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Starmer wants Peter Mandelson to be permanently removed from the Lords amid Epstein scandal - UK politics live

The prime minister called for the House of Lords to modernise procedure so that peers can be more easily removed from the upper chamber

Peter Mandelson “leaked a sensitive UK government document to Jeffrey Epstein while he was business secretary that proposed £20bn of asset sales and revealed Labour’s tax policy plans”, the Financial Times is reporting.

In his story, Jim Pickard says:

The memo, dubbed “Business Issues”, was written on June 13 2009 by Nick Butler, who at the time was special adviser to the then prime minister Gordon Brown.

The confidential document, which was released by the US Department of Justice as part of a tranche of millions of files relating to Epstein, had been sent to British government officials including cabinet secretary Jeremy Heywood.

It is right that Peter Mandelson is no longer a member of the Labour party. Disciplinary action was underway prior to his resignation.

Jeffrey Epstein’s heinous crimes destroyed the lives of so many women and girls, and our thoughts remain with his victims.

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© Photograph: WPA/Getty Images

© Photograph: WPA/Getty Images

© Photograph: WPA/Getty Images

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Is Trump winning or losing his war on offshore wind power?

The US president tried to kill offshore wind projects – now four are back under construction

Construction has resumed on four offshore wind mega-projects after they survived a near fatal attack by Donald Trump’s administration thanks to rulings by federal judges. These are being seen as victories for clean energy amid a wider war being waged on it by the Trump administration.

The wind farms are considered critical by grid planners as America faces an energy affordability crisis. Together, the four projects will contribute nearly five gigawatts of energy to the east coast, enough to power 3.5 million homes.

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© Photograph: Brian Snyder/Reuters

© Photograph: Brian Snyder/Reuters

© Photograph: Brian Snyder/Reuters

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Punxsutawney Phil makes his Groundhog Day winter prediction

The cold is sticking around for a little longer. Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow after emerging from his den in Pennsylvania on Monday morning — signifying six more weeks of winter. If the world-famous prognosticating groundhog had not seen his shadow, it would’ve meant spring was near. Thousands of revelers braved negative 1 degree weather...

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Weather tracker: Cyclone Fytia in Madagascar kills several people and floods homes

Island’s first tropical storm of season may bring 150mm of rain – meanwhile, eastern Europe freezes with possible night-time lows of -30C

At least three people have died and nearly 30,000 people have been affected by flooding after Madagascar’s first tropical storm of the season hit over the weekend.

Tropical Cyclone Fytia formed to the north-west of Madagascar over the northern Mozambique Channel on Thursday.

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© Photograph: Red Cross Malagasy

© Photograph: Red Cross Malagasy

© Photograph: Red Cross Malagasy

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Israel agrees to limited reopening of Rafah border crossing in Gaza

Tens of thousands of ill and wounded Palestinians await evacuation as diplomatic efforts inch forward

The Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt has been reopened by Israel for a limited number of people on foot, as fragile diplomatic efforts to stabilise the conflict inch forward.

Israeli forces took control of the Rafah crossing – Gaza’s only crossing not shared with Israel – in May 2024, describing it as necessary to prevent weapons smuggling by Hamas. The move isolated the territory, cutting off a critical lifeline for Palestinians seeking access to medical care, travel and trade.

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© Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images

© Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images

© Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images

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Requiem for a film-maker: Darren Aronofsky’s AI revolutionary war series is a horror

The once-lauded director of Black Swan and The Wrestler has drowned himself in AI slop with an embarrassing new online series

If you happen to find yourself stumbling through Time magazine’s YouTube account, perhaps because you are a time traveller from the 1970s who doesn’t fully understand how the present works yet – then you will be presented with something that many believe represents the vanguard of entertainment as we know it.

On This Day… 1776 is a series of short videos depicting America’s revolutionary war. What makes On This Day notable is that it was made by Darren Aronofsky’s studio Primordial Soup. What also makes it interesting is that it was created with AI. The third thing that makes it interesting is that it is terrible.

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© Photograph: YouTube

© Photograph: YouTube

© Photograph: YouTube

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Inter Miami have reloaded for 2026 in a way no other MLS team could have

Lionel Messi’s presence has been crucial to the defending champions’ excellent offseason

Winning MLS Cup brings only a couple guaranteed returns: the cup itself and a cash prize ($300,000, roughly the salary of one MLS backup defender). Historically, it has also ushered in a near-mandatory squad rebuild, a consequence of MLS’s parity-driven design. With rare exceptions, great teams find it nigh-on-impossible to keep the band together, or to improve on what they already have.

Not so for Inter Miami this year. After a slew of high-powered offseason additions capped by Friday’s $15m capture of Monterrey striker Germán Berterame, a historically fortunate franchise has gotten even better; completely unlike the 29 MLS Cup champions that preceded them.

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© Photograph: Icon Sportswire/Getty Images

© Photograph: Icon Sportswire/Getty Images

© Photograph: Icon Sportswire/Getty Images

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Is tyre pollution causing mass deaths in vulnerable salmon populations?

A US judge will decide if, as research suggests, a chemical tyre additive is harming endangered fish species

Last week, a district judge in San Francisco, California, presided over a three-day trial brought by west coast fishers and conservationists against US tyre companies. The fishers allege that a chemical additive used in tyres is polluting rivers and waterways, killing coho salmon and other fish. If successful, the case could have implications far beyond the United States.

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© Photograph: Justin Bailie/Getty Images/Cavan Images RF

© Photograph: Justin Bailie/Getty Images/Cavan Images RF

© Photograph: Justin Bailie/Getty Images/Cavan Images RF

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