News 08/02/26

Sir Keir Starmer’s chief of staff Morgan McSweeney has resigned.

In a statement, he said he decided to leave government after careful reflection. He said appointing Peter Mandelson was wrong and had damaged the party, the country and trust in politics. McSweeney said he advised the Prime Minister to make the appointment, took responsibility for that advice, and said the only honourable course was to step aside.

Lindsey Vonn has suffered a devastating crash in the women’s downhill final at the Winter Olympics.

The 41 year old American had ruptured her ACL at a World Cup race in Switzerland on 30 January but remained determined to compete. Her team confirmed she is in a stable condition. Thirteen seconds into her final run in Cortina in northern Italy, Vonn crashed after clipping a slalom gate while airborne.

Andrew Mountbatten Windsor appears to have knowingly shared confidential information with Jeffrey Epstein from his work as a trade envoy in 2010 and 2011, according to newly released files in the United States.

Emails show the former prince passing on reports of visits to Singapore, Hong Kong and Vietnam, alongside confidential details of investment opportunities. Guidance says trade envoys have a duty of confidentiality over sensitive commercial or political information.

Japan’s ultra conservative prime minister is set to gain more power after an exit poll suggested she secured a big majority in the lower house.

Sanae Takaichi’s coalition is forecast by NHK to win between 302 and 366 of the 465 seats. That is well above the 233 needed for control, following her decision to call a rare winter snap election.

The Met Office has issued a fresh warning for heavy rain, with more than 200 flood alerts still active.

A yellow warning covers southern England and large parts of South Wales from midday Monday until midnight, with up to 30 millimetres expected. Areas affected include Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Portsmouth, Southampton, West Sussex, Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, and Welsh cities such as Cardiff, Swansea and Newport.

A cabinet minister has urged Labour MPs not to move against Sir Keir Starmer over his handling of the Lord Mandelson scandal.

Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden said appointing the former minister as US ambassador in 2024 was a terrible mistake, despite his links to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein being public. However, he warned against changing leader just 18 months after Labour returned to power, as one affiliated union called for change.

The US president and Israel’s prime minister are set to meet in Washington on Wednesday to discuss negotiations with Iran, according to Benjamin Netanyahu’s office.

On Friday, Iranian and US officials met in Muscat, Oman, for indirect nuclear talks. The discussions follow a continued American naval build-up near Iran, which Donald Trump has described as an “armada.” The US president has repeatedly threatened military action since the Iranian regime launched a bloody crackdown on city-wide protests last month.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has provided further details on upcoming trilateral talks with the US and Russia.

He said the US proposed a new round of talks in Miami next week, which Kyiv has agreed to attend. Zelenskyy added that the US has set a June deadline for Ukraine and Russia to reach an agreement to end the war. “They say that they want to do everything by June,” he told reporters, emphasising the urgency of the talks.

A nurse has been struck off after taking drugs from Wexham Park Hospital in Slough for her own use on twenty-two occasions.

Helen McLaughlan removed painkillers, including ibuprofen and codeine, and falsely recorded they were for patients, some of whom were no longer at the hospital. The Nursing and Midwifery Council confirmed the misconduct, while Frimley Health NHS Trust said it will always act when staff fall short of required standards.