Peter Mandelson has become a recurring nightmare for Keir Starmer.

Once described as a “brilliant” choice to take on the most senior diplomatic role the UK government has to offer, ambassador to the US, the ex-Labour peer’s political career has spectacularly exploded over the last seven months – and threatens to take the prime minister with him.

This week’s Commons People podcast from HuffPost UK looks at how we got here – and whether it is the final nail in Starmer’s coffin.

Mandelson was sacked in September when the depth of his relationship with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein came to light in a series of emails released by Bloomberg.

He then quit Labour and stepped down from the House of Lords in February when the US Department of Justice’s Epstein files suggested Mandelson allegedly passed market-sensitive information to the late financier when he was a minister.

Then last week it emerged that Mandelson that UK Security Vetting – officials within the Cabinet Office – recommended he not be given clearance after they conducted a mandatory deep-dive into his personal life.

But the Foreign Office, in the guise of its then top civil servant Sir Olly Robbins, cleared him to take up the plum job anyway. To make matters worse, no one thought to tell Keir Starmer until last week.

The prime minister responded by sacking Robbins, triggering a fresh crisis at the heart of government and raised major questions about Starmer’s judgment and alarming lack of curiosity.

Mandelson’s chequered past was well-known when he was appointed.

Sacked twice from Tony Blair’s government, he earned the nickname the “Prince of Darkness” for his expertise in the political dark arts.

But the former MP for Hartlepool was also part of the team which worked behind the scenes to get Starmer elected as Labour leader.

Starmer, who insisted he is “furious” about being unaware of Mandelson’s true vetting status, faced MPs on Monday in a bid to set the record straight.

But opposition MPs literally laughed in his face – and his own support drained away as Labour MPs left the chamber.

On Tuesday, Robbins gave his own version of events to MPs on the Foreign Affairs Committee.

He claimed No.10 had a “dismissive” attitude to the security clearance process altogether and that he was under “pressure” to give Mandelson a clean bill of health no matter what.

Now Starmer’s former chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney – a close ally of Mandelson and the driving force behind his appointment as US ambassador – is set to give evidence in front of the Foreign Affairs Committee next week.

McSweeney was forced out over his links to Mandelson in February.

A camera-shy individual who has often taken the blame for Starmer’s mistakes, this could prove to be another box office appearance which upends the government.

Labour MPs are in despair and some have already called for Starmer to go.

Meanwhile some cabinet ministers, including Ed Miliband, have started to publicly distance themselves from their boss and his decisions over Mandelson.

Elections to English local authorities, the Welsh Senedd and Scottish Parliament on May 7 are expected to erode any remaining faith in the PM, as Labour is set for major losses across the UK.

To make matters even worse, the government will also release the next batch of its internal documents linked to Mandelson’s appointment after the King’s Speech on May 13, meaning more drama is around the corner.

Listen to this week’s Commons People podcast as we unpick this complex saga.

We hear from a cabinet minister on the prime minister’s future, and reveal how speculation is mounting in Westminster that Starmer could be gone in months, and how that could lead to a general election as early as next year.

Subscribe to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.

Dozens of candidates standing for Reform UK in next month’s council elections have been accused of posting offensive content online.

Labour has produced a dossier containing social media posts by 45 of those standing for the party on May 7.

They include Alan Stay, who is standing for election to the Isle of Wight council, and posted the N-word and pictures of golliwogs.

Angus Dalgeish, standing for Sutton council, claimed King Charles’s and Princess of Wales’s cancers were caused by the Covid vaccines.

A candidate for Sefton council, Jay Cooper. shared social media posts alleging “ultimate” proof the 9/11 terror attacks were fake.

The dossier also includes the revelations from HuffPost UK last week about a series of candidates.

Janine Crook, who is standing in Darwen East, wrote on Facebook in November 2021: “I partly agree but in my area Aussie is used in a friendly manner and ‘P***’ used as an insult. I do think that is the problem.”

Reform’s Barnsley candidate Theresa Arnold said people supporting Ukraine’s war efforts should feel like “mugs” and compared Volodymyr Zelenskyy to a Nazi – which is a Kremlin talking point.

Reform’s candidate for Sandwell, Bob Jones, is part of an anti-Nato Facebook group which claims the UK and the US opened the gates for “radical Islam”.

Ricky Hodges, who is standing for Reform in Hastings, joked about shooting outside No.10 and claimed “Islam is a cancer”.

Jonathan James Fox, standing for Reform in Sandwell, posted an image of bacon on Facebook in 2019, along with the caption: “People who eat bacon are less likely to blow themselves up.”

Meanwhile, Dave McCullough – who is standing for Reform in Sharston – posted an image on Facebook of a woman appearing to wear a suicide vest with the caption: “You think I’m a terrorist but I identify as a firework.”

Labour’s dossier, ‘Reform Revealed: The People Behind Farage’, has been published two weeks before voters across the UK go to the polls.

Communities secretary Steve Reed called on Nigel Farage to sack the Reform candidates in it.

He said: “Reform’s rogues’ gallery of wrong’uns are not fit for public office.

“The idea that Nigel Farage thinks these candidates pushing vile racism, misogyny and conspiracy theories are suitable, is frankly staggering.

“It’s an insult to the public that Farage put these people forwards to stand in the first place, but it’s a dereliction of duty that he hasn’t condemned them nor pulled his support for them.

“From Swindon to Sunderland, these dangerous and extreme council candidates need to be shunned. The risk to communities is real and it’s only Labour that can stop them.”

Opinion polls suggest Reform are on course to make major gains in English councils as well as in the Scottish Parliament and Welsh Senedd.

Reform UK has been approached for comment.

Subscribe to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.

As solicitor general, I have reviewed hundreds of cases involving the most horrendous crimes. Murder, rape, domestic abuse. These are serious offences where victims suffer terrible abuse and trauma.

But what about a crime that is sometimes harder to spot? Something that can happen in plain sight or lurks in the shadows at the other end of the phone, or behind a keyboard.

Stalking is a sinister crime. Perpetrators want to have control of their victims. They are persistent and unpredictable. They want their victims to be intimidated, have their confidence shattered and live in constant fear.

That is why National Stalking Awareness Week is so important. It shines an important spotlight on this awful crime and opens conversations, so victims know that there is support out there. That they can share their stories and not suffer alone.

I am proud to be part of a government that has committed to halving violence against women and girls in a decade.

As Solicitor General, I work closely with the Crown Prosecution Service, who have prioritised tackling violence against women and girls (VAWG). And as part of that, they are getting to grips with stalking.

The CPS’s stalking action plan commits them to improve the quality and consistency of their cases, alongside working better with partners across the criminal justice system and improving public understanding of their approach.

Stalking is a priority in the CPS’s new VAWG strategy, and an increased focus on tackling the perpetrators will deliver better results for vulnerable victims.

Courts are being given more powers to impose Stalking Protection Orders directly when the defendant is convicted or acquitted, banning stalkers from going within a certain distance of their victims or contacting them.

And stalkers can no longer hide behind anonymity online. New guidance will support police to release identifying information about the perpetrator to the victim at the earliest opportunity.

No-one should suffer stalking alone, in silence. To be afraid of coming forward. To live in fear that no-one will believe you or think that support isn’t available.

We need to bring stalkers out of the shadows and let them know they cannot hide behind their keyboard or phone.

If you have been the victim of stalking or know someone that has, come forward and be heard.

Because we can only truly tackle the scourge of stalking and support victims by opening up, talking and reporting crimes.

Subscribe to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.

If there’s not a day that goes by where you aren’t scratching your head over something your teen’s said, you’ve come to the right place.

Today we’re talking about the Gen Z term ‘larp’, which tweens and teens might call each other, or mention in comments online. The clue is absolutely not in the name. So, what on earth does it mean?

“People are calling each other larps which Google says is ‘live action role play’ but that sentence literally makes no sense, so what are they saying?” asked one Redditor who was equally baffled by it.

The Redditor is correct that larp comes from the gaming term ‘live action role-playing’, which is where people physically act out characters. For example, wearing costumes and acting out scenes from their favourite computer games.

But over time, the term has also evolved to mean someone pretending to be something they’re not. You can be a larper or larping, too.

One Redditor explained: “LARPing usually involves some form of acting.

“So if you’re calling someone a larper you’re saying they are acting a part, calling them fake basically, that they are pretending to be something they aren’t, and/or their behaviour is performative.”

In short, it’s become an insult and a way to call someone out. As another Redditor noted, larper has become “a common insult online used to imply the person is making shit up”.

Some teachers report kids are saying “call your Uber” or “call yo Uber” in class. Uber is a popular ride-hailing company so it’s kind of like saying, “call yourself a taxi”. In short: you need to leave.

When Gen Alpha uses it, “mid” means mediocre or of disappointing quality. If you’re described as “mid” by a teenager then they’re basically saying you are… average.

According to Merriam-Webster, “mid” serves to express that something falls short of expectations, or isn’t impressive.

The dictionary notes that this slang term is thought to have come from a shortening of the term mid-grade, “a designation in cannabis culture of medium quality”.

“City boy, city boy” is the call of Gen Alpha currently, with TikTok creator and teacher Philip Lindsay noting kids in his class have been saying it.

“It’s a meme from an old video clip that they’re just repeating,” explained the teacher, who is based in the US. The memes actually first did the rounds in 2022 and appear to be popular again.

From a Gen Alpha perspective, Mr Lindsay suggested the phrase doesn’t really mean anything and kids are just shouting it out at all opportunities – a bit like six-seven.

This is short for “uncle”. And, per Merriam-Webster’s dictionary, it’s “often used humorously to indicate old age” and may imply “someone is old, getting old, or acting older than their age”.

Unc status may also be awarded to someone who “exhibit[s] behaviours that are considered outdated or out of touch”.

However, critics are far more divided over his follow-up series, Half Man. with some saying it is too violent and dark.

Starring Richard and Jamie Bell as two half-brothers with an explosive, toxic relationship and follows them from childhood, through their awkward teens and into adulthood, Half Man is a dark exploration of toxic masculinity, repression and male rage.

Ahead of its release on Thursday, reviews were split over whether the project was a vital piece of television that’s among the year’s best or slightly too much to stomach.

Here’s a selection of what the critics are saying about Half Man so far…

“It leaves you with that rare and precious feeling that everyone involved – Gadd, of course, who has once again pulled out his viscera, spread them over the page and taken a scalpel to every bloody organ, but every actor too (Bell is on career-best form and then some here) – has given us the very best of themselves.”

“The best show of 2026 […] Half Man will be a lot of things to a lot of people, and that’s where its brilliance lies. Many will instantly draw parallels with ongoing conversations about toxic masculinity, and that’s important. But this drama actually speaks to so much more than that, and what you will get out of it as a viewer will be dependent on what theme resonates or speaks to you most.”

“Half Man is an excellent but difficult watch. A viciousness runs through the narrative, and countless acts of violence depicted. For those who stick it out, the final episode features one of the most emotionally shattering scenes on television.”

“Half Man is so potent because it’s not sanitised. It is a deeply uncomfortable watch about deeply messed-up characters whose lives are in constant turmoil, anchored by some unreal performances – certainly by the younger cast, but definitely from Bell in particular, who I’ve determined deserves an Emmy win for embodying how tortured Niall is in his 20s and 30s.”

“Half Man is gripping, emotional, complex, and upsetting, telling a story of masculinity and brotherhood that feels rooted in reality even though the story is fictional. It stumbles at times but never falls, and the strengths massively outweigh any negatives.”

“The series isn’t flawless. There are dips in pacing here and there, and a few of the women characters could be better written. Often, the monologues feel better suited to a play than they do to television. But the density and layered nature of the writing win the day.

“Half Man makes one thing abundantly clear: Everyone else churning out scripts for TV is a writer. Richard Gadd is a bloody artist.”

“I needed an entire evening to decompress after binging Richard Gadd’s Half Man, and I don’t think I can ever watch it again. Foundational issues aside, Gadd has proved why his disturbing style makes him the storyteller of a generation”

“Family, for good or for ill, is an undeniable bond. It’s something that can frequently bring out the best and worst in a person. It’s hard to know how to navigate these situations, where it can be easy to feel like you’re living in their shadow or are constantly pulled, unwillingly, back into their orbit.

“The ways in which Half Man acutely understands that dynamic make it a must-see series even in spite of a few misgivings along the way, ultimately presenting itself as a singular experience that sticks with you. After all, family is hard to shake.”

“Life certainly can seem like a constant test of a man’s virility, but Gadd’s dramatisation of that notion doesn’t have enough resonance – as drama it’s fussy and overwrought and as dark comedy it’s lightweight and inconsequential.

“The occasional jolts of sex and violence only emphasise the overall superficiality. It’s probably not a good sign when the only people you care about in a show are the ones your hero mistreats.”

“I don’t doubt that its ugliest scenes are sincere efforts to blast away narrative euphemisms, leaving only scorched kernels of truth. But for me, it doesn’t expand upon the revelations of Reindeer enough to merit the misery.

“Someone more invested in dissecting the nuances of masculinity might disagree. If Gadd has taught us anything, it’s that we are all shaped by an infinite accumulation of experiences, and thus all tragically unique.”

“Six episodes may not seem like enough time to uncover 30 years in the lives of these men, but this limited series packs some serious punch. Niall and Ruben’s journey together is worth sticking around for.”

“Much of what’s explored is hard-hitting and very much real, but the story devolves into a bit of a bleak-fest that makes it hard to really engage with it.”

“Not only does Half Man end without attaining the same level of lived complexity as Gadd’s past work, but its conclusion also ensures the only way to read their story is as an allegory. They’re half-men who add up to even less.”

“Bell and Gadd’s commitment to their roles is never in question. At a certain point, though, the series’ schematism becomes so pronounced that it renders them mere pawns in a contraption designed to underscore, at every turn, the corrosiveness of homophobia and, also, the resultant act of hiding and hating your true self.”

“It’s a show with much to recommend it, but it’s an emotionally draining show that, in its ultimate revelations, left me with little enthusiasm for recommendation.”

“Cartoonishly exaggerated characters knock chunks out of each other, speaking in overwritten soundbites in service of a plot that rambles over the course of multiple decades. It has the feeling of a dark, misanthropic novel – the sort of thing Martin Amis would’ve written, to great acclaim, in the Eighties – but struggles as a six-hour entertainment piece.”

“Gadd was garlanded with awards for Baby Reindeer but the show was mired in accusations of mixing fact with fiction. It was bracingly original and morally dubious. Half Man is a weaker piece of work but, once again, it leaves a nasty taste.”

The first episode of Half Man is now streaming on BBC iPlayer, with new instalments following every Friday. The show is also available to watch weekly on BBC One on Tuesday nights.