Starmer faces 'judgement day' and 'Breakthrough in the Strait'

Starmer faces 'judgement day' and 'Breakthrough in the Strait' 6 minutes agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleThe pressure building on the prime minister over Lord Mandelson's failed vetting continues to dominate Saturday's papers. The Guardian quotes senior government officials saying Sir Keir Starmer faces "judgement day" next week when Sir Olly Robbins, the top Foreign Office official who was sacked over the scandal, is expected to appear before a committee of MPs.The Daily Telegraph headlines on "Starmer goes to war on Whitehall", reporting that the PM has accused the Foreign Office of misleading him in the process of hiring Lord Mandelson as ambassador to the US. The paper also quotes a minister saying the row means Sir Keir is facing "an inevitable death, but a very slow one".Sir Olly "will fight back against Starmer in public showdown" says the i Weekend. The paper reports the sacked Foreign Office boss is refusing to take the blame for the scandal and will give evidence to Parliament about "what really happened".The Daily Mail says two of the PM's top aides found out last month that Lord Mandelson was given the post of US ambassador against the advice of security officials. Sir Keir has insisted he did not know of the peer's failed vetting until earlier this week.The Independent has its own message to the PM, saying it ran a story in September 2025 that revealed MI6 had failed to clear Lord Mandelson."Time PM took responsibility for the errors" is the Daily Express's take, quoting Labour MPs who say Sir Keir's excuses "won't cut it on the doorstep" in the run-up to next month's local elections.The Daily Star bids "au revoir 'pants on fire' Keir" on its front page, branding him as a "dead man walking".The FT Weekend says the PM "digs in" as he faces accusations from Conservative leader Kemi...