Britain expanded US access to UK bases for what Downing Street said were defensive strikes on Iranian missile and drone sites targeting Hormuz shipping.
A first tranche of government papers released after a Commons vote says Peter Mandelson received a £75,000 settlement after being dismissed as US ambassador, after reportedly seeking more than £500,000. The documents also show Keir Starmer’s pre-appointment due diligence noted Mandelson’s continued contact with Jeffrey Epstein after his 2008 conviction. Mandelson has denied criminal wrongdoing as a Metropolitan Police investigation continues, with some documents withheld or redacted.
Jeanette Dickson, chair of the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, said anti-migrant rhetoric and reported racist abuse are discouraging overseas doctors and nurses from working in the NHS. She cited regulator workforce data indicating fewer overseas staff are arriving and more are leaving, and said the service relies heavily on internationally qualified clinicians. The Department of Health and Social Care said it will support overseas staff and that the NHS has zero tolerance for racism.
New campaigning data and modelling, reported by GB News, suggest Labour could be left controlling as few as two of London’s 32 borough councils after the 7 May elections. Tony Travers of the LSE said the capital could be heading for a “political earthquake,” with the Greens targeting inner-London seats and Reform UK seeking gains in outer boroughs. The article also cites Labour’s third-place finish in February’s Gorton and Denton by-election.
The UK Government chartered a second commercial flight from the UAE on Tuesday after attacks across the Gulf disrupted air travel. The FCDO said the service is to help people who could not get seats on commercial routes, particularly vulnerable passengers, and that the flight is chargeable with document requirements. Officials estimate more than 45,000 British nationals have left the region since 1 March.
