The Prime Minister suffers another blow

The Prime Minister suffers another self self delusion. He thinks that he is a great international statesman, and wrongly assumes that will make him more popular and help his party in the May elections. Instead it looks as if his over involvement in foreign affairs and the matters of the Foreign Office will do more to bring him down than anything else.

I have recently written about how his alleged great strength as a lawyer determined to govern under the strictures of international law has turned to dust and unpopularity. He was slowly being destroyed by his  failings to understand the limited powers of the ICJ, his wrong view on Chagos, by  the way the ECHR stopped his Smash the gangs policy and the boomerang that was his holier than  thou approach to government in opposition followed by the sleazy realities of some of his now ex Ministers and government deeds.

This has all been surpassed by jetting around the world giving cash and overseas territories away and above all by his gross mishandling of the US relationship. I was one of the few that advised not to sack the talented professional Ambassador he inherited in Washington who did a great job for him in the early months. I thought Lord Mandelson was a risky appointment because he had been forced out twice before from senior government roles over conduct issues. The links with Epstein were well known and the last thing the President wanted was a UK Ambassador that revived memories of that man every time he entered the Oval Office for talks. It has proved to be even more spectacularly stupid than I imagined.

There was the need for Mandelson to back pedal on his past unfortunate comments about Trump. There was the sacking when they discovered he had been closer to Epstein for longer than they thought. There was the need to accuse Mandelson of lying to explain how it was he got through the appointment process. There was the need to fire Starmer’s Chief of Staff, blaming him for recommending the appointment. There was the need to respond to Parliament’s demand to see the papers surrounding the appointment and Mandelson’s work as Ambassador, still not properly complied with. Now there is the latest biggest disaster that it emerges Mandelson failed the original security vetting by the Cabinet Office.

The PM has sacked the top official at the Foreign Office and claims the Foreign Office overrode the security warnings without telling any Minister or any senior staff at No 10. This is difficult to believe as the Foreign Office Head made clear to Parliament the appointment of Mandelson was a personal political appointment made by the PM. The PM failed to tell the Commons of this new news on Wednesday when he could have done so. By Monday afternoon when the PM gets round to making a statement there will be days of adverse press and media speculation. The PM has once again left his MPs and party workers to explain the mess whilst he flies to Paris to pretend to have influence over a war he is trying to  sit out despite the bombs and threats against our shipping and our bases.

15 Comments

  1. Lifelogic
    April 18, 2026

    Exactly.

    A man totally unsuitable to be PM in every way. A compass 180 degrees out on every single issue and with zero honesty, morality or understanding of human nature.

    It seems Chancellor Rachel Reeves has indicated that she will not spend more on defence because it is “too male.” So will he not be spending more on schools or NHS nurses as far more teachers and nurses are female?
    Is doom loop Reeves completely mad? Will she also refuse more spending on energy, engineering, mining, drilling, fracking, physics, nuclear power, maths, economics as she will find these are rather male dominated too?

    Reply
    1. Ian Wragg
      April 18, 2026

      Starmer will not resign until he’s completed his wrecking tactics.
      He’s determined to give away Chagos and make us associate member of he EU.
      His handlers will keep him in place until jobs completed.
      Who these shadowy people are, i don’t know but they have their own agenda. It’s not in Britain’s interest.

      Reply
    2. PeteB
      April 18, 2026

      I can only see one scenario where the PM & Ministers were not told that Mandelson failed SV: because the PM had made clear in advance that Mandelson was to be the ambassador whatever ,and the civil service should “make it so”. What I don’t know I can’t tell.

      Reply
    3. Peter Wood
      April 18, 2026

      Starmer is the Labour party’s Mrs May. Both tried to do terrible ‘back-door’ deals with untrustworthy parties, without checking with those who had a veto, with May it was the DUP. Both can’t wait to leave the country to go to ‘talks’ with their ‘friends’ in the EU. Both disagreed with Trump on Iran. Ollie Robbins is a key player in both administrations. Starmer looks like he’s going to be removed from office in the same way as May.

      Reply
      1. Lynn Atkinson
        April 18, 2026

        The confidence and supply agreement was a Hobson’s Choice issue because, believe it or not, the Conservatives were the best option at that time.
        Note that the DUP voted against May’s treacherous Brexit deal in January and March 2019, which did I. Fact bring her, but not the Conservative Govt down.
        So this is a very different case.

        Reply
  2. Mick
    April 18, 2026

    And he kept on about Boris and a slice of cake. This guy continues to be an embarrassment to the Country. His contempt for the people he is meant to serve knows no bounds…….this man is a habitual liar and is not fit to my PM
    Slimy Starmer being a lawyer, he knows every dirty trick in the book. And parliament being full of lawyers he will probably find a way to slip out of this. If there was ever any honour in politics, it vanished decades ago.He should just go and call a General Election so we can get this bunch of idiots out off office

    Reply
    1. Lifelogic
      April 18, 2026

      Starmer will surely have to be dragged kicking and screaming from No 10.

      Reply
  3. Mark B
    April 18, 2026

    Good morning.

    The PM has sacked the top official at the Foreign Office and claims the Foreign Office overrode the security warnings without telling any Minister or any senior staff at No 10. This is difficult to believe . . .

    I agree. Very difficult to believe. Why would the FCO do such a thing ? There is no reason for them to do so.

    But I guess, as you sow, so shall you reap. And the reaper will come after the May elections. If he will not go then we must consider impeachment. Even if not possible it would be a good thing to float this idea after it was used the threaten Alexander Johnson when he was PM.

    Reply
  4. Steve Bullion
    April 18, 2026

    He believes his thick skin will see him through. It will take more than dynamite to make him resign and he is determined to be there for the full 10 years.

    His persuasive comments to Zelensky to keep going betrays his lust to have a poke at Russia, but much more than that he is not a man who responds to others well, particularly when it all goes against his wishes.

    Through ignorance and garbled soundbites he will find ways to avoid confronting his own treachery, even if it means sacking half the cabinet.

    Reply
  5. Donna
    April 18, 2026

    He told the country quite blatantly that he would rather be in Davos, hobnobbing with the Global power-brokers, than in the Mother of Parliaments, which he considers to be a tribal pantomime.

    He spends his time travelling around the world, pitching up for oh-so-serious meetings with similarly-inclined individuals (like Macron and Zelensky) which achieve absolutely nothing because (like Red Ed) he is touting for his next lucrative career in the Global Quangocracy when he is kicked out of Office here – which won’t be long now.

    He is a man completely unsuitable for the role of Prime Minister; a Legal Android who is not working in the UK’s interests and, if he is to be believed (I don’t), his Senior Officials and Senior Civil Servants don’t seem to bother to involve him in any of the nations affairs. So he might as well not be there.

    He doesn’t have an ounce of integrity.

    Reply
    1. glen cullen
      April 18, 2026

      Spot on Donna

      Reply
  6. Christine
    April 18, 2026

    With Starmer, he always blames others or Brexit when anything goes wrong. No wonder he wants to rejoin the EU. What happened to his message that he never throws colleagues under the bus and always takes responsibility for what his staff do? He is either not in control or incompetent. The problem we have is that there is no one even remotely suitable to replace him. Things will only get worse if he goes.

    Reply
    1. IanT
      April 18, 2026

      Yes, much as I want him gone, the likely replacements are even worse. Who will rid us of this troublsome Party?

      Reply
  7. Lifelogic
    April 18, 2026

    Iran has declared the Strait of Hormuz “completely open” to commercial traffic as of April 17, 2026, during a 10-day ceasefire, causing global oil prices to plunge over 10%. Brent crude fell to around
    $87−$90 a barrel after previously soaring above $100 during the crisis.

    I assume Ed Miliband will be very disappointed by this as Ed clearly wants fossil fuels use to be deterred and stamped out by being vastly expensive – unless of course it is for Labour Ministers or perhaps King Charles’s personal use.

    Also their doom loop, tax, borrow, waste and over regulate economic policies (which have so wrecked the economy) will be harder to try to blame on Trump.

    Reply
  8. Richard1
    April 18, 2026

    Starmer is comically unsuited (if it were actually funny) to being PM. His inadequacy for the role combined with his leftist world view and policies make him the worst we’ve ever had. The single most damaging thing by far is his trashing of the US relationship. That has put us all in real danger. Putin has now made explicit threats to attack specific parts of the UK. Unlikely perhaps as Russia can’t defeat Ukraine let alone NATO. But given how governments the last 30 years have run down defence, the most important thing any UK govt needs to do is make sure that if the UK gets attacked the US is on our side.

    It’s difficult to know what to wish for. On the one hand Starmer is clearly useless and most likely deceitful, on the other hand any replacement could be even worse. And to the extent Labour continue to be lumbered with an unpopular leader, it makes a centre-right victory at the next election more likely. My Goodness if we do get another chance the Conservatives (with or without reform) better not squander as they did last time.

    Reply

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