Are we all looking forward to David Lammy becoming PM?

[ProudAmberTurtle]

There's no way Starmer can survive this latest scandal.

Lord Mandelson failed his security vetting for the US ambassador job, but he still got the post anyway.

Starmer stood up in Parliament last September and insisted "full due process" was followed — three times.

He therefore either misled parliament and has to resign under the Ministerial Code, or his advisors have misled him and parliament, which is likely a criminal matter and suggests a level of almost unbelievable government incompetence or corruption.

What great things are you hoping this country will achieve under PM Lammy?

Being moderately interested in the main item on the news, about a story that is bringing down a PM, makes someone 'foam at the mouth' and 'revel in instability'?

I don't think I'm any more interested in Starmer's downfall as I was in Truss's, Boris's, May's, Cameron's or Blair's.

That's a lot of foam.

It’s fine. It’s just because mn still sees some Starmer support the threads stand out.

Darren Jones! Made me laugh though. I suppose he could have hypnotised Starmer or something.

@IamRedCrossnotJesus, thank you! That made me laugh!

Don’t underestimate the power of hypnotism. Just ask Zack Polanski.

Lol! Moderately..... ha ha yeah sure, Kemi!

Way before Boris went into intensive care - didn't bother to attend COBRA meetings, was concentrating on his book deal rather than the running of Govt, encouraged the 'let it run free' approach of herd immunity towards the illness, rather than taking steps to close our borders - the very thing he was elected to do, albeit in response to small boats, not big diseases. All old news, of course.

Should add, to bring it back round, that Labour are trying to bring in leasehold reforms, also forcing the Met Police to declare if they're freemasons - important for some of us, and equally important to those who see their power chipped away at - but don't imagine that's what they're going to get him on. No, it will be the appointment of Mandelson - which many on the Right approved at the time.

Well I will take your word for it.

Do you think Keir Starmer is doing better as PM? I do agree Boris should have not let in such a large number of low skilled immigrants. But my main criticism of his covid approach was that it was too restrictive so I think we will have to agree to disagree on that, coming from two opposite ends.

Like who?? The Telegraph was covered with articles saying the appointment was mental.

And also remember Labour appointed him? Are we now trying to blame the "right" for his appointment?

No, but many tabloid commentators were okay with it - and the press are predominantly right wing anyway.

I am actually looking forward to a Labour part leade by an actual labour individual. Starmer is so "centre" that leans to the right. He is more Tory than Labour, really. He is also the idiot who gave us the island of strangers speech.

Oh come on. Everyone knew Mandelson was dodgy!! Are you seriously trying to argue that the right are to blame for this fiasco? "Tabloid commentators"?!!

The reality is Starmer wanted a bit of New Labour sparkle (weirdly) and thats why he was appointed. Not because the "right" wanted it!!

There was a perfectly good ambassador in place anyway. Starmer just has a woman problem too.

Yes he is, Bojo was a disaster, nationally and internationally... i mean Pepper Pig? he wasn't all there.
Good on HIGNFY....

Bojo didn't just let in low skilled migrants, he let in all their dependents as well, almost 4m between him and Sunak.

At least all that has stopped, thanks to Starmer and sensible immigration policies.

I can’t help thinking that if someone, even if it was mum, told me that Mandelson had passed a vetting process, my first reaction would be disbelief and then I’d demand to see the evidence.

Yes I do agree that BJs immigration policies were terrible and I hope KS supports Mahmood's extension of the period to qualify for RTR. I suspect he will give in to the lunatic backbenchers though.

But the rest of the criticism of BJ means that the same standards need to be applied to KS. Remember...KS said that ignorance was no excuse for eating cake during covid. So ignorance is also no excuse for appointing someone who is a threat to national security surely? Which was worse in your opinion..eating a piece of cake or giving state secrets to Epstein to pass to the Russians?

Gosh! This is like gossip! Our leader really was not told and therefore did not lie because -

“…there is no duty to share the details of a vetting case with ministers and indeed a duty not to.” Telegraph.

So, Robbins did nothing wrong, but was sacked.

But all is well because Derran Jones (not Brown), is on it, is astonished and has suspended the power and the PM is furious.

So, Robbins, scapegoated despite doing nothing wrong. He followed the rules.
Our dysfunctional state system allowed this to happen.
Keir Starmer will not resign.

Bizarre!

I suspect you know very well I'm not saying the right are to blame. As per my original post, they will make Mandelson the issue, rather than real reasons - like the fact Labour is trying to eradicate 14 years of Tory corruption and vested interests.

But I don't have the facts at my fingertips as to those who praised the appointment. The idea was to curry favour with Trump, and it worked. We need all the help we can get with that lunatic.

Ironically, it's the attempt tor ride the tiger's back that does it for Labour in the long term, it's trying to appease America - as happened with Blair.

Yep Starmer was very quick to throw OR under the bus, when he did nothing wrong. At least some of his colleagues are sticking up for him.

@EasternStandard, hopefully there will be a fight back!

Hope so. He doesn’t deserve to be used by Starmer to try and save his skin.

I think you're trying to rewrite history a bit. Very few people given PM's rather dodgy past, thought his appointment was a good idea. Very few. And so it has come to pass that most people were right!

I think the suggestion you seem to be making that Mandelson is just an excuse to beat the virtuous and incorruptible KS with may be slightly underplaying things?

There was a perfectly good ambassador in place who got on very well with Trump. So no need surely to appoint another one to "curry favour"?

There was no greater, and probably much less, corruption and pandering to vested interests, under the Tories than now under Starmer Labour.

That was one of the big lies that Labour used to get into power.

How did PM pass state secrets to Epstein and therefore the Russians when Epstein is dead, and was long before PM was given this recent appointment?

You might be right. All I know is that the freeholder can charge us silly money for upkeep of the flats we own the leasehold to, and that Starmer's Labour is trying to fix that. But if he and Labour get booted out, it won't happen. Ditto the Hillsborough Law.

I haven't read of any pandering to vested interests with Labour and I don't think my usual paper, the Times, would let it slide if they did.

PPE contracts, and all the really toxic scandals like Hillsborough, the contaminated blood scandal, the Post Office scandal, Grenfell - all took place under the Tories. But I will say the grooming gang scandal is one that took place in Labour-led authorities - but odd how the Tories did nothing to address it.