Keir Starmer is in the middle of his worst crisis yet following further damaging revelations about Peter Mandelson’s friendship with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

Emails released by the US government revealed the depth of Mandelson’s friendship with Epstein and confirmed that it continued after Epstein’s conviction in 2008.

Starmer insists that Mandelson lied to him and to the team responsible for vetting him as a candidate to be the UK ambassador to the United States. According to Starmer, Mandelson’s answers gave the impression that he barely knew Epstein.

When emails came to light in September showing that the relationship was deeper than claimed, the prime minister dismissed him. Starmer has, however, now admitted that he knew at the time of the vetting that Mandelson had remained in contact with Epstein after he was convicted of sex offences.

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The prime minister’s judgement over appointing Mandelson as his ambassador was being called into question even before these latest revelations. Mandelson had previously resigned twice (in 1998 and 2001) from Tony Blair’s government following scandals, and it was public knowledge that he had been friends with Epstein. All of this should have ruled him out of consideration.

Pressure has been mounting on the government to release documents detailing Mandelson’s vetting to show how much was really known about his ties to Epstein. It is these documents specifically that are at the centre of the latest speculation that Starmer cannot survive in his job.

The Conservative party tabled a humble address motion in the House of Commons on February 4 calling for all vetting documents and related correspondence to be made public. Humble address motions, if passed, compel the government to carry out the actions specified in the motion.

Starmer has a large majority and could have fought off this manoeuvre had he had the support of his own MPs. But they are furious with him. Some have briefed that this scandal is the final straw after a series of poor judgement calls from the prime minister (previously mostly in relation to policy, where U-turns have been required).

They made it clear to the whips that they would rebel if instructed to vote against the Conservative motion. As a result, the government decided to table an amendment to the motion to give itself control over which documents would be released.

Its stated aim was to prevent any material that could be prejudicial to national security or international relations from being made public. Starmer has also said that a police investigation into Mandelson also precludes publication of some documents because they may prejudice any case against him.

This amendment was tabled the night before the debate and vote but it quickly became clear that trust in the prime minister and his government had completely evaporated and that Labour MPs would not support the amendment. In response, a last-minute manuscript amendment was drafted and tabled to ensure that documents pertaining to Mandelson’s appointment would instead be given to the (cross-party) Intelligence and Security Committee for review and publication. That would prevent the government from deciding what to release.

This amendment was suggested in the chamber by Angela Rayner (the former deputy prime minister and deputy Labour leader) and is a sign of how serious the situation has become for the prime minister. It signals clearly that his own MPs no longer trust him or his government to handle the release of documents appropriately.

The government has now lost control of the process, and this could lead to the publication of documents that further damage its reputation — not only regarding what the government did or did not know about Mandelson’s relationship with Epstein, but also potentially embarrassing correspondence about Donald Trump and members of his administration.

The wording of the government’s initial amendment attempted to block the release of documents that might affect international relations. That suggests there may be damaging revelations of the kind that forced one of Mandelson’s predecessors as US ambassador, Kim Darroch, to resign. Darroch was forced to stand down as ambassador in 2019 after leaked emails showed he’d called the first Trump administration “”clumsy and inept”.

Labour MPs have had enough

The level of frustration on the Labour backbenches is now comparable to that of Conservative MPs during the final months of Boris Johnson’s premiership. The focus of retribution is currently directed at the prime minister’s chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, who MPs blame for this error of judgement (as he was a political ally of Mandelson). They see McSweeney has having given poor advice to the prime minister and blame him for the poor operation of Downing Street over the past 18 months.

Even if the immediate pressure is on McSweeney, losing him would still be destabilising for the prime minister. A similar dynamic played out under Theresa May when her party forced her joint chiefs of staff, Fiona Hill and Nick Timothy, from office after the 2017 election.

Either way, Starmer’s days as prime minister appear to be numbered. The real question is how long he can remain in office. Labour MPs are not naturally inclined toward regicide – indeed, the party has never removed a sitting prime minister from office before. Any challenger needs the support of 80 MPs to trigger a leadership election – one in which Starmer would be entitled to stand himself. That remains a high threshold.

And, in the first instance, none of the apparent heirs to the leadership are currently positioned to launch a credible challenge. Andy Burnham was prevented from standing in the upcoming Gorton and Denton byelection, so won’t become an MP any time soon. Angela Rayner has yet to resolve the tax issues that forced her resignation from government last year. Wes Streeting is viewed as being too closely aligned politically with Mandelson to mount a challenge over this scandal.

There are, however, further moments of danger on the horizon. The loss of the Gorton and Denton byelection could weaken the prime minister further. Some in the party are still angry over Burnham being blocked, which many believe may have cost Labour a winnable seat.

Upcoming local elections in England, as well as the parliamentary elections in Scotland and Wales, also look set to be torrid for Labour. It is likely that Starmer will limp on into the local elections, but beyond that his future will depend on his MPs – specifically, whether they choose to fire the starting gun on a leadership challenge or whether they can talk him into announcing his resignation as leader of the party, thereby triggering a leadership election.

Labour’s 2024 manifesto front cover simply read “Change”, but in recent weeks politics has felt uncomfortably reminiscent of 2022. That is Labour’s problem.

A woman accidentally swallowed a 17cm-long spoon when her dog jumped on her lap while she was eating yoghurt.

Reymy Amelinckx said she had to decide between ‘choking or swallowing the spoon’ but felt the implement ‘sliding down into my stomach smoothly’.

The 28-year-old said she was sitting on the couch with the yoghurt when her energetic Hungarian Vizsla named Marley suddenly jumped on her.

Reymy, from Rumst, Belgium, said: ‘I put the spoon in my mouth so I had my hands free to reply to a message.

‘Just then, Marley decided to jump on me. I was so startled I jerked my head back, and before I knew it, the spoon was lodged in my throat.

‘I stood up and started to panic.’

Reymy, who works as a medical representative, tried to remove the spoon with her hand.

‘But everything happened so fast, it was either swallow or choke,’ she said.

When her boyfriend came home from work, she said she felt too embarrassed to tell him so she ‘pretended nothing was wrong’.

‘I didn’t feel bad at all – so I didn’t say anything about it right away.It wasn’t until after dinner that I realised it was actually quite serious,’ she said.

Doctors told her the spoon was too large to pass naturally, so she had to return home and wait until a gastroscopy could be scheduled.

Reymy said: ‘That night was difficult, I felt the spoon moving, sometimes even between my ribs.

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‘It was truly terrifying. I felt bloated and nauseous, and I couldn’t eat without feeling strange.

‘Sleeping was difficult because every position reminded me of the spoon in my stomach.’

The utensil was removed two days later under local anaesthetic. Doctors had to rotate it in my stomach, which caused a small gastric haemorrhage.

She said: ‘It wasn’t pleasant, but I felt pure relief when it came out.’

‘I had a sore throat due to damage to my oesophagus, a few minor gastric bleeding episodes, and a sensitive stomach for a while, but no permanent damage.

‘I did, however, gain a lifelong reputation as “that girl with the spoon”.’

Despite the nasty experience, Reymy decided to keep hold of the spoon in question as a keepsake.

‘My boyfriend wants to turn it into a work of art,’ she said. ‘He doesn’t know exactly what yet, but it will definitely be a unique piece.’

Reymy shared some advice for fellow dog and yoghurt lovers – or those thinking of going hands-free with a utensil in order to text.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.

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Officers raced to Union Street after the alarm was raised at around 9.10pm on Friday.

A man has been arrested and charged after police were called to a street near Glasgow Central station. Officers raced to Union Street after the alarm was raised at around 9.10pm on Friday.

Cops were responding to reports of a “disturbance” in the city centre. Images from the scene, which were shared with Glasgow Live, show at least ten police vehicles alongside medics.

Police have confirmed that a 19-year-old man has been arrested and charged in connection with the incident. There were no reports of any injuries.

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Around 9.10pm on Friday, February 6, 2026, we were called to a disturbance on Union Street, Glasgow. Officers attended and a 19-year-old man was arrested and charged in connection.

“There were no reports of any injury.”

Neil Young has cancelled his upcoming UK tour and other dates in Europe with rock band The Chrome Hearts.

The Canadian-American singer, 80, apologised to fans in a post on his official website on Friday night.

He said it is “not the time” to be playing live shows and said he had “decided to take a break”.

Young was due to go on tour this summer with dates scheduled for locations including Manchester, Glasgow, Woodstock in Oxfordshire, and Cork.

‘I’m sorry to let you down’

A message posted to the Neil Young Archives website read: “I have decided to take a break and will not be touring Europe this time.

“Thanks to everyone who bought tickets. I’m sorry to let you down, but this is not the time.

“I do love playing live and being with you and The Chrome Hearts. Love, Neil. Be well.”

He was due to perform with his backing band, The Chrome Hearts, who he started playing with in 2024.

The tour was due to begin in June, at the Eden Project in Cornwall, finishing in Lucca, Italy, in July.

His now cancelled dates had also included Nancy in France, Weert in the Netherlands, and Zottegem in Belgium.

Young has scooped multiple awards in his six-decade career, including two Grammys and nine Juno Awards.

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He has been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame twice, once in 1995 as a solo artist, then again as part of rock band Buffalo Springfield in 1997.

His well-known hits include Cinamon Girl, Like A Hurricane and Rockin’ In The Free World.

Last year, he headlined Glastonbury and performed at BST Hyde Park.

A NI shop’s Valentine’s Day card featuring a tongue-in-cheek reference to the Enoch Burke saga has quickly become a best seller.

A Valentine’s Day card drawing inspiration from the widely publicised Enoch Burke case has swiftly become a bestseller, owing to its cheeky message.

Mr Burke, a sacked teacher, has remained in the spotlight in recent years due to an ongoing legal battle with Wilson’s Hospital School. The dispute commenced in 2022 after he refused a request from the Co Westmeath school’s then-principal to refer to a pupil by a new name and pronoun, citing his religious convictions and constitutional rights.

Despite a court order preventing him from attending the school, Mr Burke repeatedly turned up, leading to fines amounting to €225,000 and more than 550 days behind bars for violating the injunction. He has challenged his dismissal from the school and continues to receive full salary whilst the appeals process is ongoing, with those payments being redirected to cover compensation owed to the school.

In January, Mr Burke applied for a temporary injunction against the disciplinary appeals panel, raising concerns described by Mr Justice Cregan as “credible” and “substantive”. The judge temporarily freed him from Mountjoy Prison to prepare his case, but he was jailed again the next day after turning up at Wilson’s Hospital School.

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Images and footage of Mr Burke outside the school rapidly circulated online, and these moments have now been transformed into a viral Valentine’s card. The card, retailing at £3.50 through Derry Nice Things, features an illustration of Mr Burke positioned outside a school alongside the verse: “Roses are red, I’m here to stay, You’ll never get rid of me, Happy Valentine’s Day.”, reports the Irish Mirror.

The shop has labelled it on social media as one of their “best sellers”.

They posted: “VALENTINE’S DAY COUNTDOWN. There’s just over two weeks to go until Valentine’s Day. Make sure you sort your other half out with a unique and locally inspired card.

“These are just some of our best-sellers and new additions, but you can explore the full collection on our website. You can also check us out in store in some of our many stockists.”

For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.

Apple has shared three straightforward ways iPhone users can adjust their settings for peace of mind

Fed up with constant spam calls? There’s a simple fix to halt them entirely or drastically cut down their frequency. Taking swift action could be important if you want to safeguard your hard-earned cash from being drained.

Some scammers are incredibly convincing and can extract your personal details within moments, leaving your bank account nearly empty before you’ve even cottoned on to what’s happening. So what’s the solution?

Apple has advised iPhone owners that they can switch on the built-in Silence Unknown Callers feature, and if that’s not for you, there are two other methods available. Here’s everything you need to know, reports the Mirror.

Screen or silence unknown callers

• Phone app: Scroll to Screen Unknown Callers, then select Never, Ask Reason for Calling or Silence. Never means calls from unsaved numbers ring like any other call; Ask Reason for Calling means these calls are screened (the caller is asked why they’re calling before your phone even rings); and Silence automatically silences these calls and sends them to voicemail.
• FaceTime: Tap to turn on Silence Unknown Callers. Calls from unknown numbers are silenced and sent to voicemail.

Filter unknown callers

• Go to Settings, then tap Apps. Tap Phone or FaceTime
• Scroll down to Call Filtering, and turn on Unknown Callers. Missed calls and voicemails from unknown numbers are moved to your Unknown Callers list
• If you want to see your Unknown Callers list in the Phone app or FaceTime, tap the Filter button, then tap Unknown Callers. In the Phone app, this appears in the Recents tab in Classic view, and in the Calls tab in Unified.

Silence spam callers

• Navigate to Settings, then select Apps. Select Phone or FaceTime.
• Scroll to Call Filtering and activate your spam filter: FaceTime: Toggle on FaceTime Spam. Calls flagged as Spam or fraud are muted and transferred to the Spam list.
• On your phone app: Toggle on Spam. Calls marked as Spam or fraud by your mobile network provider are muted, directed to voicemail and shifted to your Spam list.
• To access your Spam list, simply tap the Filter button, followed by Spam. Within the Phone app, you’ll find this in the Recents tab when using Classic view, or in the Calls tab if you’re using Unified view.

Contacts warning

Apple stresses that when activating these features, it’s essential to add trusted contacts to your address book to avoid missing important calls from family, friends, your child’s school, workplace, or GP surgery. “If you call the emergency services, call screening turns off for 24 hours”, the company cautions.

Telephone Preference Service

Following Apple’s latest guidance for users, the technology firm isn’t the only one working to tackle nuisance calls. Citizens Advice specialists suggest registering with the Telephone Preference Service (TPS) as a helpful step.

After registering, your number is placed on a database of individuals who don’t want to receive sales and marketing calls. It’s against the law for salespeople, whether operating from the UK or overseas, to ring numbers registered with TPS.

It adds: “Registering won’t stop automated marketing calls, also known as ‘computer-generated calls’. This is because the law only applies to people, not computers. You should talk to your telephone provider about how to stop these calls.”

The fastest method to register is by completing the TPS online registration form on the TPS website. To register with TPS you’ll need your: It’s worth noting that registering with the TPS won’t stop scam calls from getting through.

Details on how to report scams can be accessed here. Information about reporting fraudulent activity is available here.

UK consumers go through an estimated 14 billion plastic drinks bottles per year, according to Defra, but single-use plastic is falling out of favour, thanks to efforts from David Attenborough and Greta Thunberg. More people are turning to reusable water bottles and in return, bottles are getting smarter. The best water bottles these days are insulated, leak-proof, filtered and BPA free.

BPA stands for Bisphenol A, an industrial chemical compound used in the manufacturing of strong plastics. Some research suggests BPA can leak into food and drink and cause health problems. “When looking for a bottle, look for non-toxic materials. Stainless steel is one of the most eco-friendly materials for a water bottle. Not only is it safe, but it is very durable and infinitely recyclable,” says Natalie Byrne, marketing manager at Go Outdoors.

For this guide I’ve tested a number of the best water bottles on the market – including gym water bottles, water bottles with straws and even the Air Up water bottle which uses scented pods to trick your brain into thinking you’re drinking squash. Whether you’re looking for a durable water bottle for hiking or simply one that’s dishwasher-safe, you should find something to suit you below.

The best water bottles: At a glance

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How we test best water bottles

To find the best water bottle, I tried and tested dozens over the period of a month. I threw them in my backpack on my daily commute to test if they were leak-proof and I sipped them at my desk. I bundled them into my gym bag along with my gym leggings and yoga mat and even took them on runs. I left them for hours at a time to test how insulated they really were, using a thermometer to measure both cold and hot water, and I researched the materials each is made from to check for toxic materials.

I really wanted to find a water bottle that was both lightweight enough to carry around all day, insulated enough to keep water cold for hours and durable enough that it could take a few knocks and scratches. I want one water bottle that does everything, so I don’t have to have a separate bottle for home, work and the gym. I also looked at value for money. You wouldn’t believe the cost of some water bottles I looked at.

Emergency services were called to Ellesmere Street overnight from Friday into Saturday.

At 1.30am today, a Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Services spokesperson said there was a fire in an abandoned building, believed to be the former King Street School.

Then at 9am this morning, a Greater Manchester Police spokesperson said Ellesmere Street is closed along with King Street, between Spinning Jenny Way and St Helens Road.

There are not believed to be any injuries as a result of the incident according to the emergency services.

A police spokesperson said: “The emergency services will continue to be in the area for the foreseeable.”

Steve Tandy is the man attempting to mould something out of the mess.

The 46-year-old, who represented Neath and Ospreys – the tradition most under threat as the Welsh Rugby Union streamline their regional system – became Wales head coach in September.

His reputation was built on forging suffocating defences for teams to build from. Scotland and the British and Irish Lions have both benefited.

Leicester have too. Tandy came in for a short stint while Wigglesworth was coaching there.

“He seemed like a really good bloke and very switched on for what he did,” said Wigglesworth.

“I’ve always been really impressed with the teams he’s been involved in. All the coaches who have worked with him as well, speak highly of him – he’s a good coach.”

England have predicted that, as such, Tandy will attempt to level the pitch by taking to the skies.

Head coach Steve Borthwick suggested as many as 50 contestable kicks could be coming the way of his back three.

A lot of them would need to fall Wales’ way for the visitors to emerge victorious on Saturday, though.

If they do, it would rank as arguably the biggest shock in the fixture’s 145-year history.

If, more feasibly, England – with title aspirations – inflict another thrashing, those nip-tuck, nose-to-nose inferno finishes of years gone by would seem even more distant.

Damage limitation instead of dreams of victory occupy the minds of most Wales fans.

George says he has no fears over the long-term competitiveness of the rivalry.

“I don’t think it’ll be a problem,” he said.

“I think Wales are going to be a good team moving forward. I think they’re going to be a good team on Saturday.”

Good enough? By the high standards set by this match in the past? That still seems some way off.

LYING awake at night, as her then-husband and teenage boys slept, April Balascio racked her brain for missing remnants of her childhood.

Images swirled – of missing people, dead bodies and quick getaways at 12am.

Teacher April, then living in Ohio, USA, was trying to piece together her fragmented past. But it was tricky. Her dad, Edward Edwards ensured they were always on the move.

By 18, she’d been to 17 schools and lived in states including Wisconsin, Florida, Arizona, Georgia, Colorado, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

“I remember Dad regularly waking me in the middle of the night and saying ‘we’re going now’,” says April, now 56. “But it wasn’t unusual. We never stayed too long in one place, constantly moving to where the work was.”

Ten Most Wanted

Edwards also did some motivational speaking about “choosing the right path” having once been on the FBI’s “Ten Most Wanted” list for a string of petrol station robberies in the 1960s, for which he had served a prison sentence.

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As an adult April became incredibly uneasy about her childhood. “Dad was very hot and cold,” she says. “On special occasions like Christmas, he would go all out decorating and was giddy with excitement watching us kids rip open the gifts he had picked. Other days, he had a raging temper which he would take out on us.

“We would leave places so suddenly, me, my mum, him and my four siblings all crushed in the vehicle. I remember setting up in various places such as farmhouses, tents, mobile homes and once a barn.

“But what really stuck with me was, seemingly, wherever we went there were missing people cases.”

But she couldn’t remember exactly where they’d stayed. So, for 18 months in 2009, having left home, married and had children, she would wake and try desperately to recall the locations. Until one day – a match.

“I typed in ‘Cold Case, 1980, Waterford, Wisconsin’,” she says. “And there it was.”

Researching online, she found articles on “The Sweetheart Murders”, the name given to a cold case involving couple Kelly Drew and Timothy Hack, both 19, who vanished in August 1980.

“I read about how they had been celebrating a friend’s wedding reception at a venue called Concord House before vanishing,” says April. “Then I felt a jolt of recognition because I knew that place… we camped nearby, and Dad had worked there as a caretaker.

“I recalled him, like everyone in the town, tuning into the nightly news for updates on the missing couple.

“‘I bet they find those kids in a field,’ he had said over and over again. We left town not long afterwards and moved hundreds of miles away. But as I read on, I was horrified to discover their bodies had been located in a field more than two months after they had disappeared.”

‘I bet they find those kids in a field’

The news articles reported Tim had been stabbed. Kelly had been bound, strangled and possibly raped.

April continues: “Police never found the killer, and all the leads dried up. But thinking back, I recalled Dad coming home with a busted nose around the same time. He told me he had injured himself hunting, but even as a kid I remembered thinking it was odd.”

April called the old article’s hotline number, not expecting anyone to answer – but police did… and they were interested.

“I told the police everything I knew,” she says. “I wasn’t sure if it was the right thing to do, or if I had sent them on a wild goose chase. I wondered, ‘Am I a horrible person doing this to my Dad?’”

About a month later, the police went to visit Edwards, who agreed to a DNA sample – and it was a match.

“I felt sick,” says April. “I couldn’t believe my Dad had killed that couple. Soon afterwards, he was arrested, pleaded guilty to two counts of murder and was handed a double life sentence. I didn’t speak to him again.”

However, in April 2010, he went on to admit to the murders of couple Billy Lavaco, 21, and Judy Straub, 18, in 1977 in Ohio.

They were found in a park, shot at point blank range in the back of the neck.

Sickest confession of all

“Then came the most chilling confession of them all – Dad had killed my brother’s friend, ‘Dannie Boy’,” says April. “After I had left home, my parents had taken in Dannie and encouraged him to join the Army. He admired Dad so much he even took our surname. But in 1996, shortly after Dad signed up Dannie for the maximum military life insurance of $382,412, he had been found dead by a gunshot wound, aged 24.”

In March 2011, having admitted five murders and hinted at more, Edward Edwards, then 76, from Kentucky, appeared in court and was sentenced to death.

“I wanted him jailed so he would suffer,” says April. “What he did was awful. I knew he was a volatile man, but he was also charismatic and could be charming.

“I imagine that’s how he got away with being a secret serial killer.”

In April 2011, while on death row, he died of diabetes. “I felt relief that our family was spared the media circus, but the weight of Dad’s actions hung over me like a dark cloud,” says April. “Not wanting to burden my family with the agony I felt, I would muffle my screams in the shower with a washcloth.”

In 2019, she created a podcast, The Clearing, detailing the journey to discovering the truth about her father.

Meeting a victim’s family

“In the final episode, I arranged to speak with Tim Hack’s parents, Dave and Judy,” she says. “They shared sweet stories of their son growing up, and their heartache of losing him before his life had truly begun. I was so sorry, but they said I wasn’t to blame.”

In January, she released a book, Raised By A Serial Killer, and dedicated it to Dave and Judy.

“For a long time, I shied away from the parts of myself that reminded me of my father, including my own temper,” she says. “But I’ve learned I don’t have to be a product of my environment, that I can choose my own path – such as by helping people instead of hurting them.

“I may never know why my father did what he did, but I know I’ll do everything I can to leave the world a better place than I found it.”