News Round-Up

• “Lord Mandelson resigns from Labour over Epstein links” – Lord Mandelson has resigned his membership of the Labour Party after documents in newly released files appeared to show his husband received $75,000 from Jeffrey Epstein, according to Sky News.
• “Mandelson told Epstein he was ‘trying’ to change banker bonuses” – As UK Business Secretary in 2009, Peter Mandelson told Jeffrey Epstein he was “trying hard” to change government policy on bankers’ bonuses at his request, months after Epstein had paid thousands of pounds to Mandelson’s husband, reports City AM.
• “Mandelson set to be ordered to give evidence in US Epstein inquiry” – Lord Mandelson will be summoned to give evidence before Congress on his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, reports the Telegraph.
• “Former US ambassador Peter Mandelson pictured in the Epstein Files standing in his underpants in paedophile financier’s home” – A newly released photograph from the Epstein Files shows Peter Mandelson standing in his underpants inside one of Jeffrey Epstein’s homes, reveals the Mail.
• “Epstein’s sex empire was ‘KGB honeytrap’” – Newly released Epstein files have added weight to claims that the disgraced financier had been helping Moscow gather kompromat on powerful figures, reports the Mail.
• “Sarah Ferguson told Epstein ‘just marry me’ six months after paedophile was released from jail” – Newly published emails show Sarah Ferguson joking about marriage and offering palace tours to Jeffrey Epstein months after his release from prison, says the Mail.
• “If I win, Starmer will resign, says Reform’s candidate for Gorton and Denton” – Reform’s by-election hopeful Matt Goodwin reckons an upset win would be enough to topple Keir Starmer, according to the Express.
• “Labour would perform better at election under Starmer than Streeting, poll finds” – A fresh YouGov poll says Labour will do better under Starmer than it would if led by Wes Streeting, though voters are still shopping around, says the Telegraph.
• “Tower Hamlets councillor runs for election… 5,000 miles from London” – A London councillor has raised eyebrows by campaigning for political office in Bangladesh while still serving as a councillor in the UK, reports the Express.
• “Multiculturalism has turned Britain into a country that doesn’t treat people equally” – In an interview with Gordon Rayner for the Telegraph, Shadow Justice Secretary Nick Timothy argues that multiculturalism has undermined equal treatment in Britain.
• “Islamophobia definition ‘could stifle free speech’” – Campaigners have warned ministers that the Government’s definition of Islamophobia will undermine freedom of speech, reports the Times.
• “More than 300 Army instructors court–martialed over ‘disgusting’ abuse and grooming of vulnerable teenage recruits” – More than 300 Army instructors face court martial or serious discipline over abuse, drugs and exploitation involving young recruits, says the Mail.
• “Record number of breweries shut down across Britain” – Britain has seen a record wave of brewery closures as tax rises continue to hurt the industry, according to the Sun.
• “How creeping socialist price controls are perverting the economy” – Attempts by the state to control prices have steadily warped markets and pushed everyday costs higher, writes Szu Ping Chan in the Telegraph.
• “Taxpayers foot £850 million bill for HMRC digital rollout” – Years of delays and cock-ups have left taxpayers on the hook for an £850 million digital tax overhaul that still isn’t finished, reports the Telegraph.
• “Sadiq Khan’s floating bus stops breach safety standards” – London’s floating bus stops have failed basic safety standards and left pedestrians running a cyclist gauntlet, reveals the Telegraph.
• “The £16 million NHS helipad that can’t be used at night” – Brighton’s new £16 million NHS helipad is eight years late, massively over budget and can’t be used at night, reports the Sunday Times.
• “The proof that Macron’s gendarmes can hunt down illegal immigrants… but only when it’s on an idyllic Indian Ocean Island 5,000 miles from Calais – and it’s to stop them sneaking into France” – It appears French authorities can crack down on illegal migration when it suits them, writes Ian Gallagher in the Mail.
• “Iran Ayatollah’s son ‘has £100 million in property on Billionaire’s Row’ in North London” – Iran’s supreme leader’s son has reportedly built up a £100 million London property empire, according to the Mail.
• “Tulsi Gabbard releases documents that prove it was Obama who led the Russiagate conspiracy against Trump” – Tulsi Gabbard has released what she calls bombshell documents pointing the finger at Barack Obama over Russiagate, reports Jim Hoft in the Gateway Pundit.
• “Trump’s plan to transform Gaza ‘has given us a sense of hope’ Palestinians declare” – Some Palestinians say Trump’s Gaza vision has sparked hope despite its critics, according to the Mail.
• “Genocide once meant something – now the term is just political invective” – In theTelegraph, Jake Wallis Simons warns the UN against using the term ‘genocide’ as a political weapon.
• “Musk is letting Tesla wither and die while he gets distracted by robots” – Elon Musk’s robot obsession has left Tesla falling behind the competition, writes Andrew Orlowski in the Telegraph.
• “Wyoming introduces first-ever foreign censorship shield Bill ” – Wyoming’s taken a big step to block foreign censorship and protect free speech with a new law, reports Reclaim The Net.
• “Xi’s corruption purge to make army ready to invade Taiwan” – Xi Jinping has tightened the screws on China’s military leadership to boost loyalty and readiness for the invasion of Taiwan, says Memphis Barker in the Telegraph.
• “Scientists’ political views change how they interpret identical data” – Personal feelings about immigration subtly influenced how 71 teams of social scientists analysed the same figures in a study, reveals the Times.
• “Biological weapons convention and the perpetuation of the pandemic preparedness pharma-industrial complex” – Proposed changes to the Biological Weapons Convention have been framed as lessons from Covid but risk hard-wiring a powerful pandemic industry, warn Prof Martin Neil and Jonathan Engler on the Where Are The Numbers? Substack.
• “London gears up for Mingyang UK factory decision” – The UK is poised to make a decision soon on whether to green-light plans from Mingyang, a Chinese power company, to build a £1.5 billion turbine factory at in Scotland, according to Renews.
• “How having a heat pump can really backfire” – Switching to a heat pump hasn’t quite worked out for some, with energy bills climbing instead of falling, notes Helena Kelly in the Sunday Times.
• “FiT the bill” – New figures show that while overall Feed-in Tariff costs have fallen, the price per unit of electricity has quietly climbed, writes David Turver on his Eigen Values Substack.
• “Ecosystem collapse” – Dire warnings of looming ecosystem collapse have been rolled out yet again, says Jit on CLISCEP.
• “Theatre supplies ‘mental health first aiders’ for audience members upset by harrowing play” – Theatre audiences are being offered mental health support if they find Guess How Much I Love You?, a new play at the Royal Court, too traumatic, reports the Mail.
• “Diversity drive to make Britain’s countryside ‘less white’” – Rural areas have been tasked with finding ways to attract more ethnic minorities, says the Telegraph.
• “Jazz lecturer ‘forced out’ after questioning Critical Race Theory” – A well-known saxophonist claims he was pushed out of one of Britain’s leading conservatoires after he questioned Critical Race Theory, according to the Telegraph.
• “I have never drunk alcohol” – According to the Mail, Zack Polanski reckons that hard drugs being illegal is racist and says he wants people to “have a good time” (although he has never taken drugs or drunk alcohol himself).
• “The nightmare continues” – Western leaders are quietly wrecking their countries, while most hide in fear, says Spiff on Substack. But real courage spreads – and that could change everything.
• “A line I can’t cross – even to keep subscribers” – On Substack, Alex Berenson explains why he’s chosen to lose paying readers rather than compromise his beliefs.
• “The King’s new film seems extraordinarily vulgar” – In the Spectator, Julie Burchill is less than impressed by King Charles’s new documentary about living in harmony with nature.
• “Free speech must never be sacrificed on the altar of multiculturalism” – In conversation with New Culture Forum’s Emma Webb, Toby argues the best way to ease community tensions is to engage in open debate, not by suppressing free speech.

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