A former head of MI6 has said it would have been totally impossible for the Foreign Office to put in place mitigations to manage Peter Mandelson's associations with senior figures in China, Russia and Israel when he was the UK's ambassador to the US. On Wednesday, the Guardian revealed some of the concerns that contributed to security officials recommending that Mandelson be denied developed vetting clearance in early 2025. Olly Robbins, the former permanent secretary who granted Mandelson clearance anyway, has said his decision was based on management actions being put in place to mitigate the risks identified by officials.
Ofgem confirmed that its price cap will rise by 13 per cent from July 1, pushing the typical annual household bill to around £1,862 - an increase of £221 on current levels. Analysts now warn that costs could climb further in the autumn, with forecasts suggesting a further rise to around £1,899 for the October-to-December period as colder weather increases demand and geopolitical tensions continue to unsettle energy markets.
First of all, let me say frankly how pissed off I am at Peter Murrell, Yousaf told the Stooshie politics podcast for the Dundee-based Courier newspaper. I hope he ends up with quite a hefty sentence, quite frankly, because he deserves it. Murrell had by then been chief executive of the SNP for 22 years, and with his marriage to Sturgeon, was one of the most powerful people in British politics.
The Scottish Sun reported on Tuesday that the former first minister "sat in silence for hours" at Falkirk police station following her arrest on 11 June 2023 during Operation Branchform. Sturgeon's solicitor Aamer Anwar said the answer was standard legal advice and rejected claims it hindered the investigation which this week resulted in the conviction of her estranged husband Peter Murrell for embezzlement. Anwar added that Sturgeon had later provided a "detailed written response" to Police Scotland questions.
Its survey of 4,000 young people found that a quarter of girls had been called degrading names online, while one in seven 13- to 15-year-olds had been asked to send a nude photo. Lynn Perry, the chief executive of Barnardo's, said the survey showed that online abuse and harassment were becoming part of the background noise of growing up. These findings show how constant, corrosive and deeply embedded it is in the lives of young people today both on and offline, she said.
