WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING: Donald Trump addressed Americans from the Oval Office via a Truth Social video after influential conservative activist Charlie Kirk was shot dead. The U.S. president said he is “filled with grief and anger” and that this was a “dark moment for America.” PM Keir Starmer and Reform UK’s Nigel Farage (who knew Kirk) are among the British figures to have paid tribute after his shocking death, which will dominate headlines Stateside for days to come and spill over into debates about political violence here in Britain too. Here’s the full story with what we know so far from POLITICO U.S.
Good Thursday morning. This is Andrew McDonald.
DRIVING THE DAY
MANDELSON DANGLES BY A THREAD: Ministers and officials will spend today watching through their fingers for any more wince-inducing revelations about Peter Mandelson’s friendship with Jeffrey Epstein. The Labour grandee’s future lies in the balance — words you could have written at many stages of his long and scandal-hit career. The context and the story are different this time, but that’ll be no comfort for Keir Starmer, who faces the agonizing choice of whether to stick or twist with the man he chose as his ambassador to Washington. And all less than a week before the Donald Trump circus arrives in England.
Fighter, not a quitter: No. 10 was standing by its man last night, making clear there had been no change to the position raked over at PMQs and in the Lobby briefing that followed — namely, that Mandelson still retains Starmer’s full confidence. Playbook hears the ambassador isn’t planning to resign.
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Which means … another day of Mandelson-focused questions for the PM’s spokesperson at 11.30 a.m. … for Defence Secretary John Healey after a 2.30 p.m. speech, if hacks are brave enough to go off topic … for MHCLG Secretary Steve Reed, who has a visit and a BBC interview later … and for Mike Tapp. Spare a thought for the newly-minted Home Office minister, who has his first morning broadcast round for the government. A baptism of fire.
Top of the question list: Whether (and when) Keir Starmer asked Mandelson what, exactly, was still to emerge about his associations with Epstein — given the ambo told the Sun Tuesday night he had “no doubt at all” more revelations were “going to come out.” And whether Starmer went out to defend him at PMQs in the knowledge that Mandelson had told Epstein, when he faced charges of soliciting a minor, that “your friends stay with you and love you.” Mandelson told the BBC he “relied on assurances of [Epstein’s] innocence that turned out later to be horrendously false.”
For what it’s worth: Playbook hears that while Starmer did not speak to Mandelson about the issue on Wednesday, No. 10 was at least kept in the loop on Mandelson’s interview with Harry Cole that dominated headlines Wednesday morning.
Early morning reading for Mike Tapp: Bloomberg’s investigative team obtained more than 100 emails between the ambassador and Epstein (and published several of them), many of which contain humiliating extra details and cryptic bits that raise more questions. Read through them all here.
Strategy, strategy, strategy: Curiously … Bloomberg also published some of the sausage-making behind its story. The journalists revealed they sent Mandelson a detailed right of reply that didn’t get a response on Monday … then followed up for a response on Wednesday morning after learning of Mandelson’s Sun interview … and then watched the wording of some of the most eye-catching emails appear in the Sun on Wednesday evening. How on earth could that have happened?
BETTING ON VETTING: Of course, anyone speaking for the government today will likely point, as Starmer and his officials did, to the “full due process” undertaken prior to Mandelson’s appointment. The real question is what that process actually uncovered and how much the PM made a political judgement to appoint him anyway. The hope among optimistic officials last night was that the emails published by the Sun and Bloomberg were the worst of what is out there. But but but …
Overshadowing the pomp: Even if that’s true, it doesn’t rule out a drip-drip of new stories, or calls from various new quarters for Mandelson to go, in the days leading up to next week’s state visit. Any journalists who get the opportunity to ask questions of Trump and Starmer could sour the mood by (fairly) asking Starmer about Mandelson’s Epstein links, watched by a president with his own associations to Epstein. And Trump really hates being asked about Epstein. What will King Charles think of it all?
Before and after: With many of the front pages giving Mandelson a pasting — the Mail has the punchiest — there are also a couple of fresh disclosures splattered around overnight. The Times reports on a secret memo (which was blocked from being published in a standard National Archives release, according to the paper) from Mandelson urging Tony Blair to meet Epstein in 2002 … and the paper reports that in 2013, five years after Epstein pleaded guilty to the solicitation of a minor, Mandelson asked Epstein for his help in vetting an Israeli political consultant.
“FT obsession” no more: Given all that, it’s little wonder the political pressure is increasing — after Tory Leader Kemi Badenoch ratcheted it up by making the government very uncomfortable at PMQs. Some Labour MPs called for Mandelson to go Wednesday (six by Playbook’s count), with the Telegraph picking up their comments here. The six are from the left but Blue Labour commander in chief Maurice Glasman was making similar noises too, and the Mail’s Jason Groves got hold of a memo Glasman sent Morgan McSweeney at the start of the year urging the government not to appoint Mandelson. How many more Labour figures will pipe up today?
Many such cases: Loads of Labour MPs already fatigued by previous delays over sackings and scandal-caused resignations are privately expecting, and hoping, for Mandelson to be pushed out before any further damage is caused. “There’s a risk this morphs into another full blown political crisis for the PM,” a senior Labour figure tells HuffPost’s Kevin Schofield, while another MP voices the question inspiring fear in Labour circles to Kitty Donaldson at the i — “What happens if the Sunday papers have more?” Phase 2, going well.
BATTLE OF THE DEPUTIES
AND THEN THERE WERE (PROBABLY) TWO: As things stand this morning, the Labour deputy leadership race looks like a two-horse race between Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson and the sacked former Cabinet minister Lucy Powell — with the two northern women the only contenders anywhere near the magic 80 nomination threshold right now. Confirmation of a battle between the two, and/or a third candidate, will come after nominations close at 5 p.m.
Scores on the doors: Phillipson was on 116 supporters when the nominations list was updated at 7 p.m. last night, with Powell on 77. The two candidates furthest to the left, Bell Ribeiro-Addy and Paula Barker, were on 15 and 14 respectively, with Emily Thornberry on 13.
Of course … a good 160-odd MPs are still yet to nominate, the camps will fight to the end, and there’s a chance that MPs who know Powell and Phillipson are across the line could turn their attention to widening the debate. (A tactic that went so well in 2015.) So there is a plausible path for a third candidate to sneak onto the ballot. But it will require MPs to strategize rather than splitting three ways. And remember, as Aubrey Allegretti from the Times pointed out, they can’t switch their nominations from one candidate to another.
Unless … Their chosen candidate pulls out, as many suspect some or all of the three trailing candidates may today. So there could be twists and turns to come. Especially given the relative unknown of the requirement for endorsement from three Labour-affiliated groups.
But as it stands … it looks as if we’re getting a race between Phillipson, the favored candidate of several Cabinet ministers (and in all likelihood No. 10, though her team denies that she is the “machine candidate”), and Powell, whose allies make the case that as a backbencher she will have more time to be a campaigning deputy. One Phillipson-supporting MP tells the Times their candidate is “really good, but no matter how hard she tries this will turn into a referendum on the government and the membership just can’t wait to give them a kicking.” It might be a messy one.
LAST NIGHT ON ZOOM: The five candidates faced off for a PLP-only online hustings. The frontrunner Phillipson told MPs she was the only candidate who could unite the party (h/t Tony Diver) while Powell went more on the full-time campaigner angle. Powell also brought back an old Corbyn (and Blair, TBF) slogan (h/t Max Kendix).
Otherwise … it wasn’t all that interesting, from what Playbook could gather last night — though two MPs pointed to the trailing Thornberry as being “unnecessarily rude” about the other candidates in an otherwise apparently good-natured contest. Maybe involving members at the next stage will ignite the drama.
TODAY IN WESTMINSTER
SCOOP: Reform UK’s Zia Yusuf had a blazing row with members of the audience after Sky’s live immigration debate last night, two people with knowledge of the incident told Playbook. Once the cameras stopped rolling, Yusuf was said to have ended up shouting at the audience and accusing them of being biased — to the point where host Trevor Phillips intervened to tell Yusuf to “stop shouting at the audience.”
Reform’s response: A Reform official confirmed the row took place — but insisted the audience started shouting in an abusive way at Yusuf first. They said Yusuf became irate because audience members aimed personal, and allegedly racist, abuse in his direction, adding that Reform will be making a formal complaint about the way its head of policy was treated.
MEANWHILE, IN WAR: Britain is considering sending fighter jets to Poland after it was forced to shoot down multiple drones in its airspace, the Times (print only), Telegraph and my colleague Esther Webber report. “We stand with our Polish friends just as we have stood with Ukraine,” Defence Minister Luke Pollard told Esther. He stressed that U.K. forces have experience of defending the airspace on NATO’s eastern flank.
Pollard pointed to … the U.K.’s recent air policing missions over Poland, RAF Typhoons which have been flying alongside Swedish fighters from Polish air bases and the deployment of the Sky Saber air defense missile system to Poland. A government official said all these were being considered.
Hear from Healey: Defence Secretary John Healey will make the closing keynote speech at the DSEI U.K. event at 2.30 p.m., and will take questions afterward.
SCOOP — TEED UP: Teesside is set to be formally confirmed as a government “AI growth zone” imminently, POLITICO’s Dan Bloom writes in. The FT reported in July that this was coming down the track and it is linked to plans for a massive data center on the old Teesworks site in Redcar. Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen told POLITICO an announcement is coming after he worked closely with ministers and the PM’s former AI adviser Matt Clifford, adding that what he wants to deliver on Teeside is “almost double the size of the whole of the data center economy in the whole of the U.K.” A DSIT spox said the department was “working closely” to identify the most promising applications to take forward.
But here’s the side plot: A decision by Net Zero Secretary Ed Miliband is still looming — he pushed the deadline back to Oct. 30 — over BP proposals to build a hydrogen plant on the same site (which Houchen backed in its previous form but now opposes). So what exactly all this will mean for the land clash over the two competing mega-projects, is still … hard to tell.
IN OTHER TECH NEWS: The U.K. and U.S. will sign a slim but security-focused tech pact during Donald Trump’s state visit next week, my tech colleague Tom Bristow reports. Trump will be flanked by a bevy of tech and finance bros, including NVIDIA boss Jensen Huang, who Tom hears will make an investment announcement in Blyth, Northumberland, the site of what will be Britain’s biggest data center.
BORIS FILES LATEST: The Conservative Party is facing questions about a possible breach of electoral law, the Guardian’s Henry Dyer, Tom Burgis and Rob Evans report in the latest story in the paper’s “Boris Files” series. They write that donations worth £2.6 million registered to Rosemary Saïd may have come from her husband Wafic Saïd, a Monaco-based businessman who is barred from donating to U.K. political parties because he isn’t eligible to vote here.
Rights of reply: Saïd said he hasn’t donated to the Tories “for at least 25 years, and any suggestion otherwise would be clearly untrue.” A Conservative spokesperson said the party conducted “proper due diligence” on the donations.
IT’S NOT ME, IT’S YOU: Multinational drugmaker Merck has scrapped a £1 billion London research center and will lay off more than 100 staff because the U.K. is not “internationally competitive.” The story splashes the Financial Times.
DIFFERENT SHADES OF BLUE: Former Home Secretary Suella Braverman, Reform’s Richard Tice and Tory peer David Frost will join forces from across party lines to launch a new Prosperity Institute-sponsored report calling for the U.K. to leave the ECHR and “reclaim full sovereignty.” The report — which will be presented at a Westminster event from 10 a.m. — argues that leaving the ECHR is critical to ensure the government is able to stop the boats and get a handle on illegal immigration.
They won’t like this: The trio’s appearance comes the day after Attorney General Richard Hermer told the Lords’ Constitution Committee that reforming the ECHR is impossible in the short term and that it would be a “political trick” to pretend meaningful changes to it could be achieved in time to make a difference, per the Times’ Matt Dathan. But his promise that the government will “leave no stone unturned” in how British courts interpret the ECHR does net him rare positive write-ups in the Mail and Telegraph.
NIGEL’S WORLD: Reform U.K. is taking advice from a Trump-aligned think tank which casts doubt on climate science and has accused the government of trying to control the population using remotely-controlled electric vehicles, my colleague Abby Wallace reports. The Heartland Institute — which launched its U.K. arm in December — told Abby that it has “held conversations” with Reform policymakers. A Reform spokesperson didn’t deny that it had held discussions with the think tank.
WHAT THE GOVERNMENT WANTS TO TALK ABOUT: Migration — as the Home Office publishes new stats on the number of visa sponsors for skilled and temporary workers who have had their licenses cancelled in the last year. Mike Tapp will try to use his morning round to warn those who abuse the migration system face the “strongest possible consequences.”
THE TRUMP LANGUAGE TAKEOVER: New Housing Secretary Steve Reed will meet housing developers at 9.30 a.m. to deliver his “build, baby, build” mantra as the government looks to try and make progress toward its tricky 1.5 million homes target, as the Telegraph reported Monday. He’ll then head on a visit to a housing development in Bedfordshire, and has a BBC interview planned (though no word on whether that will air today).
HEALTH SCARE: The latest NHS waiting list stats are published at 9.30 a.m. … and they’re likely to come up when NHS England boss Jim Mackey and health department perm sec Samantha Jones appear before the Public Accounts Committee half an hour later.
REPORTS OUT TODAY: The government must restore funding to combat female genital mutilation in the U.K., says a new report by the Commons Women and Equalities Committee … more details are urgently needed about plans to merge the National Careers Service and Jobcentres into a new jobs and careers service, says the Work and Pensions Committee … European countries should lower taxes, reduce the size of the public sector and slash regulations to reverse structural economic decline across the continent, says a report by the Growth Commission.
HOUSE OF COMMONS: Sits from 9.30 a.m. with transport questions … questions to Commons Leader Alan Campbell … an environment committee statement on border biosecurity … and Labour MPs Catherine Atkinson, Lee Pitcher and Irene Campbell have backbench business on regional transport inequality, suicide prevention and male chick culling respectively.
WESTMINSTER HALL: Debates from 1.30 p.m. on topics including regulations for cosmetic treatments (Conservative MP Bradley Thomas) … and consumer affairs (Labour MP Matt Western).
HOUSE OF LORDS: Sits from 11 a.m. with questions on reducing the youth unemployment rate, the recent ban on social media by the Nepalese government and improving EU-U.K. conditions for arts and creative industries … an urgent question repeat by Vernon Coaker on the implications of Israel’s recent strike in Qatar for peace in the Middle East … and Day 6 of the committee stage of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill.
BEYOND THE M25
UNDER ATTACK: Far-right and far-left groups in the European Parliament are both formally demanding that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen face a no-confidence vote. While von der Leyen’s position is likely secure because she holds the support of a majority of lawmakers, the move may enable her centrist allies to squeeze concessions from her. My POLITICO colleague Max Griera has more.
“WE’LL GET THEM NEXT TIME”: Israel’s Ambassador to the U.S. told Fox News that Hamas’ leaders are now on notice that Israel plans to “eliminate” them, even if they survived Tuesday’s airstrike in Qatar. “If we didn’t get them this time, we’ll get them the next time,” Yechiel Leiter said. Reuters wrote it up.
LIFE ON MARS: Spots on rocks suggest that ancient life once thrived on Mars, according to scientists at NASA. They say that after a year of looking for other ways the marks could have been made, they cannot find another explanation for them. The Telegraph has more.
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MEDIA ROUND
Migration and Citizenship Minister Mike Tapp broadcast round: Times Radio (7.05 a.m.) … Sky (7.15 a.m.) … BBC Breakfast (7.30 a.m.) … LBC (7.50 a.m.) … Today (8.10 a.m.) … GMB (8.30 a.m.) … GB News (9.05 a.m.).
Also on Nick Ferrari at Breakfast: Independent MP Rosie Duffield (7.05 a.m.) … retired police chief Andy Hayman (8.10 a.m.).
Also on Times Radio Breakfast: Conservative MP Iain Duncan Smith (7.45 a.m.) … former Defence Secretary Ben Wallace (8 a.m.) … former Justice Secretary Charles Falconer (8.30 a.m.) … Reform’s immigration spokesperson Ann Widdecombe (8.45 a.m.).
Also on Sky News Breakfast: Iain Duncan-Smith (7.15 a.m.) … Businessman John Caudwell (7.30 a.m.) … Air Marshal Edward Stringer and former Defence Secretary Grant Shapps (8.30 a.m.).
Also on LBC News: Liberal Democrat MP Sarah Olney (7.40 a.m.) … UK Hospitality boss Kate Nicholls (9.10 a.m.).
Politics Live (BBC Two 12.15 p.m.): Labour MP Natasha Irons … Conservative MP Neil Shastri-Hurst … columnist Steve Richards … and former Tory SpAd Anita Boateng.
**POLITICO hour-special debrief: From Washington to Windsor Castle: What Trump’s State Visit will Mean for the UK. Join our renowned editorial team on Sep. 15 at 5:00 p.m. BST / 6:00 p.m. EST – with Jack Blanchard bringing the U.S. perspective – as they unpack what the visit means for trade, security, and diplomacy. With access to this debrief, plus a trial to our U.K. Pro Trade and Technology newsletters between Sep. 15–19, you’ll gain the intelligence to navigate the transatlantic agenda with confidence. Register today.**
TODAY’S FRONT PAGES
POLITICO UK: The Trump-aligned climate skeptics advising Britain’s Nigel Farage.
Daily Express: When Harry finally met his father again.
Daily Mail: Now Mandelson must be fired.
Daily Mirror: Hello Papa.
Daily Star: When Harry met Charlie.
Financial Times: Fresh blow to Labour growth drive as Merck pulls plug on £1bn research site.
Metro: Reckless Putin is testing West.
The Daily Telegraph: Fight on, Mandelson told jailed Epstein.
The Guardian: Poland warns of war threat after Russian drones breach airspace.
The Independent: Calls for Mandelson to quit over “best pal” Epstein revelations.
The i Paper: Mandelson on brink over leaked emails with Epstein.
The Sun: Harry’s tea with the king.
The Times: Starmer refuses to sack Mandelson as U.S. envoy.
TODAY’S NEWS MAGS
The New Statesman: The fight back.
The Spectator: Royal treatment.
LONDON CALLING
WESTMINSTER WEATHER: Sunny in the morning, giving way to light showers by lunch. High 20C, low 11C.
PUB QUIZ: My colleagues have just announced the first batch of interviewees at our inaugural POLITICO Pub at Labour conference — including new Housing Secretary Steve Reed, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander and Scottish and Welsh leaders Anas Sarwar and Eluned Morgan. Plenty to chat about ahead of those May 2026 elections. Mr. Money Saving Expert Martin Lewis will also be in Liverpool to give his reaction to the chancellor’s speech. Additional accreditation is required for the Pub — don’t forget to apply — and there’ll be a live stream for readers not lucky enough to make the cut. More big names and full timings to come in the next few weeks.
NEW GIG: Tory peer and Guido Fawkes Editor Ross Kempsell has another hat to add to his collection. Having given up his role spinning for Boris Johnson over the summer, as Playbook reported Monday, he’s joining Policy Exchange as the lead for its “Future of the Right” project.
Also joining the think tank … Rakib Ehsan as a senior fellow, and Gareth Lyon as its head of health and social care policy.
SPOTTED: At the FT’s annual party at 180 Strand … Chancellor Rachel Reeves … Energy Secretary Ed Miliband, deep in conversation with Guardian editor-in-chief Katharine Viner on a white corner sofa … Chief Whip Jonathan Reynolds … Attorney General Richard Hermer … Treasury Minister Torsten Bell … Conservative Leader Kemi Badenoch … Shadow Housing Secretary James Cleverly … Lib Dem Leader Ed Davey … Oxford Chancellor and former Conservative Leader William Hague … Tory peer David Willetts … crossbench peer Jim O’Neill … Technology Committee Chair Chi Onwurah … No. 10 comms chief Tim Allan … MI5 Director Ken McCallum in animated conversation with Home Office perm sec Antonia Romeo … Department of Business and Trade Permanent Secretary Gareth Davies …
Change please: FT editor-in-chief Roula Khalaf raised a wry laugh by saying that, 14 months into the Labour government, “We are all waiting for their exciting plans to change the country.” Khalaf said embattled U.S. Ambassador Peter Mandelson had been unable to attend but “sends his love to all of you,” to some mild grimacing … and the assorted politicos and bond market obsessives dug into a grazing table laden with cured meats, assorted cheeses and giant olives.
Also spotted: SpAds Richard Brooks, Tobias Garnett, Sophia Kewell, Jonty Leibowitz, Ben Nunn and Spencer Thompson … Cabinet Office Head of News Joseph Potts … IPPR boss Harry Quilter-Pinner … the FT’s Ashley Armstrong, Stephen Bush, Chris Cook, Anna Gross, Henry Mance, George Parker, Jim Pickard and Jay Rayner … the News Agents’ Emily Maitlis and Louis Degenhardt … the BBC’s Tim Davie and Nick Robinson … LBC’s Nick Ferrari … Sky News’ Darren McCaffrey … ITV’s Robert Peston … Ofcom boss Melanie Dawes … diplomats Inigo Lambertini, Stefan Gullgren, Hélène Tréheux-Duchêne, Sven Sakkov and Alin Lots … and Met Police comms chief Ray Tang.
SPOTTED ELSEWHERE: At the Labour Digital drinks reception at the Horse and Guardsman pub on Whitehall … Labour Digital’s Andy Twelves, Neil Ross, Charlie Mercer, Harry Moy, Emma Evans, Pete Turay, Vincenzo Rampulla, Teekay Brown and Maddy Steggall … the Good Growth Foundation’s Arthur Fyfe-Stoica and Billie Coulson … Global Counsel’s Tom Doherty … the Institute for the Future of Work’s Claddagh NicLochlainn … Clarity’s Elisabeth Sullivan … parliamentary staffers Leah Quinn and Tom Smith … the Minderoo Centre’s Tom Lacy … CampaignLab’s Matt Collins … Jisc’s Frankie Walker … and Startup Coalition’s Martha Dacombe.
And a mea culpa: The drinks were hosted by Labour Digital only.
MUTTS: The winner of the Westminster Dog of the Year is announced today.
MORE NEW GIGS: Former LabourList Editor Tom Belger is joining WPI Strategy as a senior adviser while maintaining a regular column in the Labour house journal … and former Lisa Nandy SpAd Richard Howarth starts as a senior director at Fleetwood Strategy.
NOW READ: Left-wing journalist Archie Woodrow has a revealing (and extremely long) look in the Prometheus Journal at the establishment of Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana’s new party. Some of the finer details have been disputed but it’s been making its way round left-wing X.
WRITING PLAYBOOK PM: Emilio Casalicchio.
WRITING PLAYBOOK FRIDAY MORNING: Andrew McDonald.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO: Former LOTO chief of staff Lee Rowley … Norwich South MP Clive Lewis … Tory peer James Sassoon … former Broxbourne MP Charles Walker … former SNP MP Anum Qaisar … BBC editorial executive Jess Brammar … Playbook’s own Martin Alfonsin Larsen … former Syrian dictator Bashar Assad.
REST IN PEACE: Long-serving IEA trustee and public affairs pro Kevin Bell died of a heart attack Tuesday.
PLAYBOOK COULDN’T HAPPEN WITHOUT: My editors Alex Spence and Dan Bloom, researcher Martin Alfonsin Larsen and producer Lola Boom.
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