Richard Dearlove, former MI6 chief, stated it would have been impossible for the Foreign Office to mitigate Peter Mandelson’s links to senior figures in China, Russia and Israel during his time as UK ambassador to the US. He spoke to the Guardian after reports on why security vetting was denied to Mandelson. Paul Lewis, Pippa Crerar and Henry Dyer covered the details. The Telegraph reports the government will release Mandelson’s communications with ministers and officials next week under a Commons order. The documents are expected to form the largest data release since the Chilcot inquiry. Tony Diver and Janet Eastham note that Mandelson sent unsolicited advice to cabinet ministers on policy matters outside his ambassador role. Whitehall sources described the input as mostly unrequested and limited to US-related issues. On his podcast with George Osborne, Ed Balls discussed Keir Starmer’s appointment of Gordon Brown as an international finance adviser, noting such advice was common whether requested or not. Experts have warned Britain faces a food crisis from extreme weather, inflation and the Iran conflict, with the government not treating the risk seriously, according to Fiona Harvey. Andy Burnham is expected to respond to Tony Blair’s recent comments on Labour. Wes Streeting offered his own rebuttal in a Guardian piece, stressing the need to combine market dynamism with fairness and to shape democratic institutions amid global challenges. Alan Milburn, former health secretary under Tony Blair, has published an initial report on rising numbers of young people not in education, employment or training. Commissioned by the government, the review warns of a potential 25 percent increase in this group to 1.25 million by the early 2030s without action. A full policy report is due in autumn.
