The Papers: ‘Starmer on collision course’ and ‘I didn’t know I was fibbing’
BBC
The prime minister is on a “collision course” over the Lord Mandelson vetting scandal, headlines the Guardian. Every paper on Tuesday covers Sir Keir Starmer’s assertions in the House of Commons that he had not known the peer had failed the checks to become British ambassador to the US and had not been told by the Foreign Office. Now Sir Olly Robbins, the most senior civil servant at the Foreign Office who was effectively sacked on Thursday, will make a “high-jeopardy” appearance and give “his side of story”.
“I didn’t know I was fibbing” headlines the Daily Star on Sir Keir’s comments, which it calls a “sorry excuse”. A speech bubble is attached to a photo of Lord Mandelson with his head in his hands that reads “I’m Mandy.. Don’t hire me.”
The Times is reporting that Sir Olly will say the PM “forced Foreign Office to approve Mandelson job” in his Commons appearance. A “sombre” Sir Keir stares out of the front page, alongside the news that all schools in England will be told they must ban smartphones after a “surprise government policy change”.
The Daily Telegraph also quotes a section of Sir Keir’s speech for its headline: “I know many MPs will find these facts to be incredible.” The PM “resembles Monty Python’s black knight” it writes, “hacking off his own limbs through face-saving sackings” until “he’s a stump on the ground, wiggling furiously and shouting “Fight me, fight me! I’m a man of integrity!”
“It’s everyone’s fault but his” declares the Daily Mail as Sir Keir “finally admits he WAS wrong to appoint Mandelson – but still WON’T resign”. A close-up of Sir Keir is juxtaposed with the words “I’ve only been taking testosterone for 3 days – and it’s working already”, from former Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries.
The Independent says it reported that Lord Mandelson had failed his vetting “seven months ago”. Now, in a meta headline it says “proof” that Sir Keir knew this was “Indy’s front page”.
“I know my story sounds ‘incredible’,” the i Paper quotes Sir Keir as saying on its front page. Elsewhere, “tomato shortages and £9 pints” are the “reality of 2026’s food price surge”.
In the lead for the Financial Times. “Starmer claims officials deliberately kept him in the dark over Mandelson”. The pink’s Stephen Bush says the “fiasco over Mandelson reveals the true nature of Starmerism”.
The Daily Mirror also leads with the “Mandelson vetting crisis”, headlining with “they chose not to tell me”. No 10 is “bullish”, the paper adds.
“For once you are actually right PM” jeers the Daily Express, quoting Sir Keir that his version of events of the Mandelson vetting story “beggars belief”.
“Incredible? Yes, prime minister” leads the Metro. The PM is “in a ‘cover-up’ claim as he fights for job”, it writes.
With the arrival of what would have been the late Queen Elizabeth II’s 100th birthday, the Sun headlines on comments from King Charles III on “Mama’s legacy of hope in troubled times”. In a video address he says “I take heart from her belief that goodness will always prevail”.
The front pages are dominated by reaction to the prime minister’s grilling in Parliament over Lord Peter Mandelson. The Daily Mail has a close-up picture of Sir Keir Starmer and the headline “it’s everyone’s fault but his”. The Daily Express argues that “for once” he got it right – stating that the “Mandelson vetting scandal” beggars belief. The Daily Telegraph reckons the whole situation has left the prime minister looking silly – with Conservatives finding it “hilarious” and Labour MPs “mortifying”.
Elsewhere, the Financial Times reports that firms on the FTSE100 have boosted their bosses’ pay by nearly 20% in the past year. It says research by Deloitte shows they are also less focussed on environmental, social and governance targets but, the paper says, the UK is still a long way behind the “moonshot” pay awards being given to CEOs in the US.
The Guardian picks up on research suggesting that cocaine in rivers could be accumulating in the brains of salmon, disrupting their behaviour. A team of scientists found that juveniles exposed to the drug swam further, and in a broader range of directions. They believe that could make the fish more vulnerable to predators, as they use more energy and so need to spend more time looking for food.
The Sun’s front page is one of several to feature a picture of the late Queen Elizabeth, on what would have been her 100th birthday. The paper says Britain still misses her “calming, reassuring presence”, while the Mirror believes the best way to honour her legacy is to strive for “peace, harmony and a better future in uncertain times”.