The Port Talbot-born actor is currently filming a production he said allows him to ‘return to my Welsh roots’
Owen Hughes Business correspondent and Ellie Gosley Reporter
07:07, 17 Apr 2026
Welsh acting legend Sir Anthony Hopkins has been drawing crowds during filming in a Welsh town. The two-time Oscar winner is appearing in A Visit To Grandpa’s, an adaptation of the coming-of-age tale by Welsh writer and poet Dylan Thomas.
Filming is taking place in and around Dolgellau, Gwynedd, with road closures in place this week. Sections of the town have been redesigned for the production, and on Thursday Anthony Hopkins was spotted on set.
Ian King, of photography.wales, captured the renowned Welshman in the town, reports North Wales Live. He posted on his Dolgellau Facebook page: “Sir Anthony Hopkins filming in Dolgellau this afternoon. I saw him later in the Marian car part talking with people and having photos taken.”
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Councillor Linda Morgan was amongst those who had the opportunity to meet the star today. Make sure you never miss Wales’ biggest updates by getting our daily newsletter
She said: “I am really pleased they have chosen Dolgellau for the filming. Very exciting put Dolgellau on the map again. Very well organised. It was great to meet Sir Anthony Hopkins.”
The film follows a young boy who spends a summer on a secluded Welsh farm with his charismatic grandfather, discovering a world of imagination and mischief.
Directed by D.J. Caruso, the production stars Anthony Hopkins as the eccentric grandfather. The cast also includes Artie Wilkinson-Hunt as the boy, Aimee-Ffion Edwards as the mother, Aneurin Barnard as The Hunter, and Celyn Jones as Mr. Griff.
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Speaking about the film, the Port Talbot-born actor commented: “This is a powerful and profoundly beautiful story, one that allows me to return to my Welsh roots while exploring the remarkable vision and prose of Dylan Thomas. It is a privilege to collaborate once again with DJ, with whom I share a deep creative bond.”
The Summertime Sadness singer told the BBC in 2024: “I mean, how has that not happened yet? Can we just say, (singing) ‘it’s only 24 hours in a day’, I wrote that for them, but Sam (Smith, who sang Writing’s On The Wall, the theme to 2015’s Skyfall) you did a wonderful job, really, no I’m just kidding…
Alejandro Garnacho left Manchester United last summer to join Chelsea and could be on the move again
Alejandro Garnacho reportedly made it clear that he wanted to swap Manchester United for Chelsea several months before he left the club. Garnacho left United last summer to join the Londoners in a deal worth up to £40million.
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Since leaving United, Garnacho has made 38 appearances for Chelsea and has scored just eight goals in his debut season at Stamford Bridge.
The Argentina international has been forced to deal with a change of manager during his first season after leaving United, with Chelsea replacing former boss Enzo Maresca with Liam Rosenior back in January.
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Just months after leaving United, a fresh update has emerged about Garnacho’s future, including some insight into his final season at Old Trafford.
The Sun have reported that Chelsea are weighing up whether to cash in on Garnacho just a year after signing the forward from United.
The report also claims that Garnacho was keen to join Chelsea as early as January last year, with the player’s agent said to have made a trip to Stamford Bridge in the same month.
Garnacho’s agent is former Chelsea player Enrique de Lucas, and it now remains to be seen what the future holds for the former United star.
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Last summer, Garnacho expressed a desire to leave United, and was critical of the club’s former manager Ruben Amorim, following the decision to drop the forward to the bench for the Europa League final defeat to Tottenham Hotspur.
This was followed by Garnacho being left out of the squad for the Premier League finale against Aston Villa last season, and the forward recently opened up about his final months as a United player.
“I remember that, in the last six months, I was not playing like before at Manchester United,” Garnacho recently told Premier League Productions.
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“I started to be on the bench. It’s not such a bad thing – I was only 20 years old – but in my mind it was like I had to play every game.
“In my mind, maybe it was also on me. I started to do some bad things. But it was just a moment in life and sometimes you have to make decisions. I am really proud to be [at Chelsea] and still in the Premier League at a club like this.
“About United, I have nothing wrong to say about the club, anyone at the club or my team-mates. It was just a moment that changed and life continues. I have no regrets.”
Mohammed Mizanoor Rahman, who owns Norton restaurant Pangea, appeared at Teesside Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday (April 15) charged with a string of offences.
They include three counts of assaulting a child under 13 by sexual touching and two counts of taking an indecent photograph/pseudo photograph of a child.
The 34-year-old, who is also known as Mizzy, did not enter any pleas during the short hearing.
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Rahman, of Durham Street in Stockton, was remanded in custody until his next appearance at Teesside Crown Court on Wednesday, May 13.
The restauranter first opened Pangea on Norton Road in 2023.
The problem has been ongoing, according to Cllr Hilary Fairclough, for several months, usually reappearing after periods of heavy rain.
Council officers tested the water and found it was not untreated sewage as had been feared for locals, though they were unable to account for the smell or colour.
Cllr Fairclough said: “Several residents have reported this to me – they all said it was terribly smelly.
Residents described the small as ‘foul’ (Image: Hilary Fairclough)
“It’s been going on for a quite a long time as well – it was hot on Facebook just before Easter, but some residents have told me its been going on for months, not weeks.
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“I think it was the Facebook pictures that finally got people to take a serious look at it – just the fact that it looked so horrible.”
The sludgy, foul-smelling water flows down the ginnel from Whithill lane, past Highview and the back of Eastgrove Avenue.
There was at first concern that the water was coming from the nearby Sweetloves Water Treatment Plant, though United Utilities investigated this and found this not to be the case.
Despite this, neither United Utilities nor Bolton Council were able to ascertain the source of the water nor what it consisted of.
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The water seems to have formed a thick sludge (Image: Hilary Fairclough)
But United Utilities have install a channel drain on the path to fix the issue, work which they will complete ‘within the next few weeks’.
United Utilities said: “We’ve carried out a number of investigations on site and don’t believe the water to be coming from Sweetloves water treatment works or the wastewater and clean water networks in the area.
“We’ve agreed with the council as a goodwill gesture that we will install a channel drain on the path to direct the water into a nearby road gully which will rectify the issue – this will be done within the next couple of weeks.”
Williams’ cautiousness about going under the knife suggests he still has ambitions to continue on the baize for years to come – and who can blame him.
Last October, at the age of 50 years and 206 days, he beat the mark set back in 1982 by fellow Welshman Ray Reardon to become the oldest winner of a ranking event when he triumphed in the Xi’an Grand Prix.
Even now, having turned 51 last month, he is ranked sixth in the world going into the World Championship this weekend.
“When I was 45 I said I’d like to see where I am in the rankings when I’m 50,” Williams recalled.
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“I’m not retiring, I made that decision years ago. Let’s see where I am in the rankings at 55, that’ll be interesting.”
He may have ruled out retirement but is not feeling quite so confident about his chances at the Crucible this year.
“I’m still fighting. I’m still trying and that’s all I can say,” he said.
“I try my best in every tournament and if you win, great, if you lose, that’s not the end of the world.
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“I’ve been doing this since I was an eight-year-old kid. My father was going down the mines for 30 years, my grandfather for 50 years.
“I’m just travelling around the world playing the stupid game of snooker, getting paid well for it and enjoying it. You can’t put too much pressure on yourself.”
Teenager Celeste Rivas Hernandez, 14, went missing in 2024
Olivia Beeson UK & World News Reporter and Kirstie McCrum Deputy Head of News, Live News Network
09:10, 17 Apr 2026
American singer D4vd has been taken into custody following the discovery of a missing teenage girl’s body in his Tesla.
The TikTok sensation, whose legal name is David Anthony Burke, faces arrest in connection with the death of the teenager who disappeared in 2024. The Coachella performer became the subject of a grand jury probe into the suspected murder of Celeste Rivas Hernandez, 14, after her remains were located in his vehicle in September.
Los Angeles Police Department confirmed on Thursday that the 21 year old is being detained without bail, with the case due to be submitted to the District Attorney’s office on Monday for potential charges.
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The musician has remained silent regarding the case, though his representatives confirmed he is assisting authorities with their enquiries, reports the Daily Star. Information surrounding the death of Celeste Rivas Hernandez has been restricted from public disclosure, according to officials.
The court directive prevents any details about Hernandez’s death from being released or published on the Los Angeles County medical examiner’s office website. Hernandez’s remains were found inside the boot of D4vd’s impounded Tesla on September 8 2025, after complaints of a foul odour at a Hollywood tow yard.
Rivas Hernandez, from Lake Elsinore in California, was last spotted in April 2024. Following the discovery of Celeste’s body, D4vd called off the remainder of his tour dates, with a representative confirming his co-operation with police enquiries. “D4vd has been informed about what’s happened. And, although he is still out on tour, he is fully cooperating with the authorities,” a spokesperson for the artist stated.
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The LAPD told The Mirror US in a statement: “On September 17, 2025, detectives from the Robbery-Homicide Division served a search warrant on the 1300 block of Doheny Place in connection with the death of Celeste Rivas Hernandez. Several items of evidence were recovered and will be analysed by detectives in the coming days.
“This is an ongoing investigation. Investigators are following up on several leads. Once additional information is available to share with the public, it will be released by the Media Relations Division.”
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Hit Bravo series The Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills has been airing since 2010 but series 15 has its lowest viewing figures yet
I first started watching The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills during lockdown. When the world was forced to stay indoors and socially distance, I found escapism in the glamorous Bravo series, living vicariously through the cast members’ lives.
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Starting with series one, within six months I had caught up on all seasons and soon wondered how I had lived without the lives of Kyle Richards, Lisa Vanderpump and Lisa Rinna in my life.
Over the seasons, the housewives have undergone huge changes, from losing fan favourites to iconic newcomers joining, all while wearing extravagant outfits and being head-to-toe in designer goods.
When series 15 started back in December, I couldn’t wait to get my next fix, although I was sad to have lost one of my favourites as Garcelle Beauvais quit the show during the series 14 reunion.
With new additions such as Amanda Frances and Rachel Zoe, as well as guests Kathy Hilton, Jennifer Tilly and Natalie Swanston, the fivesome joined series regulars Kyle Richards, Erika Girardi, Dorit Kemsley, Sutton Stracke and Bozoma Saint John in a huge shake-up.
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As much as I want to love series 15, which is currently airing, it sadly doesn’t hit in the same way past series do. It appears viewers feel the same way, as series 15 has the lowest viewing figures of a premiere episode.
The series have always seen more than 1million average viewers tune in, with series two bringing in 2.17million for the opening episode, but series 15 had its lowest yet with 0.70. What’s caused this decline?
I personally think that by losing some iconic cast members over the years, from Lisa Vanderpump, Lisa Rinna, Denise Richards and Garcelle Beauvais, while replacing them with relatively unknown celebrities in the Bravo atmosphere, it has left the series feeling disjointed.
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We’ve followed the housewives for years, and the only still-standing cast member from series one in 2010 is Kyle, with her sister Kathy regularly appearing as a friend throughout the franchise. The next-longest cast member is Erika, who joined in 2015; Dorit in 2016; and Sutton in 2020.
While it’s nice to shake up the series with new cast members, we’re not always as committed to their journeys as we are to those of long-standing cast members, so they really have to make an impact during their time on the show.
Thankfully, newcomers such as Jennifer, who has joined as a friend of Sutton’s in a guest capacity, Bozoma and Rachel have breathed new life into the series with their hilarious anecdotes, traffic-stopping ensembles and honest insights into their lives.
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This differs from fellow newcomer, Amanda, who has left the cast and viewers at home just as confused. Described as a ‘world-renowned thought leader on financial empowerment for women’ and known for her manifesting courses, which have divided the cast, Amanda was introduced as someone who had bought Kyle’s former Bel-Air family home.
This caused confusion from the start, as typically, newcomers have long-standing friendships with housewives already on the show or at least a history with them. But with Amanda’s link being bought by Kyle’s former home, she’s found it hard to settle on the series, and the other housewives have been just as hard on her. And this is my main issue with series 15.
Of course, with any Real Housewives series, we’re used to the drama, petty arguments or gossip between the ladies, but series 15 has taken on a new level of pettiness or dare I say it, nastiness.
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Typically, newcomers are given an easy ride on their first series as they settle into the housewives’ dynamics and socialising, but I don’t feel Amanda has been given that grace. Thankfully, Kyle and Sutton have taken Amanda under their wing, but the businesswoman has unfairly found herself and her business under scrutiny.
In one particularly harsh scene, some of the housewives used ChatGPT to dig into Amanda’s life and business, which was relayed back to her, and she hit back at.
Meanwhile, during a group trip to Florence, Italy, the ladies spotted a street vendor selling Venetian masks, which they dubbed ‘Pinocchios’. Newcomer Natalie asked, “Who’s going to be Pinocchio?” to which Bozoma responded, “Amanda!”
As a long-term fan of the show, the excessive scrutiny and behaviour towards Amanda just seems so unbelievably harsh. I understand the ladies might not get on with Amanda or understand her business, but to use ChatGPT to dig into her life and brand her as ‘Pinocchio’ seems way off the mark.
Meanwhile, a big feature of series 15 has been Dorit, who has found herself falling out with most of the cast while developing strong relationships with Bozoma and Rachel as she navigates her messy divorce with husband PK Kemsley. While Dorit’s fiery rows have provided entertainment throughout this series, as we gear up towards the finale, I’m bored with the same narrative.
We’ve seen Dorit storm off from a day out with Kyle and Erica as the trio tried to address their issues, while an expletive-laden dinner with the ladies saw Dorit walk away from a row with Erica.
The latest episode saw Dorit gear up for her book cover party, but with several housewives not attending due to their fallout with the housewife, the series finale, episode 18, is sure to feature the fallout and yet more arguments.
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For the series to succeed, we need to either bring back some fan favourites, introduce housewives with actual history with current cast members, or focus more on the glamorous lifestyles rather than the constant rows.
The Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills is available to watch on Hayu.
Every day thousands of passengers board a flight from Manchester Airport, a vital northern travel hub which connects the region to more than 200 destinations across the globe.
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Summer is on the horizon and we will soon be entering one of the busiest travel periods of the year. Over the past few weeks, many holidaymakers have also been jetting off to sunny destinations to enjoy the Easter break, making it a busy time for air travel.
While the travel industry is nearing its peak season for the year, airports have been facing significant disruption.
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Major airlines which operate within the affected region, such as Emirates and Etihad, have now resumed flights. However, the Foreign Office guidance still advises against all but essential travel to the United Arab Emirates.
Despite the uncertainty, travel agents report that Brits are still keen to go on holiday abroad and the appetite for travel remains strong.
Below are the latest delayed (by more than 30 minutes) and cancelled flights from Manchester Airport today (Friday, 17 April) according to FlightRadar24.com, as of 8.30am.
Delayed flights
8.15am Qatar Airways flight QR22 to Doha. Estimated departure at 9.25am.
2.55pm Qatar Airways flight QR28 to Doha. Estimated departure at 3.55pm.
The remains were discovered by fishermen near Peterhead in the North Sea on May 15, 2024.
A skull that washed up on a Scots coast two years ago has been identified as being a missing Norwegian woman.
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The remains were discovered by fishermen near Peterhead in the North Sea on May 15, 2024. Detectives were originally treating the death as unexplained.
They were able to establish that the skull belonged to a 50-year-old woman. Significant searches for the woman’s family went underway, including a reconstruction of her face in a bid to appeal to her loved ones by the University of Dundee.
However, the remains were recently identified as a missing Norwegian woman named Eleah Sneve, who vanished from the city of Kristiansand on April 5, 2024. The DNA identification was only made possible after the 27-year-old was searched for via Interpol’s database.
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The autopsy carried out at the time did not identify any obvious signs of injury. Police are yet to determine how Eleah died, however, they are exploring a number of theories, including whether she was the victim of crime.
Cops in Norway have apologised to Eleah’s family for a failure in procedure. The rest of Eleah’s remains have never been found.
Terje Kaddeberg Skaar, head of prosecution in Agder Police District, said: “The missing person should have been wanted in the Schengen cooperation when the missing person report was received by the police. We have apologised to the relatives that this has not been done. This case shows that we should be looking for people internationally at an earlier time than was done in this case.
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“We are now reviewing our routines at the system level for international wanted persons. We have a great many missing person cases in the district, and it is important that our routines contribute to relatives receiving answers as quickly as possible in the search for missing persons, while at the same time safeguarding the privacy of people who do not want to be found.”
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “A human skull found by a fishing boat in the North Sea around 150 miles off the coast of Peterhead in May 2024 has been identified as a woman from overseas.”
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Keir Starmer admits he ‘made a mistake’ in appointing Peter Mandelson
Sir Keir Starmer is under further pressure over Lord Peter Mandelson‘s appointment as ambassador to the US after it was revealed the Foreign Office overruled security vetting.
The prime minister is facing calls to resign and follow in the footsteps of Sir Olly Robbins, the Foreign Office’s most senior civil servant, who was confirmed to be leaving his role on Thursday over the revelations.
Sir Keir has previously insisted due process was followed in the appointment, and that Lord Mandelson had lied about the extent of his links with paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch is leading the calls for Sir Keir’s resignation following the latest discovery. She said: “If he has misled parliament, as it looks like he has, he should resign.
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“If he has broken the ministerial code, as it looks like he has, he should resign. If he withheld documents by a cover-up from parliament, he should resign.”
Darren Jones, the prime minister’s chief secretary, said it was “astonishing” and unacceptable that the Foreign Office was able to overrule the vetting process for Lord Mandelson, and Sir Keir is “furious”.
Farage accuses Starmer of using sacked civil servant as ‘sacrificial lamb’
The Independent’s political journalist Athena Stavrou reports:
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Nigel Farage has accused the prime minister of using a top civil servant as a “sacrificial lamb” in an attempt to save his own position.
The Foreign Office’s top civil servant Sir Olly Robbins was effectively sacked after the revelation that officials took the rare step of overruling the recommendation from UK Security Vetting to clear Lord Peter Mandelson.
But the Reform UK leader suggested “there is no way” Sir Olly would have overruled security service advice alone, describing him as “one of the most professional civil servants in this country”.
“They are all over the place on this, it is totally unbelievable and Robbins, he’s the sacrificial lamb in an attempt to try and save the prime minister, and it just isn’t good enough,” Mr Farage told LBC.
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He called for a “full-scale investigation” into the matter, and added the government’s explanation is: “Just not credible, not believable in any way at all. I am in absolutely no doubt in my mind that this prime minister misled the House of Commons and lied to the country outside of the House of Commons.”
Harriette Boucher17 April 2026 08:35
Badenoch: Everyone involved in Mandelson scandal is gone – except Starmer
Kemi Badenoch has said everyone involved in the Mandelson scandal is now except for Starmer, as she calls for him to resign.
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In a post on social media, the Tory leader wrote: “Keir Starmer has now sacked everyone involved in Mandelson’s appointment – Chris Wormald, Morgan McSweeney, Olly Robbins.
“But Starmer was ultimately the one who approved it. He’s got no one left to sack. It’s time for him to take responsibility. He should go.”
Keir Starmer has now sacked everyone involved in Mandelson’s appointment – Chris Wormald, Morgan McSweeney, Olly Robbins.
But Starmer was ultimately the one who approved it. He’s got no one left to sack. It’s time for him to take responsibility. He should go. https://t.co/KDLG1wHaMI
‘I know he is lying’: Badenoch accuses Starmer of ‘taking us for fools’ over Mandelson vetting scandal
The Independent’s political journalist Athena Stavrou reports:
Kemi Badenoch has accused the prime minister of continuous lying over the decision to appoint Lord Peter Mandelson as US ambassador.
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The Conservative Party leader said Sir Keir Starmer’s story “does not stack up” as she accused him of “taking us for fools”.
She argued it is “completely preposterous” that the prime minister had not been told that Lord Mandelson’s clearance had not been advised by security service.
“It doesn’t matter what story the prime minister is telling, at some point there is deliberate dishonesty, whether it’s the cover up story or the original story,” she told LBC.
“It can’t all be true. That’s why I know that he is lying.”
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Harriette Boucher17 April 2026 08:30
Top civil servant is the ‘sacrificial lamb’, says Farage
Nigel Farage said Olly Robbins, the Foreign Office’s top civil servant, was the “sacrificial lamb in an attempt to try and save the Prime Minister”.
He told LBC: “None of this adds up, the idea they weren’t told about the vetting.
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“Remember, in the House of Commons, Starmer actually said that the vetting had told him about the ongoing relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, then outside of the House, in Hastings, he gave a speech in which he said that Mandelson had cleared security vetting.
“They are all over the place on this, it is totally unbelievable and Robbins, he’s the sacrificial lamb in an attempt to try and save the Prime Minister, and it just isn’t good enough.”
Harriette Boucher17 April 2026 08:22
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Starmer was right to say Mandelson passed vetting procedures, says Jones
Keir Starmer was right to say Peter Mandelson had cleared security vetting procedures when he had been asked previously, Darren Jones has said.
“The Prime Minister was right… because the security and vetting process had been conducted and the Foreign Office granted what’s called developed vetting status to allow for Peter Mandelson’s appointment, so he had been through the process and he had been cleared by the Foreign Office to start the role, so the prime minister was right about that,” he told BBC.
“What the prime minister was not told until Tuesday evening this week was that the Foreign Office’s decision to give that developed vetting status, and to appoint Peter Mandelson as ambassador, was against the recommendations of security and vetting officials.”
Harriette Boucher17 April 2026 08:18
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Harriette Boucher17 April 2026 08:16
PM ‘furious with the state’ over Mandelson vetting
The Independent’s political journalist Athena Stavrou reports:
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Sir Keir Starmer is “furious” after discovering the Foreign Office overruled security advice on Lord Peter Mandelson over his appointment as US ambassador.
Chief secretary to the prime minister Darren Jones denied the prime minister misled parliament over the former Labour peer’s security clearance, but said he was “furious with the state” over the process.
Mr Jones said Sir Keir discovered the Foreign Office had ignored the security advice recommending Lord Mandelson should not be appointed to the role in Washington.
“It is utterly unacceptable, not just in the individual case of Peter Mandelson and respect of the prime minister’s fury at the Foreign Office for not having taught him this information, but the very fact that their processes were in place that allow for that to happen in the first place,” he told Sky News.
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“That’s why in my role in the Cabinet Office, immediately last night, I suspended the rights for these organisations to make these judgments.
“I’ve asked for an urgent review about what decisions these organisations have taken in the past to overrule the recommendations from UK security vetting, and I was due to announce a broader, independent review of the vetting process anyway. And this will now be part of that.”
Harriette Boucher17 April 2026 08:10
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Top Foreign Office official sacked after Mandelson vetting dispute
Harriette Boucher17 April 2026 08:06
Starmer was ‘right’ to say due process had been followed ‘because it had’
Keir Starmer was “right” to tell parliament that due process had been followed throughout Lord Peter Mandelson’s appointment as ambassador, “because it had”, Darren Jones said.
The chief secretary told BBC: “The prime minister was right when he told the House that due process had been followed, because it had, but the fact that that process did not require officials to tell the Foreign Secretary or the prime minster that they ignored the advice of security and vetting officials is totally unacceptable.”
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(PA Wire)
Harriette Boucher17 April 2026 08:04
Mandelson had access to top secret documents despite failing vetting process
Peter Mandelson would have been able to see top secret documents during his time as UK ambassador to the US, the chief secretary to the prime minister has admitted.
Darren Jones told Sky News: “The Foreign Office granted developing vetting status to appoint him as ambassador. That meant that he would be allowed, as a point of principle, to see the documents you would need to see as ambassador.”
He said he could not confirm in an “itemised way” which “individual documents did he see or not see”.
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