Newslinks for Friday 27th February 2026

Starmer on the brink as hard-Left Greens smash Labour in by-election – with Reform pushing them into third, sparking panic among MPs

“Keir Starmer was plunged deeper into crisis today after a disastrous by-election saw Labour routed by the Greens in one of its safest seats – and pushed into third place behind Reform. No10 is facing a fresh onslaught from the PM’s critics and massive pressure to lurch further Left following the worst possible result in Gorton & Denton. The Greens had never won a Parliamentary by-election – or a seat in the North – but Hannah Spencer romped home with a 4,400 majority. Jubilant leader Zack Polanski said it showed his party is on track to get 100 MPs at the general election. Despite flooding the area with ministers and 1,000 activists, Labour did not even have the consolation of second place with its candidate trailing in behind Reform’s Matt Goodwin. Nigel Farage complained of ‘cheating’ and Muslim ‘sectarianism’ after reports of so-called ‘family voting’ from independent observers – an illegal practice where people are escorted to polling booths. Downing Street is hoping Sir Keir can front up the catastrophic outcome by appearing in front of cameras later. Allies insisted he will survive at least until local elections in May, because rebels ‘don’t have anyone’ in a position to challenge. But there are already furious recriminations going on, after the premier blocked popular Manchester mayor Andy Burnham from being the candidate amid fears he would be a leadership rival in the Commons. Backbencher Karl Turner said it was the ‘worst result we could have expected’, insisting Mr Burnham would have won and calling for a more ‘socialist’ Labour. Brian Leishman said Sir Keir should ‘do the right thing… and go’.” – Daily Mail

• Farage: By-election was ‘a victory for sectarian voting and cheating’ – Daily Telegraph
• Pressure mounts on desperate Keir as Greens win by-election in ‘worst result ever’ with Labour slumping to third – The Sun
• Greens Sweep To Historic Victory In Gorton And Denton By-Election – PoliticsHome
• Labour calls on officials to examine ‘very concerning’ reports of illegal voting in crucial Gorton and Denton by-election – The Independent
• Sir John Curtice says Tories have hit a new low with ‘worst ever’ result – GBNews

Comment:

• This Green win should strike fear into the heart of the Right – Annabel Denham, Daily Telegraph
• Gorton & Denton shows there’s no safe seats left for Keir Starmer – Patrick Maguire, The Times
• Green leader’s communism-on-ketamine policies would destroy UK – but here’s why I’m glad they won Gorton by-election – Julia Hartley-Brewer, The Sun
• Electoral fraud may have won the Greens a by-election, and it’s just the start – Paul Goodman, Daily Telegraph

> Today:

Mystery as Mandelson messages go missing

“The lobbying company founded by Lord Mandelson discovered during an internal investigation that a “significant” tranche of his business emails was missing. Global Counsel conducted an internal audit of Mandelson’s company emails after the government agreed this month to release tens of thousands of messages relating to his time as the British ambassador to the US. The company was concerned about what would be published about its own business interests under the mass disclosure, and conducted the audit as part of a due diligence process. The investigation was still going on when the company went into administration last week but an initial report said that significant numbers of emails were missing from Mandelson’s account. The company does not know how the emails came to be missing. The emails that have been kept include a series of exchanges with senior officials and ministers in government, relating directly to Mandelson’s appointment as ambassador. They are said to include messages to David Lammy, then the foreign secretary, and Morgan McSweeney, then Sir Keir Starmer’s chief of staff. The overall cache of emails, which dates back nearly a decade, includes 1.4 million messages. Mandelson did not respond to requests for comment but it is known that he stopped being able to access his Global Counsel email address in February 2025, when he formally took up his role as ambassador.” – The Times

• No 10 cannot block release of Mandelson documents, officials say – ITV News
• ‘No veto’ for Starmer over release of Mandelson files in Epstein scandal, says intelligence watchdog – The Standard
• Mandelson faces EU inquiry into Brussels trade role over Epstein links – The Guardian
• Mandelson could lose EU pension in Epstein investigation – Daily Telegraph
• How Lindsay Hoyle’s lavish trip to the Caribbean led to Lord Mandelson ‘flight risk’ arrest – The Standard

Comment:

Assisted dying bill on brink of collapse after Lords ‘sabotage’

“The assisted dying bill is on the verge of collapse, forcing campaigners to hatch a plot to revive it. The Terminally Ill Adults Bill is stalled in the House of Lords and widely expected not to become law. Dame Esther Rantzen, a high-profile supporter of the plan, accused the Lords on Thursday of “blatant sabotage” to try to collapse the bill. Now The Telegraph can reveal that, if the law collapses before the summer, around 50 pro-assisted-dying MPs will attempt to force it into law by all putting their names forward for private member’s bills… Putting forward dozens of private member’s bills on the same topic will increase the chances that one on assisted dying will be chosen in the ballot and MPs will be forced to debate it again. If they succeed and a bill on assisted dying is passed identical to the one that went through the Commons last year, MPs will be able to use the Parliament Act to circumvent the House of Lords and ensure it becomes law. In a historic vote last year, MPs voted to allow terminally ill adults with less than six months to live to seek medical assistance to end their lives. Legalising assisted dying in England and Wales has been one of the most controversial issues of this Parliament, with emotive debates from MPs on both sides in the House of Commons. The legislation has since become stuck in the House of Lords, after peers tabled more than a thousand amendments to the bill. There are just six weeks left to pass the legislation and mounting anger among MPs who voted to legalise assisted dying.” – Daily Telegraph

• Controversial assisted dying legislation set to fail as peers accused of delaying ­tactics – The Sun
• Esther Rantzen blames ‘religious lobbyists’ as assisted dying bill falters – The Times
• Assisted Dying bill almost certain to fail due to lack of debate time – LBC News
• Why have efforts to bring in assisted dying law been thwarted? – The Guardian

Comment:

• The assisted suicide bill was doomed by its supporters’ arrogance – Toby Young, Daily Telegraph
• The defective assisted dying bill deserved to be put out of its misery – The Times View

News in brief:

• Is the Tory Boy dying out? – Becky Paton, The Critic
• Met’s Lindsay Hoyle blunder makes it unfit to investigate Mandelson – Dominic Adler, UnHerd
• Andy Burnham could have won Gorton and Denton – Neal Lawson, The New Statesman
• When did Ofcom become the world’s morality police? – Andrew Tettenborn, CapX
• Green by-election triumph is a sign of things to come – James Heale, The Spectator