Politics
Mandelson process ‘beggars belief’: Keir Starmer’s statement to parliament in full
Keir Starmer has said it “beggars belief” that he was not told the full story about Peter Mandelson’s vetting by Foreign Office officials.
The prime minister acknowledged that many MPs would find his remarks about the latest Mandelson revelations “to be incredible”.
The comments came as Starmer delivered a statement to the House of Commons updating MPs on the appointment of Mandelson as British ambassador to the United States.
Read the full statement below:
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Thank you Mr Speaker, with permission…
I would like to provide the House with information I now have…
About the appointment of Peter Mandelson…
As our ambassador to the United States.
But Mr. Speaker, before I go into the details…
I want to be very clear with this House…
That, while this statement will focus…
On the process surrounding Peter Mandelson’s vetting and appointment…
At the heart of this, there is also a judgement I made that was wrong.
I should not have appointed Peter Mandelson.
I take responsibility for that decision.
And I apologise, again…
To the victims of the paedophile, Jeffrey Esptein…
Who were clearly failed by my decision.
Mr. Speaker, last Tuesday evening, the 14th of April…
I found out, for the first time…
That on the 29th January 2025…
Before Peter Mandelson took up his position as Ambassador…
The Foreign Office officials granted him developed vetting clearance…
Against the specific recommendation of United Kingdom Security Vetting…
That developed vetting clearance should be denied.
Not only that…
The Foreign Office officials who made that decision…
Did not pass this information…
To me…
To the Foreign Secretary…
To her predecessor, the Deputy Prime Minister…
To any other Minister…
Or even to the former Cabinet Secretary, Sir Chris Wormald.
I found this staggering.
And therefore, last Tuesday…
I immediately instructed officials in Downing Street and the Cabinet Office…
To urgently establish the facts on my authority.
I wanted to know who made the decision…
On what basis…
Who knew…
And Mr Speaker I wanted that information…
For the precise and explicit purpose of updating this House.
Because this is information I should have had a long time ago…
And it is information this House should have had a long time ago.
Information that I and the House had a right to know.
I will now set out a full timeline of the events in the Peter Mandelson process…
Including from the fact-finding exercise I instructed last Tuesday.
Before doing so – I want to remind and reassure the House…
That the Government will comply fully…
With the Humble Address motion of the 4th February.
Mr Speaker, in December 2024
I was in the process of appointing a new Ambassador for Washington.
A due diligence exercise was conducted by the Cabinet Office…
Into Peter Mandelson’s suitability…
Including questions put to him by my staff in Number 10.
Peter Mandelson answered those questions on the 10th December…
And I received final advice on the due diligence process on the 11th.
I made the decision to appoint him on the 18th December…
The appointment was announced on the 20th…
And the security vetting process began on the 23rd December 2024.
Mr Speaker, I want to make clear to the House…
That for a Direct Ministerial Appointment…
It was usual for security vetting to happen after the appointment…
But before starting in post.
That was the process in place at the time…
Mr Speaker, this was confirmed by the former Cabinet Secretary, Sir Chris Wormald…
At the Foreign Affairs Select Committee on the 3rd of November 2025 when he gave evidence…
Sir Chris made clear, and I’m quoting him now:
“When we are making appointments from outside the civil service…
The normal thing is for the security clearance to happen after appointment…
But before the person signs a contract and takes up post…”
At the same hearing of the same Select Committee…
The former Permanent Secretary to the Foreign Office, Sir Olly Robbins said, and I quote again…
Peter Mandelson “did not hold national security vetting when he was appointed…
But as is normally the case with external appointments to my Department and the wider civil service…
The appointment was made subject to obtaining security clearance”.
Mr Speaker, after I sacked Peter Mandelson…
I changed that process…
So that now an appointment cannot be announced…
Until after security vetting is passed.
Mr Speaker, the security vetting was carried out by UK Security Vetting (UKSV)…
Between the 23rd of December 2024 and the 28th of January 2025.
UKSV conducted vetting, in the normal way…
Collecting relevant information…
As well as interviewing the applicant – in this case, on two occasions.
Then, on the 28th of January 2025…
UKSV recommended to the Foreign Office…
That developed vetting clearance should be denied to Peter Mandelson.
The following day, on the 29th of January 2025…
Notwithstanding the UKSV recommendation that developed vetting clearance should be denied…
Foreign Office officials made the decision…
To grant developed vetting clearance for Peter Mandelson.
To be clear…
For many Departments, a decision from UKSV is binding.
But for the Foreign Office, the final decision on developed vetting clearance…
Is made by Foreign Office officials…
Not UKSV.
However, once the decision in this case came to light…
The Foreign Office’s power to make the final decision on developed vetting clearance…
Was immediately suspended by my Chief Secretary last week.
Mr Speaker, I accept that the sensitive personal information provided by an individual being vetted… Must be protected from disclosure.
If that were not the case, the integrity of the whole process would be compromised.
What I do not accept…
Is that the appointing minister cannot be told of the recommendation by UKSV.
Indeed, given the seriousness of these issues…
And the significance of the appointment…
I simply do not accept that Foreign Office officials could not have informed me…
Of UKSV’s recommendations…
Whilst also maintaining the necessary confidentiality that vetting requires.
There is no law that stops Civil Servants sensibly flagging UKSV recommendations
While protecting detailed sensitive vetting information…
To allow Ministers to make judgements on appointments or on explaining matters to Parliament.
So let me be very clear, the recommendation in the Peter Mandelson case could and should have been shared with me…
Before he took up his post.
Mr Speaker
Let me make a second point.
If I had known, before he took up his post…
That UKSV recommendation was that developed vetting should be denied…
I would not have gone ahead with the appointment.
Mr. Speaker, let me now move to September 2025…
Because events then – and subsequently…
Show with even starker clarity…
The opportunities missed by Foreign Office officials…
To make the position clear.
On September 10th, Bloomberg reported fresh details of Mandelson’s history with Epstein…
And it was then clear to me…
That Peter Mandelson’s answers to my staff in the due diligence exercise were not truthful…
And I sacked him.
I also changed the Direct Ministerial Appointments process…
So full due diligence is now required as standard…
Where risks are identified – an interview must be taken, pre-appointment…
To discuss any risks and conflicts of interest…
And a summary of this should be provided to the appointing Minister…
I also made clear that public announcements should not now be made until security vetting has been completed.
Mr Speaker, in light of the revelations in September of last year, I also agreed with the then Cabinet Secretary, Sir Chris Wormald…
That he would carry out a review of the appointment process in the Peter Mandelson case, including the vetting.
He set out his findings and conclusions in a letter to me on the 16th of September.
He advised me, in that letter, and again I quote…
“The evidence I have reviewed leads me to conclude that appropriate processes were followed…
In both the appointment and withdrawal of the former HMA Washington”.
When he was asked about this, Mr Speaker, last week…
The then Cabinet Secretary was clear…
That when he carried out his review, the Foreign Office…
Did not tell him about the UKSV recommendation…
That developed vetting clearance should be denied to Peter Mandelson.
I find that astonishing.
As I set out…
I do not accept that I could not have been told about the recommendation…
Before Peter Mandelson took up his post.
I absolutely do not accept that the then Cabinet Secretary – an official not a politician –
when carrying out his review, could not have been told…
That UKSV recommended that Peter Mandelson should be denied developed vetting clearance…
It was a vital part of the process that I had asked him to review…
Clearly, he could have been told and he should have been told.
Mr Speaker, on the same day as the then Cabinet Secretary wrote to me – so that’s the 16th of September 2025…
The Foreign Secretary and the then Permanent Secretary of the Foreign Office, Sir Olly Robbins…
Provided a signed statement to the Foreign Affairs Select Committee.
The statement says, and again I quote…
“The vetting process was undertaken by UK Security Vetting on behalf of the FCDO…
And concluded with DV clearance being granted by the FCDO…
In advance of Lord Mandelson taking up post in February.
It went on to say, and again I quote:
“Peter Mandelson’s security vetting was conducted to the usual standard set for Developed Vetting in line with established Cabinet Office policy”.
Mr. Speaker, let me be very clear to the House…
This was in response to questions which included…
Whether concerns were raised…
What the Foreign Office’s response was…
And whether they were dismissed.
Mr. Speaker, that the Foreign Secretary was advised on…
And allowed to sign this statement by Foreign Office officials…
Without being told that UKSV had recommended Peter Mandelson be denied developed vetting clearance…
Is absolutely unforgivable.
This is a Senior Cabinet Member…
Giving evidence to Parliament…
On the very issue in question.
Mr Speaker, in light of further revelations about Peter Mandelson in February of this year…
I was very concerned about the fact that developed vetting clearance had been granted to him.
Not knowing that, in fact, UKSV had recommended denial of developed vetting clearance…
I instructed my officials to carry out a review of the national security vetting process.
As I set out…
I do not accept that I could not have been told about UKSV’s denial of security vetting before Peter Mandelson took up his post in January 2025.
I do not accept that the then Cabinet Secretary could not have been told in September 2025…
When he carried out his review into the process.
I do not accept that the Foreign Secretary…
Could not have been told when making statements to the Select Committee, again in 2025.
But, Mr Speaker, on top of that, the fact that I was not told even when I ordered a review of the UKSV process…
Is frankly staggering.
And I can tell the House,
That I have now updated the Terms of Reference for the review into Security Vetting…
To make sure it covers the means by which all decisions are made in relation to National Security Vetting
I have appointed Sir Adrian Fulford to lead the review.
Separately…
I have asked the Government Security Group in the Cabinet Office…
To look at any security concerns raised during Peter Mandelson’s tenure.
Mr. Speaker…
I know many members across the House…
Will find these facts to be incredible.
To that I can only say – they are right.
It beggars belief…
That throughout the whole timeline of events…
Officials in the Foreign Office…
Saw fit to withhold this information…
From the most senior Ministers in our system in Government.
That is not how the vast majority of people in this country…
Expect politics, government, or accountability to work.
And I do not think it is how most public servants think it should work, either.
I work with hundreds of civil servants…
Thousands even…
All of whom act with the utmost integrity, dedication and pride to serve this country…
Including officials from the Foreign Office…
Who as we speak…
Are doing a phenomenal job…
Representing our national interest in a dangerous world…
In Ukraine…
In the Middle East…
And all around the world.
This is not about them.
But yet it is surely beyond doubt…
That the recommendation from UKSV…
That Peter Mandelson should be denied developed vetting clearance…
Was information…
That could and should have been shared with me on repeated occasions…
And therefore, should have been available to this House…
And ultimately to the British people…
And I commend this statement to the House.
“It’s not a nice watch,” Ant McPartlin claimed, citing the way David “just kind of picks and picks at” his fellow contestants.
Ant continued: “Adam has had a bit of a tough time and he’s not coping well. Clearly, the banter has got too much. But David won’t stop.”
Declan Donnelly agreed: “It’s kind of crossed the line from banter. I don’t find it comfortable to watch.”
“He broke me in there, he pushed me to my limits, and I’ve told David this and he’s apologised and that’s that!” the Emmerdale star wrote. “I’ve moved on now, am not one to hold a grudge.
“But thank you for all your lovely messages and all the kind words. We all face people and situations that try to break us, but sometimes those moments are what rebuild you stronger than ever. Be kind.”
Earlier this month, it was announced that Ye – formerly known as Kanye West – would headline all three nights at Wireless in London’s Finsbury Park this coming July.
Since then, it’s been revealed that Ye’s upcoming gigs in Poland and Switzerland have now been axed, too.
“FCB received an enquiry and considered it,” they said in a statement. “However, after thorough review, we have decided not to proceed with the project, as we cannot, in accordance with our values, provide a platform for the artist in question within this context.”
In January 2026, Ye – who was diagnosed with bipolar disorder a decade ago – issued a public apology for his behaviour in a full-page magazine ad, addressed “to those I’ve hurt” with his antisemitic outbursts, claiming they occurred during a months-long manic episode in which he had “lost touch with reality”.
Last week, he also announced he was postponing a show in Paris following reports that the French government was considering options to block him from performing in the city.
London Underground is now over 150 years old and stretches over 250 miles of track, but what lays beneath those rails is said to be more sinister indeed.
For our beloved Tube network is said to house an endless array of ghosts, spectres, spirits and phantoms dating back to its grand opening in 1863.
These are the most haunted, complied in a graphic made by Brilliantly British…
LIVERPOOL STREET
Spooky tales of Liverpool Street have emerged, which is unsurprising considering it is built on top of a burial site, with an estimated eight bodies per cubic meter laying underneath its foundations.
In 2000, a man was reportedly spotted on CCTV after hours, dressed in white overalls and patrolling the deserted platforms, as if waiting for a train. When a member of station staff went to go search for the man, he was no where to be found. His colleague, watching the scenes on camera, claims to have seen the man standing next to the station worker. When the pair returned to the scene, they allegedly found a pair of white overalls.
BETHNAL GREEN
Horrifying screams can be heard echoing in the corridors of Bethnal Green, station staff report. The haunting sounds said to have emerged after 173 people died in a crush at the station during an air raid test in the Second World War.
The station became a safe haven for civilians during the blitz, with room for 5,000 bunks with full capacity stretching up to 7,000 people. Tragically the station also became the site of a huge disaster, as people were crushed whilst attempting to flee from the impending bombing, after hearing sirens.
Women and children’s cries of terror allegedly haunt the chambers of the underground network to this day. One of the first reports of the sounds came from a worker who had finished his shift, locked up the station and went down into the underground to finish some paperwork.
Sat alone in the dark, he then reportedly heard children’s cries, followed by screams and sounds of suffocation and struggle. He said the ordeal lasted from ten to 15 minutes.
BANK
The legend of ‘the Black Nun’ haunts the chambers of Bank station. Historically dating back to 1811, the mysterious circumstances are enough to frighten even the hardest of souls.
It all began back in the 1800′s when Philip Whitehead, who was reportedly the ‘Black Nun’s’ brother, was executed for committing forgery. Legend has it that the Nun waited outside of where Bank station now sits for his return, but he never came. She was rumored to have spent 40 years, dressed in black, waiting to see him again.
Her myth arose when Bank station was being built and some workers reportedly disturbed her sleeping spirit. She is still said to be roaming the platforms in search of her brother, dressed all in black.
COVENT GARDEN
Opened back in April of 1907, Covent Garden tube station serves the Piccadilly Line but according to myths that’s not all that lies beneath its tracks.
The station is said to be haunted by the apparition of a tall man wearing white gloves, a top hat and a frock coat and grey suit. According to ghostly lore, his figure has been reported many times since the 1950’s although more recent sightings are uncommon.
He is believed to be the ghost of a murdered actor who used to frequent the baker which was knocked down to make way for the station.
SEE ALSO:
KING’S CROSS
The infamous fire of King’s Cross in 1987 is believed to be the cause of a supernatural incident, featuring a supposed victim of the great tragedy.
Sightings of a frightening apparition, described as a cosmopolitan young woman with brown hair, is said to haunt the corridors of one of London’s busiest stations. Reports say that the lady screams loudly with her arms outstretched – but when people come to her aid, she disappears into thin air.
The supposed first sighting the woman was back in 1988, when a commuter saw a woman appearing distressed and walked over to comfort her – only to pass right through her when he reached her.
ELEPHANT AND CASTLE
Home to it’s fair share of paranormal activity, Elephant and Castle station might be one of London’s most haunted. Reports of footfalls and rapping have been often heard in the station when it is closed – but on investigation, no source can be found.
Another myth attached to the historic station claims the last train of the night is haunted by a lone girl who walks from the last carriage to the tip of the train, vanishing as she reaches the engine.
The sighting of the woman in the station has so far been unexplainable, with no obvious clues to the appearance in the station built on 18 December 1890.
SOUTH KENSINGTON
A spooky scenario at South Kensington was first witnessed by a passenger on the last train of the evening, who claimed to have heard an unnerving high-pitched whistle, followed shortly by the arrival of another train with an unexpected passenger.
A spectral figure in a peaked hat and coat hanging from the side of the train was claimed to have last been seen in 1928, almost a century ago.
FARRINGDON
Known locally as ‘the Screaming Spectre of Farringdon’, this unseen apparition has been terrifying passengers for years, her piercing screams sending shivers down the spine or anyone unfortunate enough to be within hearing distance.
Dating back to the early days of the Tube, this supernatural phenomena is reported as often now as it’s ever been, with hundreds of witnesses confirming the horrific sounds.
Some believe that this phantom is the ghost of young Anne Naylor, an 18th Century orphan who was killed by her employer at a London workhouse aged just 12. Her body was dumped where the station now stands, explaining the pained screams which continue to pass through Farringdon’s corridors.
A woman tests the shutters at Liverpool Street Underground Station
ALDGATE
Built on the site of a plague pit that was the final resting place for an estimated thousand victims of the Bubonic Plague in 1665, Aldgate Station was opened in 1876. Since its construction, the station has had so many reports of ghostly sightings that there is now an official log book for paranormal sightings at the station.
One of the most known of the appellations comes from the story of an electrician, who slipped onto a live rail knocking himself unconscious and sending over 20,000 volts through his body. Much to everyone’s amazement, he emerged unscathed.
Colleagues of the man insist that prior to his fall they saw a luminous figure of an old lady kneeling next to the stricken worker, stroking his hair. The tale of the ‘Elderly Angel’ goes back over a century, although a precise date has never been confirmed.
BRITISH MUSEUM STATION
The British Museum Station has been abandoned since the 1930s, so it isn’t really much of a surprise that its played host to a plethora of reported supernatural happenings.
Legend has it that the disused station is haunted by the ghost of Amun-ra, an Ancient Egyptian God, dressed in traditional Egyptian loincloth and headdress – and a couple of years after the station’s closure, two women vanished from nearby Holborn station, with witnesses claiming they heard ghostly moaning around the time of their disappearance.
To explain the mysterious situation, It has long been rumoured that there is a secret tunnel stretching from Holborn station to the British Museum’s famous ‘Egyptian Room’.
HIGHGATE
In scenes of a more bizarre scenario, Highgate station happenings have left locals perplexed for years. A disused extension of the Northern line left one section of the railway disused, with the rails removed. However it hasn’t stopped the the sound of trains passing through the night.
The Northern line extension project was shelved at the end of the 1940s following the renovation of Highgate station, with the unexplained train noises occurring ever since.
I am pretty fussy about cookies. I like them to have that bakery-level softness while maintaining a satisfyingly crisp exterior; I want thick, gooey cookies, ideally eaten warm with melted chocolate and sea flakes.
There are, of course, steps you can take to ensure these features. Resting cookie dough overnight helps to prevent the biscuits from spreading in the oven, which I find leaves them too thin.
And adding some inverted sugars, like golden or maple syrup, alongside granulated kinds goes a long way to keeping them sumptuously soft.
Personally, I swear by the New York Times’ recipe, though I replace about 10g of the brown sugar with maple syrup.
I’ve been making a batch on the weekend, freezing the dough, and baking one in the oven nightly for the past couple of weeks. But recently, partly because baking takes so long and partly because I hated using that much energy on a single biscuit, I switched appliances.
The results were gooier, crisper, faster, and easier to make; I haven’t gone back since.
An air fryer gave me much better results
Though I was happy with the results from my oven, I found that the air fryer left a much crisper top layer on the brownies with a truly gooey underneath. It makes them a little like a very good brownie.
When I bake them in the oven, meanwhile, they often end up getting a little caught and chewy on the ends. My oven probably heats up too slowly, which would explain the thin, lacy edges, where sugar melts into a slightly too hard layer, and the heat doesn’t blast the fat quickly enough to prevent spreading.
Not so with the air fryer, which cooks the cookie much faster (I put a frozen cookie in at 150°C for about 11 minutes, vs the oven’s 20 minutes plus preheating time).
And because air circulates in a much smaller area in my air fryer than it does in the oven, I feel it makes the craggy parts of my cookie crunchier and more golden while still maintaining a fudgy middle.
Perhaps it’s no wonder that baking legend Jane’s Patisserie likes the trick, too.
Are air fryers always a better choice?
I wouldn’t go that far. I’m in a specific situation here: I cook one or two cookies at a time, and I much prefer warm cookies to cooled ones. I also make taller cookies, and I think a thinner one could run a little too crisp quite quickly.
If you’re less interested in gooeiness and/or are cooking a lot of cookies at once, an oven will almost certainly be your best bet. I would not, for instance, use this for a bake sale.
But I probably would lob a huge scoop of cookie dough into my air fryer for something like a movie night dessert or a post-dinner cookie cake for friends (just be sure to carefully line your basket with baking paper: this is mandatory, of course, no matter what size cookie you’re making).
And I have stuck to the appliance every night since I first tried it. It’s faster, easier to clean, makes it much easier to check the doneness of your cookies, and makes mine taller, gooier, crisper, and more delicious.
It may have been one of the worst-kept secrets in pop, but Madonna still definitely managed to make a big impression when she made an unannounced guest appearance during Sabrina Carpenter’s Coachella set.
On Friday night, Sabrina headlined the second week of the US music festival, whizzing through her biggest hits in an elaborate show that really pulled out all the stops.
Towards the end of her set, the Grammy winner performed a rendition of fan-favourite track Juno, teasing fans with the line: “Wanna try out some freaky positions? Have you ever tried this one?”
At that moment, the stage went dark, with Madonna entering the stage as her signature hit Vogue played, after which she and Sabrina gave their new duet – thought to be taken from the Hung Up singer’s upcoming album Confessions II – its debut.
Madonna being Madonna, she wasn’t going to let the moment pass without some unscheduled chaos, launching into a slightly meandering speech that included her giving the crowd an Astrology lesson (including pointing out that Sabrina is a “stubborn” Taurus), giving an impromptu blast of her criminally underrated single Get Together and pointing out she was wearing much of the same outfit she first wore on the Coachella stage almost 20 years ago to the day.
She and Sabrina then ended the moment with a performance of Like A Prayer, after which Madonna disappeared under the stage, declaring: “You guys didn’t know this but she’s a magician. She’s going to make me disappear!”
Immediately after the performance, Madonna released the opening song from Confessions II, I Feel So Free, to streaming services, after first teasing it last week.
Confessions II will serve as a spiritual sequel to Madonna’s hit album Confessions On A Dance Floor, featuring production from her frequent collaborator Stuart Price.
As well as being her first studio album since 2019’s Madame X, it is her 15th studio album overall, and is scheduled for release on 3 July.
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Politics
Gentle Partnering: The New Trend That Can Make Your Relationship Happier, Healthier, And More Intimate
Chances are you’ve heard of “gentle parenting,” a method of raising children which avoids taking an overly authoritarian or possessive approach.
What is “gentle partnering”?
It involves approaching each other’s emotions and problems with empathy and curiosity, as a team.
“Gentle partnering is not about one person agreeing all the time or being submissive, it is about recognising our individuality,” said Rogers.
“It is not about power and control but being part of a team and a united front… Having differences of opinion can strengthen a relationship; it is how these differences are communicated to each other that is the key.”
Toxavidi described the approach as one which centres “open communication, emotional regulation, dealing with conflict and feeling loved and supported”.
It aims to “eliminate power and control [and set]… clear and consistent boundaries, which is another essential element that needs to be present and cultivated within healthy relationships.”
How can I try “gentle partnering”?
Try using “I” statements, try listening to their concerns rather than trying ot immediately fix them, accept your differences with respect, and accept each other’s individuality, Rogers told us.
Apologise, genuinely, when needed, recognise and own your feelings, and show affection regularly.
“All it involves is truly hearing and seeing your partner respectfully communicating your needs and feelings, but also considering and validating your partner’s needs and feelings, even if you do not agree. It is being firm, fair, respectful and maintaining your boundaries.”
Toxavidi said, “When partners can see their differences as opportunities for growth rather than as sources of conflict and disagreement and their different emotional tantrums around different relational issues with compassion and understanding, then a deeper bond and authentic connection can be built.”
Like Rogers, she said it’s important to focus on active listening, “acknowledging and validating someone’s behaviours or efforts,” setting boundaries that can “foster self-respect, safety and open communication,” and extending empathy.
“When someone is actively listening to their partner in order to understand where they are coming from with a deep curiosity of what is all about the other person opposite of them, and listens in order to respond and not to react from an ego place, creates a safe space for the other where defensive behaviour is eliminated and open expression and true intimacy and connection can take place,” she ended.
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This week (April 20-27), multiple Tube strikes are scheduled across London.
These are expected to cause “significant disruption,” Transport for London (TfL) says on its site.
It’s the first of six scheduled strikes planned to take place in the city.
When are the Tube strikes planned?
- Midday Tuesday, 21 April until midday Wednesday, 22 April,
- Midday Thursday, 23 April until midday Friday, 24 April.
- Midday Tuesday, 19 May until midday Wednesday, 20 May,
- Midday Thursday, 21 May until midday Friday, 22 May.
- Midday Tuesday, 16 June until midday Wednesday, 17 June,
- Midday Thursday, 18 June until midday Friday, 19 June.
However, while all planned strikes are set to run from 12:00pm on their first day to 12:00pm midday the next, TfL warns that disruptions are expected to continue into the afternoons and evenings following these periods.
On Wednesdays and Fridays, any services that do run are expected to start later than usual, with no service planned before 7:30am.
And on Tuesdays and Tuesdays, services will finish early: “you should aim to have completed your journey by [8pm]”.
Which services will be affected?
No service is expected on the Picadilly and Circle lines.
There isn’t expected to be any service on the Metropolitan line between Baker Street and Aldgate, or on the Central line between White City and Liverpool Street.
“Elizabeth line, DLR, London Overground, and tram services will be running normally on strike days,” said the TfL.
The strikes will have knock-on effects on the whole Tube network, they added. While a “reduced service” will run on most lines, “significant disruption is expected”.
The strike involves RMT members, but only half of the London Underground drivers are part of that group. 2025′s strikes involved both the RMT and Aslef, which meant almost all lines were affected.
Why are the Tube strikes happening?
It follows the introduction of a voluntary four-day working week, which would mean that drivers could elect to work longer days, but with fewer overall hours and over fewer days.
The current standard is a five-day work week across 36 hours. This option includes four working days and 35 hours, though their contractual hours won’t change thanks to paid work breaks.
It’s being tested on the Bakerloo line on a voluntary basis at the moment.
RMT says this would make the working day too long, which might make workers fatigued and risk safety.
Instead, they have asked for a 32-hour week across four days. TfL have responded saying that the current four-day option is voluntary.
RMT London’s transport regional organiser, Jared Wood, said that after first seeming interested in a discussion, the TfL have since said they’re “not prepared to discuss with us any further changes.
“It’s left our members in a position where they feel there is absolutely no alternative but to proceed with the strike action.”
Claire Mann, TfL’s chief operating officer, said the optional changes would bring the London Underground in line with the working practices of other train services, making them more flexible and reliable.
“The changes would be voluntary, there would be no reduction in contractual hours, and those who wish to continue a five-day working week pattern would be able to do so.”
If bingeing your way through the most recent season of Beef cut close to home at any point, that’s probably because creator Lee Sung Jin was inspired by incidents from real life when putting the new episodes together.
The second iteration of the award-winning Netflix series focusses on two couples – played by Carey Mulligan, Oscar Isaac, Charles Melton and Cailee Spaeny – on opposite sides of a generational and class divide, who become embroiled in a feud that takes over all four of their lives.
Speaking to People, writer and director Lee admitted that the “springboard” of the whole season was a “real-life incident” in which he overheard “a ‘heated debate’ coming from a couple’s home”.
It was only when retelling what he heard to people of different generations and backgrounds that he realised this could form the basis of a new season of Beef.
“Younger people reacted like Ashley and Austin,” he recalled. “Whereas my similarly-aged or older peers were like, ‘It’s a fight. I mean, who among us [hasn’t had one like it?]’.”
But that’s not the only part of the new season that took inspiration from the real world.
The Emmy winner also spoke about how a trip to A&E inspired the scene in which Charles and Cailee’s characters are in a hospital waiting room.
“I literally just wrote down in my notes app everything that happened, dialogue I overheard, and pretty much copied and pasted it and wrote it in a day,” he admitted. “So that episode is not an exaggeration. That is the state of [the American] health industry at the moment.”
He concluded: “I’d love to get to a point where society isn’t what it is, so we can write about something other than class. But until then, [we’ll] just keep trying to shout it from the mountaintops.”
Beef’s second outing has once again been a hit with both critics and Netflix users, many of whom are now speculating about whether a third run could be on the cards.
Netflix is remaining tight-lipped for the time being, but the screenwriter has made it clear that he originally envisaged Beef as a three-season anthology series, each focussing on a different cast of characters and central feud.
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