: ↑Fri Apr 10, 2026 11:04 pm Failing to call out Trump latest.

Yeahbut Ed Milliband.

Well, I’m sure Trump will say “Fair cop!” and stop.

More advice for Starmer, this time from Simon Tisdall.

If he thinks things can go back to how they were, Starmer’s dead wrong. Trump is a monster – an enemy both of Britain and US democracy. His disastrous Iran war is the latest in a series of irresponsible, ineffably foolish actions that have damaged UK interests, international stability, the global economy and the rule of law. Trump has denigrated Britain and its armed forces while sucking up to dictators such as Russia’s Vladimir Putin. He has taxed trade, undermined Nato, betrayed Ukraine and permitted Israel to turn Gaza, and now Lebanon, into killing fields. He has changed for the worse how many Britons feel about the US. Trump deserves to be castigated and shamed, not flattered and facilitated.

Why does anybody think Starmer (and all the other European allies) can't see this? I don't get this commentary, lots of it from people who understand Britain's real status very well (and frequently write about it), and know what diplomacy is.

Trump's poodle latest.

George Robertson has given Starmer a rocket for not increasing Defence spending fast enough. Which may be true but it was a lot easier to do this in George’s day.

It hadn’t been sliced to the bone and growth was at 3-4pts

Shipman says the quiet part out loud.

Former No 10 spin doctor wouldn't be Andy Coulson there, would it?

And here's Chris Mason. He is every bit as bad as I've been told

A grim week for Starmer – but things could be about to get worse

This is such shit.

If you had asked me a fortnight ago about the sentiment we were picking up from Labour MPs about Sir Keir's future in Downing Street, I would have told you that pressure from them appeared to have eased.

Perhaps, some pondered, after the prime minister's political near death experience in February - the moment the Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said the party "looked over the precipice" - the appetite to take another peek over the edge had gone, at least for now.

Labour MPs were still looking towards the elections around Britain a week on Thursday with trepidation bordering on horror, but many talked with pride about how their leader was handling the war in the Middle East and the fervent leadership chatter had eased, at least a bit.

But all of this was before mid-afternoon on Thursday of last week, when the Guardian's investigation about Lord Mandelson's security vetting dropped.

Since then, an unremittingly, relentlessly, incessantly grim story, if you think of it from the perspective of the Labour Party, has been squatting on the news agenda, expelling the potential for anything they would rather be talking about getting any attention.

Only actual politics in this is that Starmer was handling the Middle East war well. Yeah, let's get that guy out of Downing Street.

Starmer's so far been vindicated and the Guardian story looks like overexcited Inside Baseball stuff. How are those developments "unremittingly, relentlessly, incessantly grim"? As others have observed, the news agenda seemed to move on pretty rapidly when Cat Little was speaking. Was that because her testimony was too grim, so played down as a favour to Starmer?

Pure hot dog man stuff.

What's he got for this tumult to kick the PM out? He's got Jonathan Brash, Dan Carden. And Tom McTague. Who is he? He's a thoughtful writer not known for hyperbole, that's who he is. Can you imagine Boris Johnson getting stick because a thoughtful writer not known for hyperbole had criticized him?

We then had Labour backbencher Jonathan Brash telling GB News Sir Keir's time was up and his colleague Dan Carden on BBC Newsnight being a little less blunt but nonetheless saying "there is definitely a question about the future of the Labour government."
The left-wing political magazine the New Statesman chimed in too. Its editor, Tom McTague, a thoughtful writer not known for hyperbole, said of Sir Keir: "The clamour is growing: he cannot do the job."

I’m surprised the New Statesman is still going.

Keir Starmer vows to lead Labour into next general election after bruising week

It's been a bruising week, says people who kept punching him in the face. And as I keep saying, a week ago it looked possible he might be forced out for lying to Parliament and fixing Mandelson's security clearance. Not that it's all great, but Robbins said he didn't lie to Parliament and that he was nowhere near the security clearance.

mattomac wrote: ↑Sun Apr 26, 2026 2:53 pm I’m surprised the New Statesman is still going.

If it didn't exist, we'd not get to hear brilliant arguments like this.

Seldon does use some more selleable examples than Blair to make the case for bringing back experienced elders. Unfortunately voters don't like comeback kids in politics. Not sure why as they do in sport and entertainment and there are successful examples. Unlike politics.

Who's the classic of this genre? William Hague? Alec Douglas-Home?

Napoleon? Lula in Brazil regained the presidency after a spell in chokey. And of course the world's worst human being, Donald Trump.

I think Seldon may be suggesting that Starmer emulates Sunak, who gave David Cameron an ermine cloak to put him in as his Foreign Sec.

But I can’t see Blair being interested. Too busy making money on Trump’s Board of World Peace, or whatever it’s called.

Youngian wrote: ↑Sun Apr 26, 2026 10:39 pm Napoleon? Lula in Brazil regained the presidency after a spell in chokey. And of course the world's worst human being, Donald Trump.

I mean in terms of a PM or leader coming back to be Foreign Secretary, which seems to be the role in this argument. Though I suppose Miliband has come back to be Energy Secretary, and it’s gone pretty well.

It's probably a similar argument made about Mandelson returning.

William Hague as leader brought back Cecil Parkinson. Cameron brought back IDS (as well as Hague). Most of this isn't very auspicious.