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Chris Mason: PM facing awkward hours ahead as Mandelson questions remain1 hour agoChris MasonPolitical editorAFP via Getty ImagesI occasionally like to kid myself that after 20-plus years of reporting from Westminster, I can’t be entirely surprised any more.Then, along came the row of the last few days after The Guardian’s revelations about Lord Mandelson, his vetting and the removal of the most senior civil servant at the Foreign Office, Sir Olly Robbins.It all prompted a one-word question from many of us: how?How could so senior a civil servant be in possession of such apparently politically explosive information and not pass it on to the prime minister and others?And how could a prime minister, embarking on a high-profile and controversial appointment, be so insufficiently curious that he didn’t prise this information out of the government machine?Context is key here: in January of last year, Sir Olly had just arrived at the Foreign Office as its permanent under-secretary.Weeks before, his predecessor, Sir Philip Barton, had worked through the formal niceties of confirming Lord Mandelson’s appointment to Washington, such as writing to the King about it on the 18th of December.In other words, it was a done deal. Whitehall and the civil service were aware of Sir Keir’s wishes. We know that some vetting concerns had been raised with the Prime Minister. The Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010 states that the secretary of state is responsible for managing the diplomatic service, but does not cover national security screening. This is a reference for the foreign secretary, and it gives Sir Olly’s anticipated defense, that the law says he should not reveal information gathered during the vetting. But on Sunday night the government released a statement outlining its interpretation of the act, claiming The government even read the explanatory notes to the Act in order to support their position. I suspect the prime minister will also refer to the Civil Service Code. This states that civil servants cannot “deceive, or knowingly mislead Ministers, Parliament, or others The Conservatives hope that Monday afternoon’s debate will “hasten squeaky-bum time for Labour MPs” by suggesting that Sir Keir beheaded more people than Henry VIII. The mood in the Labour Party has changed over the past few weeks. It is no longer as fervently angry. Now the question is whether this fiasco will raise the temperature again. “Let’s face it, this is bad stuff,” said one to me. Another says, “It reignites all the things that made so many angry with him in the first place.” The timing of the elections, which are just a few days away, could not be worse. Meanwhile, the Financial Times reports that Sir Olly may take legal action to challenge his dismissal. It’s not surprising that he was blasted out of the cannon so spectacularly by the foreign secretary and prime minister over the appointment of an Ambassador who had been signed off even before Sir Olly arrived at the Foreign Office. The people who have worked with him describe him as “a by the book man”, who has a distinguished career in the public service, and is “diligent and careful about processes and acting correctly.” The tone and tenor will be as interesting as his testimony. The document sent to him on the same day says “you should submit a new STRAP application form for your new position, at least 3 months before you are due to start at Post”.

Reform pledges to review all asylum claims for past five years if it wins power2 hours agoJennifer McKiernanPolitical reporterHome Office/ PA MediaReform UK has pledged an immediate review of all asylum claims from the last five years should the party win the next general election.Around 400,000 people would be liable for deportation under the plans, which would target anybody granted asylum, overstaying a visa, or from a country deemed safe by a Reform-led government.The current Labour government has announced major crackdowns on immigration, including disrupting human trafficking gangs, emptying asylum hotels and increasing the time before indefinite leave to remain is granted.Conservatives claimed Reform was copying their policies “but without the detail”, and Liberal Democrats called it an “impractical farce” of a policy.Reform, led by Nigel Farage, has previously announced it would bar anyone arriving on a small boat, and suggested this could mean 600,000 deportations over five years. Reform, led by Nigel Farage, has previously announced it would bar anyone arriving on a small boat and suggested this could mean 600,000. Yusuf said to BBC Breakfast on Monday: “I want this to be emphasized.” “We will not allow the British people to be exploited.” Yusuf explained how he thought building “modular detention capacity” for 22,500 people, would allow for that many to be sent home each month, just as it had been done in America, and said this would lead detentions to total “a quarter million” a year. He also said the party wants to “turn off” welfare for anyone arriving illegally. This would mean ending free accommodation, and an “endless cycle” of appeals. If it was easy, it would have already been done. What’s been missing is political willpower. Home Secretary Shabana Mahamood has taken “decisive actions” to reduce small boat crossings. “We have already stopped more than 42,000 illegal migrants from crossing the Channel since the General Election,” they added. “We have removed, or deported, nearly 60,000 people who had no right to be in the country. “Conservative Chris Philp accused Reform of copying badly his own proposals. “The Conservatives already proposed a detailed border plan to withdraw from the ECHR, and completely ban asylum requests by illegal immigrants,” he stated. “Instead, they would be deported within a week after arrival.” “He said that the Tories would deport around 150,000 immigrants a year who had no right to be here in the UK. He added: “Reform has slowly caught up with our ideas, but without the details that will ensure they work in practice. Will Forster, Liberal Democrat immigration and asylum spokesman, attacked Reform’s plans for “hostility” that he claimed would “do nothing to fix our broken asylum system”. He said that the Conservatives’ mess had left us with a huge backlog. “Reviewing the five years of asylum grants will only slow down the process further. His party has called for temporary centers to be established to clear the backlog of asylum applications within six months, so that “those who have a right to stay here can get on with their life and support themselves and those without a right can be quickly returned”. She added: “We must offer compassion and sanctuary and not insecurity, terror and intimidation. Reform plans to scrap indefinite stay for migrants. Reform promises agency to ensure illegal migration removals. Sign up for our Politics Essential Newsletter to read top political analyses, gain insight from all over the UK, and stay up-to-date on the big moments. It’ll be delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.UK immigrationDeportationShabana Mahmood

Five questions await Starmer when he faces the Commons over Mandelson controversy3 hours agoJennifer McKiernanPolitical reporterReutersPrime minister Sir Keir Starmer will face Here are the questions he must answer. What did Starmer and his team know and when did they know it? Sir Keir said that he was first made aware of the red flags on Tuesday last week. The UKSV had raised the issue with the Why didn’t Starmer and his team ask for more information about the matter? Sir Keir replaced the previous US ambassador Karen Pierce (a civil servant) with Lord Mandelson in January of last year, when Donald Trump Lord Mandelson’s friendship and previous scandals involving money and influence, which led to his being forced out of Cabinet two times, were well known before he was appointed. Starmer misled Parliament?Sir Keir said to MPs, in September, just a day before Mandelson was fired as US ambassador, “full due procedure” had been followed. The Conservatives The prime minister denies that he was told about the vetting recommendations only last Tuesday. Under the code, a minister should correct the record at Parliament “at the first opportunity”. Opposition leaders say Sir Keir was supposed to have corrected the record at PMQs the following week, the day after his claim that he learned about the red flags. 4. Sir Chris Wormald said in November that Lord Mandelson had not been formally interviewed to become the US ambassador. Sir Chris Wormald said that Lord Mandelson wasn’t directly asked about any conflicts of interest in person, but was instead required to fill out a form aimed at potential financial conflict. Details of the due diligence check carried out before Lord Mandelson was appointed by the Cabinet Office for Number 10 are yet to be revealed. This scandal has dragged on for months and cost Sir Keir his US ambassador, his chief of staff, and the head of the Foreign Office, Sir Olly Robbins. Starmer can’t seem to move on from Mandelson. Starmer still can’t move on from the Mandelson mess.