No one is safe in Trumpland – even the Prince of Darkness

Published

6 months ago

January 20, 2025

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It was a small signifier – one which could be over-interpreted – but nevertheless provoked angst among some in government at a time when there isn’t universally huge confidence that UK-US political relations are as robust as they should be.

On Sunday, the British Embassy in Washington had a bash for members of the incoming Trump administration: a chance to boost goodwill amongst supporters of the 47th president as they prepared to descend on the nation’s capital.

Organisers hoped to get a very high-value guest indeed: someone who isn’t a household name, or a member of the incoming Trump cabinet, but who was set to become the most powerful attendee of the lot within hours – Susie Wiles, Donald Trump’s chief of staff and long-time political consultant.

Credited with injecting a level of professionalism in Trump 2.0 absent in 2016 and 2017, Wiles is so close to Trump that he invited her to take the microphone as part of his victory speech on election day in November. As she almost always does, she declined the limelight.

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There are many good and understandable reasons why Wiles would have been absent from a British embassy party hours before her man swore the oath of office and returned to the White House.

But her failure to attend was nevertheless a disappointment felt on both sides of the Atlantic. Just the latest source of insecurity, it seems, as the special relationship is put to the test. Insecurity at a very difficult moment.

As Donald 2.0 returns to the world stage, the rhetoric from Keir Starmer and David Lammy could not, superficially, appear more confident in US-UK links.

In remarks released on Sunday night, the PM talked about a shared history fighting common enemies and deepening the special relationship. But, behind the scenes, there is far less certainty that all is well – and we will soon see if this is true.

Nowhere will this be put to a faster, more brutal test than over the attitude of the White House, Trump allies and the president himself to Lord Peter Mandelson – the man Downing Street hopes will be the incoming British ambassador to Washington.

At some point in February, Lord Mandelson – known as the Prince of Darkness from his days as a New Labour spin doctor – will fly to Washington to present his credentials to the new president, a precondition of starting work in the job.

But, in truth, nobody really knows what will happen at that point: whether they will be accepted, and whether Lord Mandelson will be able to get on the job to which he has been tasked by Starmer.

In London on Sunday, government sources got to work claiming the suggestion his application to be the next inhabitant of 3100 Massachusetts Avenue could be rejected was just “bar room gossip”.

But it is not.

In parts of government it is being considered a clear and present danger. A full-scale diplomatic effort over the coming weeks will be put into securing Lord Mandelson’s position. The stakes are high, because of the way Number 10 has gone about this selection.

The fundamentals of our link to the US – the shared history, the Five Eyes security alliance, military and diplomatic cooperation – means a special relationship will almost certainly endure whatever the path of Trump’s second presidency.

But the political ties between the Labour Party and Trump-leaning Republicans are deeply frayed and recently got worse, according to multiple sources I’ve spoken to – and much of this could play itself out in how Trumpland chooses to treat Lord Mandelson in the next few weeks.

Some of those around Trump have made it clear that the incoming president is still minded to reject Mandelson’s credentials on two grounds: previous criticism of the president himself, and also over his support for China and business dealings with a country out of favour with the US.

All this against a backdrop of the first political diplomatic appointment to Washington in decades.

This means Lord Mandelson is also weighed down by all the baggage of months of rows over Labour’s efforts to campaign for rival Kamal Harris and the role of Starmer’s pollster Deborah Mattinson in the US during the election.

However, the manner of Downing Street’s appointment of Lord Mandelson was just as big a problem as the name itself, I’m told.

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Long before the election, Labour signalled a preference for a political appointee to succeed Karen Pierce, the respected incumbent.

But the months rolled on and Number 10 put back the decision, creating a vacuum which Ms Pierce filled by – what some saw as – a campaign to continue in post.

In Trumpland, she ensured she was regarded as the best woman for the job, and was – according to sources – even succeeding on being on the radar of President Trump himself.

The rest of Washington acknowledged her success getting close to the now president as well.

It took until December, and a visit by Starmer’s chief of staff Morgan McSweeney, before a decision was made that Lord Mandelson should get the job, and made clear he was starting in a matter of weeks.

It was an abrupt end to Ms Pierce’s time. Allies of the incoming president, who had an affection for Ms Pierce, were aghast. “Trumpland was horrified,” a source told me. “They were saying we want you to stay.”

Tales of their horror have ricocheted around Whitehall, with one source in the Foreign Office claiming they think Lord Mandelson is “dead on arrival” as it stands, and a huge effort is needed to reverse this.

Inside government, there’s an acknowledgement they did not initially fathom how grumpy Trump allies had become, and just how serious the consequences might be for a prime minister who has unexpectedly made foreign policy such a key part of the job.

There is now irritation in all direction. Whitehall sources said today Number 10 is cross with Ms Pierce, who they blame for making life more difficult for Lord Mandelson.

“They are briefing Karen is “vindictive” and better watch out or she won’t get an honour. Ridiculous. What 25 years of service and this is how it ends. This is disgusting – no respect,” they said.

Number 10 deny any rift, on the day Ms Pierce is the only representative of the UK government at the inauguration. The Foreign Office insist Ms Pierce has only ever been doing the job she was tasked to do.

Whatever happens, a big fight is on to ensure Lord Mandelson gets the post he’s been given.

Yet all this for a Labour figure that some claim is not as close to Sir Keir as some assume.

He is well-liked by the chief of staff, Mr McSweeney, but I’m told that Sir Keir has had flashes of irritation about Lord Mandelson both in the run-up to the general election and during the autumn – even as the selection process for ambassador was underway.

Ominously, there is precedent for Trumpland casting out a UK ambassador: Sir Kim Darroch was effectively excommunicated by Trump during the first presidency after disobliging cables written by Sir Kim were leaked while in office.

Lord Mandelson will make no such mistake – he wrote an ingratiating piece last Friday on the Fox News website praising Trump’s “straight-taking and deal-making”. He knows what he has to do.

The question now is how much Trumpland bears a grudge. The 47th president is at the peak of his power in the coming months, is signalling he is unwilling to back down, but it is unclear how many fights he wants to pick at once.

Sir Keir and David Lammy will both make trips to the US in the coming weeks, when ensuring the smooth transition of our man in the US is a priority.

But it is clear nothing is obvious. The failure of Susie Wiles to attend Sunday’s event prompted some to speculate maybe she was behind some of the briefings which ended up in the Sunday papers. With the fate of Lord Mandelson, as with everything else: nothing is certain in Trumpland – yet.

UK

Southend Airport remains closed after ‘fireball’ plane crash

Published

2 hours ago

July 14, 2025

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Southend Airport remains closed after 'fireball' plane crash

Southend Airport has been closed until further notice after a small plane crashed – as video footage emerged showing the aftermath of a huge fireball.

Images posted online showed large flames and a cloud of black smoke following the incident on Sunday afternoon.

Essex Police said it responded to “reports of a collision involving one 12-metre plane” shortly before 4pm.

“We are working with all emergency services at the scene now and that work will be ongoing for several hours,” the statement said.

“We would please ask the public to avoid this area where possible while this work continues.”

Southend Airport said it would be “closed until further notice” due to the “serious incident”.

“We ask that any passengers due to travel (on Monday) via London Southend Airport contact their airline for information and advice,” it added.

Zeusch Aviation, based at Lelystad Airport in the Netherlands, confirmed its SUZ1 flight had been “involved in an accident” at the airport and its thoughts were with “everyone who has been affected”.

It has been reported that the plane involved in the incident is a Beech B200 Super King Air.

According to flight-tracking service Flightradar, it took off at 3.48pm and was bound for Lelystad, a city in the Netherlands.

Pilots ‘waved’ to families watching planes

One man, who was at the airport with his wife and children, told Sky News the plane crashed within seconds of taking off.

John Johnson said the pilots “waved” at his family as they taxied the aircraft.

“We all waved [back] at them,” he continued. “They carried on taxiing to their take-off point and turned around.

“Then they throttled up the engines and passed by us. The aircraft took off and within a few seconds it had a steep bank angle to its left.”

The aircraft then “almost seemed to invert and unfortunately crashed,” he said. “There was a large fireball.”

‘Airport was in lockdown’

Wren Stranix, 16, from Woodbridge in Suffolk, was in another aircraft waiting to take off for Newquay, Cornwall, with her family and boyfriend when the plane came down.

They watched from their aircraft as the emergency services arrived and were not able to leave their seats.

“The flight attendant didn’t know what was going on,” she told Sky News. “They said the plane had exploded and they didn’t know if it was safe or not. The airport was in lockdown.”

They were eventually allowed back in the terminal to wait before all flights were cancelled.

Southend Airport said the incident involved “a general aviation aircraft”.

After the incident, EasyJet – one of just a few airlines that uses the airport – said all of its remaining flights to and from Southend had been “diverted to alternative airports or are no longer able to operate”.

The airline said it has contacted customers who were due to travel on Sunday. Anyone due to fly on Monday should check online for up-to-date information, it added.

Essex County Fire and Rescue Service said four crews, along with off-road vehicles, have attended the scene.

The East of England Ambulance Service said four ambulances, four hazardous area response team vehicles and an air ambulance had been sent to the incident.

David Burton-Sampson, the MP for Southend West and Leigh, asked people to keep away from the area and “allow the emergency services to do their work” in a post on social media.

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said she was “monitoring the situation closely and receiving regular updates”.

Essex Police have set up a dedicated public portal and phone line where people can contact them about the crash at https://esxpol.uk/LIbaz and on 0800 0961011.

Chief Superintendent Morgan Cronin said: “In these very early stages it is vital we gather the information we need, and continue supporting the people of Essex.”

He added: “We are working closely with all at the scene, as well as the Air Accident Investigation Branch, to establish what has happened today and why.”

UK

Gregg Wallace: Half the allegations against MasterChef presenter substantiated, including one of unwanted physical contact

Published

3 hours ago

July 14, 2025

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Gregg Wallace: Half the allegations against MasterChef presenter substantiated, including one of unwanted physical contact

An investigation into Gregg Wallace’s “inappropriate behaviour” on MasterChef has found that more than half of the allegations against him have been substantiated, including one of “unwanted physical contact”.

MasterChef’s production company Banijay UK shared a summary of its report into historical allegations of misconduct against the 60-year-old presenter, carried out by independent law firm Lewis Silkin over seven months.

The report also said the number of sustained allegations made Wallace’s return to MasterChef “untenable”.

The investigation heard evidence from 78 witnesses, including 41 complainants.

There were 83 allegations against Wallace, and 45 of them were substantiated. All were related to MasterChef.

While the majority of the substantiated allegations related to inappropriate sexual language and humour, a smaller number of allegations of other inappropriate language and being in a state of undress were also substantiated.

One allegation of unwanted physical contact was substantiated.

Nearly all the allegations against Wallace were related to behaviour which is said to have occurred between 2005 and 2018, with just one substantiated allegation taking place post-2018.

Ahead of the publication of the summary, Wallace had said he had been “cleared of the most serious and sensational accusations” made against him.

Additionally, the report summary found that there were also 10 standalone allegations about other people between 2012 and 2018/2019, two of which were substantiated. Those people were not named in the summary.

The investigation found that complaints had previously been raised with the production company between 2005 and 2024.

While the report flagged inadequate reporting procedures prior to 2016, when Endemol merged with Shine ahead of Banijay acquiring Endemol Shine in 2020, it said there were significant improvements to HR processes and training after 2016.

While the investigation said some formal action was taken by the BBC in 2017, it also noted the corporation held no information regarding concerns raised over Wallace centrally, resulting in issues being addressed as a first offence.

Sky News has tried to contact Gregg Wallace for contact today.

UK

Palace confirms dates of Trump’s state visit – as King and Queen to host him at Windsor Castle

Published

11 hours ago

July 14, 2025

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Palace confirms dates of Trump's state visit - as King and Queen to host him at Windsor Castle

The dates for Donald Trump’s state visit to the UK have been announced, with the US president due to be welcomed by the King from 17 to 19 September.

Buckingham Palace also confirmed that President Trump and first lady Melania will be hosted by the King and Queen at Windsor Castle.

It was expected that the three-day state visit would take place in September after Mr Trump let slip earlier in April that he believed that was when his second “fest” was being planned for.

Windsor was also anticipated to be the location after the US president told reporters in the Oval Office that the letter from the King said Windsor would be the setting. Refurbishment works at Buckingham Palace also meant that Windsor was used last week for French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit.

This will be Mr Trump’s second state visit to the UK, an unprecedented gesture towards an American leader, having previously been invited to Buckingham Palace in 2019.

He has also been to Windsor Castle before, in 2018, but despite the considerable military pageantry of the day, and some confusion around inspecting the guard, it was simply for tea with Queen Elizabeth II.

Further details of what will happen during the three-day visit in September will be announced in due course.

On Friday, Sky News revealed it is now unlikely that the US president will address parliament, usually an honour given to visiting heads of state as part of their visit. Some MPs had raised significant concerns about him being given the privilege.

But the House of Commons will not be sitting at the time of Mr Trump’s visit as it will rise for party conference season on the 16 September, meaning the president will not be able to speak in parliament as President Macron did during his state visit this week. However, the House of Lords will be sitting.

In February this year, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer presented the US president with the letter from the King inviting him to visit during a meeting at the White House.

After reading it, Mr Trump said it was a “great, great honour”, adding “and that says at Windsor – that’s really something”.

In the letter, the King suggested they might meet at Balmoral or Dumfries House in Scotland first before the much grander state visit. However, it is understood that, although all options were explored, complexities in both the King and Mr Trump’s diaries meant it wasn’t possible.

This week, it emerged that Police Scotland are planning for a summer visit from the US president, which is likely to see him visit one or both of his golf clubs in Aberdeenshire and Ayrshire, and require substantial policing resources and probably units to be called in from elsewhere in the UK.

Precedent for second-term US presidents, who have already made a state visit, is usually tea or lunch with the monarch at Windsor Castle, as was the case for George W Bush and Barack Obama.