Petrol crime surges by up to 30% since start of US-Iran war British Oil Security Syndicate warns petrol station workers to be vigilant The Independent UK · Apr 20
Fresh uncertainty over US-Iran war sends oil price back up The US seizure of an Iranian-flagged cargo ship has put the latest scheduled peace talks in jeopardy. Evening Standard · Apr 20
Iran-US war latest: Trump says his Hormuz blockade is ‘destroying’ Iran and will only end with peace deal Iranian parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said Tehran does not accept negotiations with the US under threats The Independent UK · Apr 20
Cooper says talks between US and Iran must lead to toll-free Strait of Hormuz The Foreign Secretary said that proposals have been circulating from Tehran to introduce tolls on the crucial waterway. Evening Standard · Apr 19
Cooper to warn of dangerous precedent of any Iranian tolls in Strait of Hormuz The Foreign Secretary is expected to focus on UK–Japan co-operation amid ongoing geopolitical uncertainty during a trip to Tokyo. Evening Standard · Apr 19
Keir Starmer to update House of Commons on latest Peter Mandelson revelations The Foreign Office has been blamed for clearing the peer in January 2025 to begin as US ambassador. The Independent UK · Apr 19
Sir Keir Starmer to address House of Commons on latest Mandelson revelations as he fights for survival The Foreign Office has been blamed for clearing the peer in January 2025 to begin as US ambassador Evening Standard · Apr 19
Starmer would have blocked Mandelson role over vetting failure, says Lammy Deputy prime minister says it is ‘inexplicable’ top civil servant kept Downing Street in dark The Guardian - UK · Apr 18
Olly Robbins has been ‘thrown under the bus’ by No 10 over Mandelson scandal, says ex-Foreign Office chief Lord Simon McDonald says Mandelson scandal is the biggest crisis in the diplomatic service in decades The Independent UK · Apr 18
Olly Robbins has been ‘thrown under the bus’, says former Foreign Office chief Sir Olly was sacked this week after Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper lost confidence in him. Evening Standard · Apr 18
‘Pure shock’: how ministers reacted to revelation of Mandelson vetting failure Inquiries into who knew what, and when, will be pored over in coming weeks and could ultimately decide Starmer’s fate The Guardian - UK · Apr 18
Olly Robbins and Mandelson’s vetting: what did he do, why – and who knew? Starmer says ministers were in the dark, but friends of former top civil servant suggest it was a case of them looking the other way The Guardian - UK · Apr 17
Peter Mandelson’s failed security vetting: a timeline of the controversy Starmer’s disastrous decision to make New Labour veteran the US ambassador has led to months of political outcry The Guardian - UK · Apr 17
Evening Standard · Apr 17 Oil price falls as Iran says Strait of Hormuz ‘completely open’ The announcement came as Sir Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron led talks in Paris to safeguard the oil and gas shipping route after the Iran war.
The Guardian - UK · Apr 17 Foreign Office’s top civil servant Olly Robbins forced out over Mandelson vetting row Keir Starmer understood to have lost confidence in official over decision to override security vetting failure
Evening Standard · Apr 17 Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron to host Paris talks on opening Strait of Hormuz The talks come after a 10-day ceasefire agreed by Lebanon and Israel went into effect.
The Independent UK · Apr 16 Reopening Strait of Hormuz is a ‘global responsibility’, Starmer says amid Trump blockade Sir Keir will arrive in Paris late on Friday morning to co-host a gathering of world leaders with Emmanuel Macron
Evening Standard · Apr 16 Starmer to say opening Strait of Hormuz ‘global responsibility’ at Paris meeting A fifth of the world’s oil normally flows through the crucial shipping lane.
The Guardian - UK · Apr 16 Five key questions: who overruled decision to deny Mandelson security clearance? Ministers and civil servants face scrutiny after revelation Foreign Office overruled vetting procedure for US ambassador appointment
The Guardian - UK · Apr 16 Revealed: Mandelson failed vetting but Foreign Office overruled decision Guardian investigation uncovers decision by UK security officials to deny clearance before Mandelson took up role as US ambassador
The Guardian - UK · Apr 15 David Lammy still plays an important role in UK foreign policy – but he is not the only one Keir Starmer conducts much of Britain’s diplomacy himself, but beneath him is a team of trusted advisers
The Conversation · Apr 15 The UK is spending more on defence – but is raiding the aid budget the best way to pay for it? In March, the UK foreign secretary Yvette Cooper made a statement to parliament setting out the government’s international aid priorities. With an aid budget significantly smaller than it was five years ago, Cooper proposed which countries and programmes would receive support.
The Guardian - UK · Apr 14 UK to call for end to Sudan bloodshed at Berlin talks on third anniversary of war British aid to double as 19m people face acute hunger, but summit unlikely to end conflict amid Saudi-UAE tensions
Evening Standard · Apr 10 British man dies in Canary Islands tourist bus crash The bus carrying 27 British tourists crashed on the island of La Gomera shortly after 1pm.