Starmer backs Mandelson after US ambassador calls Jeffrey Epstein his ‘best pal’

Sir Keir Starmer has given Peter Mandelson his full backing after it emerged the British ambassador to the US had described notorious paedophile Jeffrey Epstein as his “best pal”.

Lord Mandelson features in a 50th birthday book for Epstein that was compiled by the late financier’s ex-girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell, who is currently in prison for her role in recruiting and trafficking minors for sex.

It contained a photo of Lord Mandelson and Epstein on what appeared to be the multimillionaire’s island, as well as a handwritten note for the disgraced financier.

After the message was made public in files released by a US congressional committee, the prime minister’s official spokesperson stressed he has full confidence in the Labour grandee, praising his work in strengthening Britain’s relations with the US under Donald Trump.

“We are focused on our relationship with the US and President Trump going forward, with the unprecedented second state visit next week to build on the progress we have already made between our governments,” the spokesperson said.

He added that Lord Mandelson has “played a key part” in the strengthening of UK-US relations under Mr Trump.

Wes Streeting also backed the under-fire ambassador, saying that he has “been very clear that he deeply regrets ever having been introduced to Epstein”.

Speaking to ITV News, the health secretary said: “Given what we now know about his horrific crimes, I mean, who would want to be associated with that sexual predator and paedophile?

“I don’t think we should tar everyone with the same brush and do guilt by association. The most important thing at this stage is that the victims of Epstein are heard.”

Two years ago, Lord Mandelson said he “very much regrets ever having been introduced to Epstein”.

The note from Lord Mandelson to Epstein appeared to take the form of a poem beginning: “Once upon a time, an intelligent, sharp-witted man they call ‘mysterious’ parachuted into my life.”

Other pictures featured alongside the note included a shot of Lord Mandelson on a balcony in a pair of swimming trunks, shot from behind, with his hands on his hips.

Lord Mandelson’s note appeared to refer to “interesting” friends he had been left to entertain by Epstein.

“But wherever he is in the world, he remains my best pal,” it concluded. Lord Mandelson appeared to add: “Happy birthday, Jeffrey, we love you!!”

The British embassy in Washington has been asked to comment. Downing Street on Tuesday insisted Lord Mandelson had previously answered questions about his association with Epstein.

A 2023 report by JPMorgan Chase into Epstein detailed the “particularly close relationship” between him and Lord Mandelson. It set out the ambassador’s ties to the financier, who was close enough to Lord Mandelson to call him “Petie”.

The report also suggested that Lord Mandelson had stayed at Epstein’s New York home in June 2009 – when he was still Gordon Brown’s business secretary and the financier was serving 18 months in prison for soliciting prostitution from a minor.

Earlier this year, he reacted with a foul-mouthed rant when pressed about his friendship with the disgraced financier. He also accused others of having an “obsession” with his relationship with Epstein, who died six years ago.

He said: “I regret ever meeting him or being introduced to him by his partner, Ghislaine Maxwell. I regret even more the hurt he caused to many young women.”

He went on to add, “I’m not going to go into this. It’s an … obsession and frankly you can all f*** off. OK?”

Maxwell is serving a 20-year jail sentence for recruiting and trafficking underage girls for Epstein.

Epstein was found dead in his prison cell in 2019, but the circumstances surrounding his death and his activities continue to make headlines.

The birthday book for Epstein also appeared to contain contributions from high-profile individuals, including Donald Trump and Bill Clinton.

Mr Trump has denied any link to the drawing he allegedly sent Epstein, which depicts a woman’s body alongside a birthday message and the US president’s apparent signature.

Heathrow Terminal 4 – what led to evacuation of UK’s busiest airport?

Terminal 4 at London Heathrow airport is now running normally after an emergency evacuation. Crowds of passengers gathered outside the terminal on Monday evening when police and firefighters were called to a “possible hazardous materials” incident. Dozens of flights were heavily delayed, with the last departure from Heathrow well after midnight.

Thousands of passengers from the UK’s busiest airport faced missed connections because their departures to hubs in the Gulf and beyond were up to four hours late.

What caused the disruption and how many passengers were affected? These are the key questions and answers.

The incident began to unfold at the start of a busy evening at Heathrow Terminal 4, when passengers were checking in for dozens of flights to Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Africa. Just before 5pm, police were called to investigate “potential hazardous materials”.

There is a long and tragic history of terrorist attacks at airports around the world, and so the authorities are extremely sensitive to anything that might be construed as a malicious act.

Passengers who were “landside” in the check-in area were moved out to the roadways outside the terminal. Heathrow said: “Terminal 4 check-in has been closed and evacuated while emergency services respond to an incident.”

It appears that passengers who were “airside” – ie beyond the security search area – were allowed to remain there. A couple of flights, which passengers had already boarded, were allowed to depart close to schedule from Terminal 4 after the emergency started.

The railway station beneath Terminal 4 closed; the Tube station was already shut because of a strike on the London Underground. Heathrow put out a post on social media urging passengers not to travel to Terminal 4.

As specialist emergency teams in hazmat suits entered the terminal, the crowds outside grew, and staff handed out foil blankets to passengers as temperatures began to fall.

Witnesses said they were confused as “no one really knew what was going on”. At 8pm, Heathrow said it was standing down the incident and allowing passengers back into the terminal. But by then, flight schedules were in disarray.

Heathrow said in a statement: “We are very sorry for the disruption caused, the safety and security of our passengers and colleagues is our number one priority.”

Initially the Met said: “Specialist officers attended the scene alongside the London Fire Brigade and London Ambulance Service and conducted a thorough search of the area. No trace of any adverse substance was found.”

Reports then cited a Met insider as attributing the panic to a “mass hysteria event”. Kit Yates, co-director of the Centre for Mathematical Biology at the University of Bath, agreed that mass hysteria could have caused the incident. In a Substack post, he wrote: “An airport, after all, is a setting in which heightened awareness and anxiety amongst the people filling the departure halls can provide the ideal conditions for mass psychogenic spread.”

But on Tuesday afternoon, a spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said: “Met officers located a canister of what is believed to be CS spray. It is thought that this substance caused a reaction to those within the airport.

“Around 20 people reported to paramedics after the (believed) CS spray caused irritation. It has been confirmed that the spray did not cause any life-changing/threatening injuries.

“Following urgent enquiries, a 57-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of possession of a firearm (CS spray) and causing a public nuisance on Tuesday 9 September. He remains in police custody.

“The incident is not being treated as terrorism related.”

Dozens of flights were delayed, typically by three to four hours, affecting many thousands of passengers.

The leading airline at Terminal 4 is Qatar Airways. All three of its departures to Doha were hours behind schedule, as were two Etihad flights to Abu Dhabi. Typically, most passengers on these departures are transferring directly at the Gulf hubs to destinations in Asia, Africa and Oceania. Thousands are likely to have missed those connections. Under air passengers’ rights rules, the carrier must provide onward transportation as soon as possible and accommodation plus meals as necessary.

Other long delays affected Malaysia Airlines to Kuala Lumpur and Korean Air to Seoul.

Chinese airlines were particularly badly affected, with departures to Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou hours late. The final flight of the night, China Southern to Guangzhou, took off at 12.30am – long after departures normally end.

Operations on Tuesday appear to be running normally.

Heathrow Terminal 4 was a 1980s stopgap that was constructed mainly for British Airways’ longhaul operation while waiting for the longest planning inquiry in history – for Terminal 5 – to conclude.

Despite a refurbishment, it remains largely unloved by passengers and airlines. Terminal 4 is in the wrong place: south of both runways, rather than between them. Aircraft using the northern runway have to taxi across the active southern runway.

Transport links to the rest of the airport and beyond are poor compared with the other terminals.

The major airlines that use it are mainly Middle Eastern and east Asian. By far the most important carrier is Qatar Airways, with eight flights a day to and from its hub in Doha. Etihad, Gulf Air, Oman Air, Saudia and Israel’s El Al are the other Middle Eastern representatives.

Kenya Airways flies to Nairobi, while RwandAir serves Kigali.

To Asia, China Southern and China Eastern have busy schedules to the People’s Republic. Vietnam Airlines flies to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Korean Airlines to Seoul and Malaysia Airlines to Kuala Lumpur are major network carriers.

Across the Atlantic, the only current player is Canada’s WestJet.

Two central Asian airlines, Air Astana (serving Kazakhstan) and Uzbekistan Airways operate from Terminal 4, as does Azerbaijan Airlines to Baku.

Shorthaul flights comprise:

Trump dismisses domestic violence as ‘a little fight with the wife’

Donald Trump has suggested that domestic violence should not be counted in official crime statistics, dismissing the seriousness of spousal abuse as “a little fight with the wife.”

The president made the comments, which sparked a swift backlash, while discussing his high-profile crime crackdown in Washington, D.C. Trump declared an emergency in the District of Columbia last month to allow for a federal takeover of policing in the nation’s capital city, sending in the National Guard and other federal agents to help local law enforcement to stamp out urban crime.

Speaking at Washington’s Museum of the Bible on Monday, Trump falsely claimed that his measures had succeeded in completely eradicating crime from the district.

“There’s no crime,” the president told his audience. “They said, ‘Crime’s down 87 percent.’ It’s more than 87 percent — virtually nothing.”

On Sunday alone, Washington recorded a homicide, six motor vehicle thefts, two assaults with a deadly weapon, four robberies and more than 30 incidents of theft, according to The New York Times, which cited police data.

At one point in his remarks, Trump expressed frustration that domestic violence incidents that happen behind closed doors are counted as part of city-wide crime totals.

“Things that take place in the home, they call crime,” he said. “They’ll do anything they can to find something. If a man has a little fight with the wife, they say this was a crime scene.”

A clip of the commander-in-chief’s remarks was widely shared on social and drew an angry response.

“Just a casual dismissal of domestic violence as a crime,” commented Republican strategist Sarah Longwell.

“One woman dies every 11 hours from domestic violence… so naturally, Trump is working overtime to say it’s not real,” another person said, while another simply posted a photoshopped image of Trump giving his speech while wearing a white vest, to caricature him as an abusive husband.

The president continues to insist that crime is out of control in many Democrat-run cities, and also sent the Guard into Los Angeles in June to help quell anti-ICE protests.

He followed his intervention in D.C. by sending ICE agents swarming into Boston on Saturday to round up more people accused of being undocumented migrants, in what is being called “Operation Patriot 2.0.”

Chicago is widely expected to be next, despite widespread local opposition, with plans to accommodate an influx of agents already underway and border czar Tom Homan suggesting on Sunday that their mission would commence this week.

The moment Johnny Cash convinced Louisa Young to change her life

Acclaimed novelist Louisa Young has revealed that country music legend Johnny Cash played a pivotal role in shaping her career path.

Young recalled interviewing the American singer in the 1980s and explained how a single piece of advice pushed her towards becoming a writer. Cash, she said, was initially gruff and reluctant to engage, describing the encounter as a “jukebox session”. But after realising she was a genuine fan, he began to warm to her.

She shared the story while appearing on Like This Love This, The Independent’s podcast where special guests tell Lucie McInerney about the books, films, TV shows and podcasts they can’t stop recommending.

Young remembered Cash telling her: “You’ve gotta be who you are; whatever you are, you’ve gotta be it.” The words stuck with her. “I’m not a journalist,” she thought. “I want to write books and if I want to write books, I have to write books. Johnny Cash told me, so onwards and upwards.”

An English novelist, biographer and former journalist, Young is known for her works My Dear, I Wanted to Tell You, Twelve Months and a Day and You Left Early: A True Story of Love and Alcohol.

Her first book, published in 1994, was a biography of her grandmother Kathleen Scott titled A Great Task of Happiness. In her twenties, she worked as a freelance feature writer for national publications including The Guardian, The Sunday Times and Marie Claire.

Her latest project is a trilogy continuing Elizabeth Jane Howard’s Cazalet Chronicles, which follows the Cazalet family’s summers in the Sussex countryside.

Cash, meanwhile, remains immortalised in music history. His career spanned from 1954 until his death in 2003, producing more than 100 albums. In the 1990s and 2000s, he experienced a late renaissance working with producer Rick Rubin on the American Recordings. That period produced his now-iconic cover of Nine Inch Nails’ Hurt, regarded as one of the greatest interpretations in modern music.

The full episode of Like This Love This is out this Thursday (11 September) wherever you get your podcasts.

Fire breaks out after ‘drone strike’ on Gaza-bound flotilla carrying Greta Thunberg

A Gaza-bound flotilla carrying humanitarian aid with the Swedish activist Greta Thunberg on board claimed that one of their boats was struck by a suspected drone on Tunisian waters.

The Global Sumud Flotilla for Gaza (GSF), which comprises about 20 vessels carrying pro-Palestinian activists from 44 nations, is attempting to break Israel’s naval blockade on the embattled Gaza Strip.

The Portuguese-flagged boat, carrying the flotilla’s steering committee, sustained fire damage to its main deck and below-deck storage, the organisers said in a statement. The GSF “confirms that one of the main boats… was struck by what is suspected to be a drone”, the organisers said on social media. It said everyone on board was safe after the incident.

The flotilla arrived in Tunisia over the weekend and was anchored about 80km from the port of Sidi Bou Said when the incident allegedly took place.

“I was sleeping when I heard this explosion,” said journalist Yusuf Omar, who is among the dozens of activists heading towards Gaza in an attempt to break the Israeli blockade. “A big explosion happened right next to our diesel tank. The neighbouring boats spotted a drone coming in. They said it flew above basically where I was sleeping, and then it went to the front and detonated,” he said in a post on Instagram.

Another eyewitness told Seen TV: “I saw a drone dropping a bomb on us… There was a fire on the front deck that we fought. It is out now. Everybody’s safe.”

The Tunisian authorities said the explosion originated inside the vessel and that reports of a suspected drone attack on the flotilla “have no basis in truth”.

Tunisia’s national guard said their investigation was ongoing, but “no drones have been detected”. “According to preliminary findings, a fire broke out in the life jackets on board a ship anchored 50 miles from the port of Sidi Bou Said, Houcem Eddine Jebabli, a spokesperson for the national guard, was quoted by AFP news agency as saying.

The Tunisian authorities suggested that the fire might have been caused by a cigarette.

After the alleged strike, dozens of people gathered outside Tunisia’s Sidi Bou Said port, where the flotilla’s boats were docked, waving Palestinian flags and chanting “Free Palestine”.

Israel has imposed a naval blockade on the coastal enclave since Hamas took control of Gaza in 2007, saying it aims to stop weapons from reaching the militant group.

Israel sealed off Gaza by land in early March, letting in no supplies for three months, arguing that Hamas was diverting aid. In June, Israeli naval forces boarded and seized a British-flagged yacht carrying Ms Thunberg, among others. Israel dismissed the aid ship as a propaganda stunt in support of Hamas.

A UN-backed body confirmed in August that there was famine in the strip as a direct result of Israel’s “systematic obstruction” of aid entering Gaza.

The flotilla left Barcelona on 31 August, carrying food, water and medicine in what activists claimed was the largest civilian maritime mission to Israel of the war so far. But just hours into the journey, the flotilla had to return to port due to adverse weather conditions, only to resume its journey two days later.

“We all know why we are here,” said Ms Thunberg, after arriving at the Tunisian port where the activists were greeted by hundreds of people. “Just across the water, there’s a genocide going on, a mass starvation by Israel’s murder machine.”

The flotilla is scheduled to arrive in Gaza later this month, but Israeli forces are likely to intercept the boats before they can reach the Gaza Strip.

Itamar Ben-Gvir, the Israeli national security minister, is said to be drafting up plans for the arrest of Ms Thunberg and the seizure of the flotilla, Israeli newspaper Israel Hayom reported. There are plans to convert the ships into a police fleet.

The GSF also said an investigation into the drone attack was underway and its results would be released once available.

“Acts of aggression aimed at intimidating and derailing our mission will not deter us. Our peaceful mission to break the siege on Gaza and stand in solidarity with its people continues with determination and resolve,” the GSF said.

Israel’s almost two-year-long war in Gaza has killed more than 64,000 Palestinians, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run strip. Israel’s offensive began following a Hamas-led militant attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, where 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed and 250 were taken hostage.

How Macmillan Cancer Support built a movement that reaches everyone

MasterChef confirms Wallace and Torode replacements

Grace Dent and Anna Haugh have been confirmed as the judges replacing Gregg Wallace and John Torode on the flagship version of MasterChef.

Both Wallace and Torode, who had presented MasterChef since 2005, were sacked earlier this year following an investigation into their conduct.

Journalist Dent, 51, has been a regular guest judge on MasterChef for the past decade. Meanwhile, 44-year-old Irish chef Haugh stood in for Wallace in the latter stages of the current season after the misconduct allegations against him emerged.

The BBC confirmed on Monday (8 September) that both Dent and Haugh will be the judges for the forthcoming series of the show.

Dent said that she was “over the moon to be coming back to the MasterChef kitchen” and looked forward to “unearthing what culinary skills people have been cooking up behind closed doors”.

She also praised Haugh, who she said will bring “incredible experience to the table”.

Haugh, who also judged on MasterChef: The Professionals in 2022, added: “I’m delighted to be back on MasterChef and judging alongside the wonderful Grace Dent, whose writing and wit I’ve admired for years.

“MasterChef has long inspired and resonated with cooks in home kitchens and of course, in my industry. I can’t wait to get into the studio for what will be a great competition.”

Kalpna Patel-Knight, head of entertainment commissioning, said: “Grace and Anna are already part of the MasterChef family and together have culinary credentials that are second to none.

“Both viewers watching the series and the amateur cooks taking part can be assured that in the search for the next MasterChef UK champion, Grace and Anna know exactly what is needed in order to rise to the top.”

In November 2024, it was announced that Wallace would step away from his role on the BBC cooking show and all its spin-offs while historical allegations of misconduct were investigated.

Wallace, 60, issued an apology, saying he was “deeply sorry for any distress caused” and that he “never set out to harm or humiliate” in the wake of the review, published in July by law firm Lewis Silkin, that saw 45 out of 83 allegations made against him upheld.

The review concluded that the “majority of the substantiated allegations against Mr Wallace related to inappropriate sexual language and humour”, adding that “a smaller number of allegations of other inappropriate language and being in a state of undress were also substantiated”, along with “one incident of unwelcome physical contact”.

Torode, 60, was the subject of an allegation about using racist language that was upheld as part of the review and the BBC and production company Banijay UK subsequently agreed they would “not renew his contract on MasterChef”.

After Wallace stepped back from his role in 2024, amid the external review and before his sacking, Dent was announced as a judge on Celebrity MasterChef.

Torode and Wallace’s final series of presenting the classic version of MasterChef is currently airing on BBC One. Haugh will be a judge in the final week of the show.

Two of the contestants on the current series have asked to be edited out following the review and its findings.

Earlier in the month, TV host and chef Matt Tebbutt was announced as Wallace’s replacement on the next series of MasterChef: The Professionals, along with long-term hosts Monica Galetti and Marcus Wareing.

Additional reporting by PA

Murder probe launched after two men shot in London

Police have launched a murder probe after a man was killed in a double shooting in south London.

Officers and emergency personnel were called to reports of a shooting on New Park Road, Clapham at 8.50pm on Monday. Ambulance workers treated two men at the scene, aged 20 and 27, who were both rushed to a major trauma centre as a priority.

They reported that the 27-year-old died of his wounds in hospital in the early hours of Tuesday.

His family have been notified and are being supported by specialist officers.

The younger victim’s injuries are not believed to be life-threatening, but he remains in hospital.

A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said two ambulance crews, multiple paramedics and two advanced trauma teams were dispatched to the scene after reports of a shooting.

Local media is citing comments from a nearby resident who claims they heard six gunshots followed by a lot of screaming.

Detective Chief Inspector Sarah Lee, who is leading the investigation, said: “My team are working at pace to establish the full circumstances that led to this man’s tragic death.

“Our thoughts remain with the victim’s family and friends at this very difficult time. They continue to be supported by specialist officers.

“A crime scene remains in place, and residents can expect to see increased patrols in the local area as we carry out enquiries.

“We urge anyone in or around New Park Road to look at any doorbell or camera footage and share anything that may be of use with police.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact police by calling 101 or online, quoting CAD 7805/08Sep25. Alternatively, you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or by submitting an online form.