The prime minister is set to face a brutal Prime Minister’s Questions - the first since the arrest of his disgraced former Labour minister, Peter Mandelson.
The ex-peer was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office on Monday and later released on bail, following claims he had leaked sensitive government information to the paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.
Sir Keir Starmer has faced considerable criticism over his decision to appoint Lord Mandelson to the position despite his links to Epstein, with Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar calling for him to resign.
The PM will also be grilled ahead of the Gorton and Denton by-election tomorrow, as the latest polls show a nail-bitingly close three-way fight between Labour, Reform UK and the Green party.
Green narrowly takes the lead with 30 per cent of voters, with Reform UK and Labour neck and neck with 28 per cent.
Labour won the seat in 2024 with a majority of more than half the vote but now faces a double threat. The prime minister called the by-election a “battle of values” when he visited the constituency this week.
Key Points
- Gorton and Denton by-election poll has Reform, Labour and Greens neck and neck
- Mandelson arrest sparked by ‘baseless’ claim he planned to flee to BVI, lawyers say
- Lord Speaker denies claim he received information relating to Mandelson's movements
- Starmer to face questions in Commons for first time since Mandelson arrest
- Energy secretary claims fall in price cap is because of budget
How this forgotten corner of Manchester could redefine the age-old battle between the left and right
11:18 , Maryam Zakir-HussainA by-election in Gorton and Denton on Thursday could see a new left and right emerge in British politics, as Dan Haygarth finds out:
Gorton and Denton is a constituency of two halves.
On the east, the Gorton side, there are diverse suburbs of the city of Manchester, which are home to large student and Muslim populations.
Denton meanwhile, located in the borough of Tameside, is a largely working-class post-industrial town and has a much older population, who are almost 91 per cent white. Once a hive of textile production and coal mining, it has – like many towns in the North West – borne the brunt of deindustrialisation.
These two very different areas make up the country’s 15th most deprived seat, where the challenges of living in modern Britain are laid bare. The neighbouring areas share a sense of disappointment, verging on anger.
This forgotten corner of Manchester could redefine the battle between left and right
‘I would pack Starmer’s suitcase for him’: Disdain for Labour unites Gorton and Denton ahead of crucial by-election
10:45 , Maryam Zakir-HussainThe fate of Keir Starmer’s premiership could be decided in Gorton and Denton on Thursday, where Labour faces a struggle to cling on to a 13,000 majority.
Dan Haygarth speaks to despondent constituents who are considering switching their allegiance to the Greens or Reform.
Read it here:
Disdain for Labour unites Gorton and Denton ahead of crucial by-election
Cabinet minister denounces ‘liar’ Mandelson after his arrest by police
10:38 , Maryam Zakir-HussainA Cabinet minister has denounced Peter Mandelson for lying to the prime minister in the wake of his arrest on suspicion of misconduct in public office.
Bridget Phillipson defended Sir Keir Starmer’s decision to appoint Lord Mandelson as US ambassador, saying the PM sacked him “as soon as it became clear the full extent of what had been going on”.
She also signalled the government still plans to release documents about Lord Mandelson’s appointment in early March, a move announced in the House of Commons on Monday just before the peer was arrested at his London home.
Political correspondent Millie Cooke reports:
Cabinet minister denounces ‘liar’ Mandelson after his arrest by police
Watch: Reform UK suspend Gorton and Denton by-election campaigner after racist and sexist posts
10:12 , Maryam Zakir-HussainGorton and Denton by-election poll has Reform, Labour and Greens neck and neck
09:48 , Maryam Zakir-HussainWith just one day left until voters in Gorton and Denton march down to the ballet boxes, the latest polls show a nail-bitingly close three-way fight between Labour, Reform and Green parties.
The latest poll shows Green narrowly takes the lead with 30 per cent of voters, with Reform UK and Labour neck and neck with 28 per cent.
Labour won the constituency’s seat in 2024 with a majority of more than half the vote, but now faces a double threat, as the prime minister called the by-election a “battle of values”.
Gordon Brown warns Nigel Farage will drag UK back into ‘Tory poverty years’
09:25 , Maryam Zakir-HussainGordon Brown has warned that Reform will drag Britain back to poverty seen under previous Tory governments, ahead of a major by-election on Thursday.
The former prime minister issued a stark warning over Nigel Farage’s party, claiming they would “force children back into poverty" as a result of their plan to reinstate the two child benefit cap.
The two-child benefit cap, imposed by Tory former chancellor George Osborne, prevents parents from claiming benefits for any third or subsequent child born after April 2017.
Our political correspondent Millie Cooke reports:
Gordon Brown warns Nigel Farage will drag UK back into ‘Tory poverty years’
Trump vows to keep tariffs
09:09 , Maryam Zakir-HussainUS President Donald Trump has said he will continue imposing tariffs on other countries despite the Supreme Court ruling that overturned the import tax policy.
Mr Trump's latest trade tariffs came into effect on UK imports at 10% on Tuesday, lower than the 15% rate he threatened over the weekend, after he signed an executive order following the Supreme Court's decision on Friday.
Speaking at his State of the Union address before a joint session of Congress at the US Capitol in Washington DC, Mr Trump said: "Almost all countries and corporations want to keep the deal that they already made.
"Knowing that the legal power that I, as president, have to make a new deal could be far worse for them, therefore, they'll continue to work alongside the same successful path that we had negotiated before the court's unfortunate involvement.
"Countries that were ripping us off for decades are now paying us hundreds of millions of dollars. Yet these countries are now happy and so are we. We made deals. The deals are all done. And they're happy."
‘What good have Labour done us?’: Inside the Gorton and Denton by-election where anything could happen
08:52 , Maryam Zakir-HussainGreater Manchester’s Gorton has been a Labour stronghold since 1935 but tomorrow’s by-election could change everything. Colin Drury speaks to locals about who they’re voting for – and why they wish the prime minister had allowed Andy Burnham to stand.
Read it here:
Inside the Gorton and Denton by-election where anything could happen
AI won't put UK's climate targets at risk, says energy secretary
08:30 , Tara CobhamPolitical correspondent Millie Cooke reports:
Ed Miliband has denied that AI will put the UK's climate targets at risk but said decisions on AI must be made with a wider eye on "tackling the climate crisis".
Asked whether this would be the case, the energy secretary told Sky News: "No, but the decisions we make on AI data centres and so on, we are making on the basis of an overall approach to energy security and tackling the climate crisis, and it's very important it's within that framework".
Energy secretary claims fall in price cap is because of budget
08:11 , Tara CobhamPolitical correspondent Millie Cooke reports:
The energy secretary has claimed that the drop in the energy price cap has come as a result of "the actions we took in the budget", but admitted that the government knows it has "got further to go".
The price most households pay for energy will fall by 7 per cent from 1 April, driven by the government’s promised £150 cut to the average bill, Ofgem said.
The regulator’s price cap will drop from the current £1,758 to £1,641 – a reduction of around £10 a month for the average household using both electricity and gas.
Ed Miliband added: “The price cap in 2025 across the year was lower in real terms than 2024. We want to drive it down even lower, so it’s up to £300 lower.”
Starmer to face questions in Commons for first time since Mandelson arrest
08:08 , Tara CobhamSir Keir Starmer is set to face questions from MPs in the Commons for the first time since the arrest of Lord Peter Mandelson.
The former Labour minister was arrested on Monday on suspicion of misconduct in public office and later released on bail, following accusations he passed sensitive information onto paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.
The prime minister has come under mounting scrutiny over his decision to appoint Lord Mandelson as the UK’s ambassador to Washington
Lord Speaker denies claim he received information relating to Mandelson's movements
08:00 , Tara CobhamLord Speaker Lord Forsyth of Drumlean did not receive information relating to Lord Mandelson’s movements, his spokesperson has said.
It comes as Lord Mandelson’s lawyer claimed his arrest was prompted by “baseless” claims he was planning to leave the country.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the Lord Speaker said: “Any suggestion at all that the Lord Speaker received information about Lord Mandelson’s movements or communicated any such information to the Metropolitan Police Service, is entirely false and without foundation.”
Mandelson arrest sparked by ‘baseless’ claim he planned to flee to BVI, lawyers say
07:58 , Tara CobhamLord Peter Mandelson’s arrest for misconduct in public office was prompted by “baseless” claims he was planning to leave the country, his lawyers have said.
The former cabinet minister was arrested on Monday and later released on bail.
His law firm Mishcon de Reya said in a statement issued on Tuesday evening: “Peter Mandelson was arrested yesterday despite an agreement with the police that he would attend an interview next month on a voluntary basis.
“The arrest was prompted by a baseless suggestion that he was planning to leave the country and take up permanent residence abroad.
“There is absolutely no truth whatsoever in any such suggestion. We have asked the MPS for the evidence relied upon to justify the arrest. Peter Mandelson’s overriding priority is to cooperate with the police investigation, as he has done throughout this process, and to clear his name.”
In comments cited by other media, Lord Mandelson is said to have told friends he had agreed with police to come in for a voluntary interview but that he was then arrested because police suspected he might flee.
On the News Agents podcast, Emily Maitlis read out details from a message she said had been sent from Lord Mandelson to a fellow journalist.
In it, he said that “police arrested me because they claimed the Lord Speaker received information that I was about to flee to the British Virgin Islands,” and described this as “complete fiction”.
Lord Speaker Lord Forsyth of Drumlean said the accusation was “entirely false”.
A spokesperson for the Lord Speaker said: “Any suggestion at all that the Lord Speaker received information about Lord Mandelson’s movements or communicated any such information to the Metropolitan Police Service, is entirely false and without foundation.”
