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Press Announcement: Biteback to Publish Iain Dale’s

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Have i said too much

BITEBACK TO PUBLISH IAIN DALE’S UNFILTERED AUTOBIOGRAPHY

Biteback Publishing has acquired Iain Dale’s searingly honest autobiography, offering a rare, honest look at failure, imposter syndrome and the art of broadcasting.

Award-winning broadcaster Iain Dale has led a life full of incident and success but also some very public failures. In this refreshingly honest account of his life and careers in business, politics and media, he tells all for the first time.

With the same raw candour that earns him 750,000 weekly listeners, he recounts his journey from driving a combine harvester at age eight to driving the national conversation on LBC, taking in his encounters with a host of household names, including HM Queen Elizabeth II, Sir Cliff Richard, Kylie Minogue, Joan Rivers, Jennifer Saunders, the Duchess of York, Olivia Newton-John, Terry Pratchett and twelve of our fifty-eight Prime Ministers.

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He also reflects movingly on coming out at age forty, coming to terms with his thwarted political aspirations, and the heartbreaking phone-ins that have made him ‘the friend they’ve never met’ to millions.

This is the ultimate insider’s guide to the corridors of power and the pressures of the studio. Whether he’s nearly throwing up on Margaret Thatcher, coming to blows with senior MPs or accidentally calling the Archbishop of Canterbury something less than pious on live radio, this is Iain Dale off-air and unfiltered.

One of Britain’s leading political commentators and a celebrated broadcaster, Iain Dale presents the evening show on LBC Radio and is a regular contributor to Good Morning Britain, Question Time and Newsnight. His podcasts include Where Politics Meets History and the award-winning For the Many. He is a regular columnist for the Telegraph, the Evening Standard and the i paper.

Iain has written or edited more than fifty books, including Why Can’t We All Just Get Along…, The Prime Ministers and, most recently, Margaret Thatcher, selling more than a million copies in the past twenty-five years. He is a visiting professor of politics and broadcasting at the University of East Anglia.

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Olivia Beattie, Editorial Director at Biteback, acquired world English rights from Gordon Wise at Curtis Brown.

Dale said: ‘You only get one chance of writing an autobiography, and I’m delighted that my old firm Biteback have taken it on. It is very much warts and all and includes all the various scrapes I’ve been involved in, as well as telling what it’s really like to be a radio presenter. The whole book is anecdote-tastic and is designed to entertain. I don’t flinch about possibly going into too much detail about certain aspects of my life, hence the title of the book. I can’t wait for it to appear in July and to promote the hell out of it throughout the summer and autumn.’

Beattie said: ‘Everyone at Biteback has missed Iain enormously since he stepped down as MD in 2018, so it feels like a wonderful homecoming to be welcoming him back with this very personal memoir. This is trademark Iain, with all the right ingredients – his candour and raw emotion and sense of humour – and we’re really looking forward to sharing it with a wider audience.’

Have I Said Too Much? will be published on 15 July 2026, supported by a major publicity campaign.

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Price: £22 hardback

ISBN: 9781837360581

For more information please contact Ruth Killick on publicity@ruthkillick.co.uk 

Signed copies can be ordered HERE 

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BBC Faces Backlash For Removing ‘Free Palestine’ Message From Baftas Broadcast

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BBC Faces Backlash For Removing 'Free Palestine' Message From Baftas Broadcast

The BBC is facing a backlash after a message in support of Palestine during one of this year’s Baftas acceptance speeches was removed from broadcast.

On Sunday night, brothers Wale Davies and Akinola Davies Jr. picked up the Bafta in the Outstanding Debut By A British Writer, Director Or Producer prize for their work on the film My Father’s Shadow.

After celebrating their fellow nominees and thanking their collaborators on their film, Akinola gave a shout-out to “all those whose parents migrated to obtain a better life for their children”, “the economic migrant”, “the conflict migrant”, “those under occupation, dictatorship [and] persecution” and “those experiencing genocide”.

“Your stories matter more than ever. Your dreams are an act of resistance to those watching at home,” he said. “Archive your loved ones. Archive your stories yesterday, today, and forever.”

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Akinola concluded: “For Nigeria, for London, the Congo, Sudan, free Palestine.”

However, the BBC – who airs the Baftas ceremony on a two-hour time delay – chose not to include this last section of Akinola’s speech, which has since been uploaded to Bafta’s YouTube page in full.

The decision for the BBC not to feature the political parts of Akinola’s speech has been met with a widespread backlash, particularly as a racist slur uttered by Tourette’s campaigner John Davidson as part of a tic during a speech by Michael B Jordan and Delroy Lindo aired uncensored.

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-BAFTA was not live.
-BBC censored “Free Palestine”
-BBC did not censor a hard R
-“If” language used for anyone offended. https://t.co/Y2w6JMZDbs

— TRADE UP FOR MAKAI LEMON (@cruzsteelski) February 23, 2026

The BBC omitted “free Palestine” from their broadcast of the BAFTAs, which is on a 2 hour delay, but not the part where two Black men were called a racial slur while on stage.

— victor (@sacrificeofvic) February 22, 2026

The ablism and racism since this moment has been wild, but I have to say — the fact the BBC didn’t censor the moment but apparently censored “Free Palestine” is utterly utterly indefensible and outrageous. https://t.co/WSiMqHGnH1

— Rhammel (@Rhammified) February 23, 2026

The BBC owe us a thorough explanation. Unless they can confirm this was some kind of terrible technical glitch we can be sure this was an active editorial judgment to allow the racial slur to air. https://t.co/hJlciDyD8d

— Rhammel (@Rhammified) February 23, 2026

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The BBC will edit “Free Palestine” out of the BAFTAs but will keep in someone shouting the N-word

They’ll let racist language though. They’ll facilitate what will be a horrible time for people with Tourette’s.

But the words “Free Palestine” must be scrubbed from history. pic.twitter.com/0ApeSgs4E0

— Adam Smith (@adamndsmith) February 23, 2026

I believe what the BBC did was deliberate.

Not only did they not bleep the slur, but they also chose not to broadcast Alan Cummings’ apology/clarification.

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Paying TV licence for what, exactly?

— Steph (@StephanieYeboah) February 23, 2026

The fact that the BBC censored out Free Palestine during a winners speech by black filmmakers but kept in the racial slur used against fellow black creatives really irks me.

— Zak (@zakfilm) February 23, 2026

The BBC edited “Free Palestine” out of Akinola Davies Jr.’s acceptance speech but left the N-word in. Interesting.

— Mukhtar (@I_amMukhtar) February 23, 2026

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also fuck the bbc they can edit out free palestine no issue but can’t edit out a horrendously uncomfortable situation for three men that didn’t need to be televised. they crave the division and the drama. fuck them

— bryony (@bryonycdc) February 23, 2026

1. Tourettes is an arse, and can make people say horrific things they do not mean at all.

2. If BBC can edit out “Free Palestine” they can bloody well edit out the disabled person ticcing horrific language, rather than making a spectacle of him and magnifying the racist injury.

— Becca Jiggens LLM Chartered FCIPD ♿️ 🇵🇸🕊️🏳️⚧️ (@beccajiggens) February 23, 2026

The BBC deemed “Free Palestine” to be more offensive than a racial slur.

“But he has Tourette’s” not what I’m talking about. I’m talking about how the BBC thought that “Free Palestine” is offensive and needs to be cut, but the N word was important for “spreading awareness” https://t.co/5nD9Nv4U6X

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— Fairuz Al Bahr 🏳️⚧️🇵🇸🇸🇩🇱🇧🇸🇾🇨🇩🇭🇹 (@FairuzOfTheSea) February 23, 2026

All the smoke needs to be for the BAFTAS and BBC. Because what do you mean there was a 2 hour delay and you can edit out “free Palestine” but not the N word towards two black actors on stage ?🤨

— 2.0 (@blixberrie) February 23, 2026

A BBC spokesperson told Deadline: “The live event is three hours and it has to be reduced to two hours for its on-air slot. The same happened to other speeches made during the night and all edits were made to ensure the programme was delivered to time.”

HuffPost UK has contacted the BBC for additional comment on the backlash over its editorial decision.

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Martin Lewis Clashes With Kemi Badenoch Over Student Loans

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Martin Lewis Clashes With Kemi Badenoch Over Student Loans

Martin Lewis clashed with Kemi Badenoch on live TV over her plan to help graduates struggling to pay back their student loans.

The Tory leader has said her party would freeze the interest rates currently being charged in an attempt to bring down repayments.

But appearing on ITV’s Good Morning Britain, Badenoch was challenged by Lewis, the programme’s resident financial expert.

As presenters Ed Balls and Susanna Reid looked on, Lewis walked onto the set to confront the Tory chief directly.

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He told her: “If you want to help the middle-earning students, the most important thing is the repayment threshold should have been increased.”

That was a reference to chancellor Rachel Reeves’ controversial decision in last year’s Budget to freeze the threshold, thereby dragging more graduates into the punishing repayment scheme.

Badenoch hit back: “Martin, this is exactly why young people are suffering.

“We’ve got lots of people who have finished university, where they didn’t have to pay fees, didn’t have to take out loans, and now you’re all saying nothing can be done.

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“I’m the first person who’s even tried to solve this problem.”

Lewis interrupted her to say: “Shall we have a chat about it because I think you’ve got the right idea, but this is not a solution that will help middle and lower earning students.”

As Ed Balls then asked whether a middle earning graduate would benefit from the Tory plan, Badenoch said: “You’re both talking over me – excuse me. Let me explain what my policy is.

“I want to make sure that those young people who are paying and paying and their debt is not going down get a relief. If you think there’s a better offer, let’s look at it.

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“But what’s made the difference now is that in her Budget, Rachel Reeves increased the number of people getting in because the threshold has been frozen. I don’t think this is fair.

“The whole student loan system is not working properly, someone has to do something. And the thing that shocks me is the minute I say ‘let’s do something’, everyone says ‘oh no no no, this in not right’. We are going round in circles.”

But Lewis told her: “If you have a billion pounds to help students, the most direct thing that would help all students would be not freezing the repayment threshold, it would be increasing the repayment threshold.”

Later in the interview, the Tory leader said: “What is the problem now is that any time someone says ‘well let’s look at this, there’s always someone – sometimes it’s Martin – who says ‘oh that’s a terrible idea’ and then nothing happens.

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“Nothing is happening. No one is helping these people and I’m coming out with some ideas and with some solutions.”

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FBI Director Kash Patel Faces Backlash For Flying To Winter Olympics And Partying With Team USA

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FBI Director Kash Patel looks on ahead of the men's ice hockey gold medal match between Team USA and Canada at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena on Sunday.

FBI Director Kash Patel is facing a backlash for reportedly using an FBI jet to head to Italy where he spent the final days of the Winter Olympics watching hockey and, later, celebrating Team USA’s gold medal win over Canada on Sunday.

Patel, a hockey fan since his childhood, was spotted at the US men’s semifinal game against Slovakia, and later at the final, where he was seen celebrating with Team USA centre Dylan Larkin in the locker room after America’s overtime win.

“Congratulations Team USA,” Patel appeared to say while making a shaka sign with his hand during Larkin’s post-game Instagram Live feed, per a clip shared by MS NOW’s Ken Dilanian.

On Sunday, he took to social media to remark on Team USA’s golden accomplishment. The conspiracy-pushing FBI director also shared snaps from the post-game celebration, including one that shows him cracking a smile alongside coach Mike Sullivan.

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Unity, Sacrifice, Attitude- what it takes to be the best in the world. These men live and breathe it. Now Team USA are gold medal champions, legends standing on the shoulders of giants. Thank you for representing the greatest country on earth, in the greatest game ever created.… pic.twitter.com/hBG987pxM2

— Kash Patel (@Kash_Patel) February 22, 2026

Social media users swiftly slammed Patel over the trip, with a number particularly pointing to the Justice Department’s controversial, slow drip release of the Jeffrey Epstein files.

“Are the Epstein files there?” X user Gerald Celente questioned.

Another user, Hannah Cox, reacted to Patel’s Instagram Live selfie with Larkin, simply writing, “Meanwhile, solving no sex crimes mind you.”

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“Why is Kash Patel in the locker room?” asked @AmanitaFugax on X. “They don’t even try to hide their corruption and self enrichment anymore. This guy is a podcasting grifter. He should not be anywhere near public service.”

On Thursday, Patel headed to the Milan Cortina Games on the FBI’s Gulfstream jet, sources told MS NOW’s Dilanian and Carol Leonnig. The report estimated that Patel’s trip to Milan cost taxpayers as much as $75,000.

FBI spokesperson Ben Williamson confirmed the trip but argued it was “personal” in nature, claiming it was planned months in advance, and Patel was there to meet with Italian officials for meetings and briefings related to government duties.

Williamson went on to defend the trip by claiming that the FBI plays a “major role” in security for the Games as well as the World Cup, which is set to go down this summer in the States.

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“So we have a U.S. consulate briefing on Olympic security and current FBI posture, as well as thanking FBI personnel on the ground,” he wrote.

FBI Director Kash Patel looks on ahead of the men's ice hockey gold medal match between Team USA and Canada at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena on Sunday.
FBI Director Kash Patel looks on ahead of the men’s ice hockey gold medal match between Team USA and Canada at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena on Sunday.

Patel has previously come under fire for using an FBI jet to go see his girlfriend, country singer Alexis Wilkins, perform at a wrestling event in Pennsylvania last year.

He later defended the move, arguing that he’s not allowed to fly commercial and declaring that his partner is “a rock-solid conservative and a country music sensation who has done more for this nation than most will in ten lifetimes.”

Patel is the first known active FBI director to make an Olympic-related trip since Robert Mueller did so in 2003, although that trip occurred several months prior to the start of the 2004 Athens Games, MSNBC noted.

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Boris Johnson Accused Of Attention Seeking Over Ukraine War

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Boris Johnson Accused Of Attention Seeking Over Ukraine War

Boris Johnson has been accused of “attention seeking” after calling for British troops to go to Ukraine immediately.

Speaking shortly before the fourth anniversary of Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, the former prime minister said the west was only giving Ukraine enough to stop them from losing, not enough to help them win.

“I think we need to show we’re willing to give the Ukrainians the military support,” he told the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg – and that means deploying non-combat troops now.

“If we can have a plan for boots on the ground for after the war, after Putin has condescended to have a ceasefire, why not do it now?” Johnson said, alluding to Keir Starmer’s promise to deploy British peace-keeping soldiers in the event of a ceasefire.

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“Just make this point that it is up to the Ukrainians. These people wouldn’t be there in a war-fighting capacity,” the ex-PM added.

But his comments fell flat with the show’s panellists, as the Independent’s editor Geordie Greig said: “I think his comments are reckless and irresponsible.

“It’s typical of the attention-seeking stance which he’s become known for.

“To have unarmed British troops in Ukraine… they would be sitting ducks.

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“Putin has shown he can attack almost anywhere in Ukraine. The idea that Johnson can flip a switch in Putin’s mind is laughable.”

He said the former Conservative PM should try to speak to Donald Trump instead, and encourage the US president to support Ukraine instead of falsely blaming the country for the lack of progress in peace talks.

Editor of The Independent, Geordie Greig after Laura Kuenssberg’s completely unnecessary interview with Boris Johnson: “I think his comments are reckless & irresponsible. It’s typical of the attention-seeking stance he’s become known for”#bbclaurak pic.twitter.com/slANn4FRDD

— David (@Zero_4) February 22, 2026

Johnson also used his BBC interview to claim that the west “should have done more” to stand up to Putin and deter his invasion back in 2022.

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Johnson, who was the prime minister at the time, said: “The real problem is with Ukraine is that Putin does not believe, or he has not yet been convinced, that the west regards it as an overwhelming strategic objective for Ukraine to be a free and independent European country.”

He also took aim at the White House saying there is a “delusion” in the US if they believe Putin wants peace – and claimed he had shared that sentiment with Trump.

“We won’t end this war by asking the Ukrainians to make further concessions,” he said, alluding to the US’s insistence that Ukraine must give up more land to achieve a ceasefire.

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Maxi Shield, Drag Race Down Under Star, Dies Aged 51

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Maxi Shield, Drag Race Down Under Star, Dies Aged 51

The drag world is in mourning following the death of the Australian performer Maxi Shield.

Internationally, Maxi – the drag alter-ego of Kristopher Elliot – will be best known to RuPaul’s Drag Race fans for her appearance on the inaugural season of the reality show’s Down Under iteration, where she finished in sixth place.

Last year, she shared that she had been diagnosed with cancer, with her death at the age of 51 being announced on Sunday evening.

A post on the company of the Australian company Wigs By Vanity read: “It’s with the heaviest of hearts that we share the news that our dearest sister, Maxine, has passed away.

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“We are all mourning the loss of an incredible icon, friend, and our beloved sister. Thank you for the laughs, the cackles, and the magic you brought into our lives.”

Season one winner Kita Mean was among those paying tribute, remembering Maxi as “the kindest queen that has ever been” and celebrating her “love for drag”, “wicked sense of humour” and “giving spirit”.

“There will forever be a void in my heavy heart where your fabulousness hit me like a tonne of bricks,” Kita said. “Your strength over the last few months has been incomprehensible and I will go forward with such pride in my heart knowing I was friends with the best sister in the business.

“I love you so much… may your spirit rest in peace.”

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Fellow competitor Anita Wigl’it also wrote: “I am very saddened to hear that our beloved Maxi Shield has passed on. You have been an absolute delight of a friend and sister.

“I’ll remember you for so many things; cackling about our friends, plotting the wonderful things that we are going to do in our careers, your support, constantly laughing, your wonderful stories, talking about men, the time you dressed as Penguin, the love you have for everyone. I love you my friend.”

Maxi was a prolific figure on the Australian drag scene, and was notably among the performers at the closing ceremony of the 2000 Olympics in Sydney.

She was also a regular fixture at the city’s Mardi Gras celebrations each year, and played a lead role in the 2023 comedy The Winner Takes It All.

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Is Trump pranking C-SPAN?

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Is Trump pranking C-SPAN?

Before he became president, Donald Trump was notorious for using personas to engage with the media. Now, people are speculating that Trump has revived one of his old pseudonyms:

John Barron

When we say Trump was ‘famous’ for deploying personas, we weren’t exaggerating. There is literally a Wikipedia article on the topic:

As you can see, those aliases are in order:

  • John Barron.
  • John Miller.
  • Carolin Gallego (??).
  • David Dennison.

Here’s what that same page says about the John Barron persona:

Trump used the alias “John Barron” (sometimes “John Baron”) throughout the 1980s, with its earliest known usage in 1980 and its last acknowledgment in 1990. According to The Washington Post, the name was a “go-to alias when [Trump] was under scrutiny, in need of a tough front man or otherwise wanting to convey a message without attaching his own name to it”. Barron would be introduced as a spokesperson for Trump, and is even described as a vice president of the Trump Organization in an article by Robert D. McFadden.

This is how that section ends:

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Some New York editors recalled that “calls from Barron were at points so common that they became a recurring joke on the city desk”.

Trump stopped using the pseudonym after he was compelled to testify in court proceedings that John Barron was one of his pseudonyms. The Washington Post suggested that Trump might have used the pseudonym longer if not for the “lawsuit in which he testified, under oath in 1990, that ‘I believe on occasion I used that name.’”

And here’s what caller ‘John Barron’ said in the clip at the top:

Well, this is John Barron, and you have… Look, this is the worst decision you’ve ever had in your life, practically. Jack – and Jack’s going to agree with me, right? But this is a terrible decision, and you have Hakeem Jeffries, who – he’s a dope – and you have, Chuck Schumer, who can’t cook a cheeseburger. Of course, these people are happy. Of course, these people are happy.

But true Americans will not be happy. And you have the woman earlier. I assume she’s a woman. She’s a Democrat. But she said… she’s disgraced. She’s devastated.

Confusing, unclear stuff.

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In other words, believing it could be him is easy.

But is it?

Journalist Mehdi Hasan suggested it must be a phoney:

It’s certainly true that the caller doesn’t sound exactly like Trump, but then again, neither does Trump at this point.

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The man has aged dramatically over the past 12 months, and he’s lost more and more impulse control.

Given that, is it so hard to imagine a sundowning Trump reviving one of his old personas?

Yes, it is, actually.

I’m Carolin Gallego – thanks bigly for reading this article.

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Featured image via the Canary

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Newsom Calls Trump A ‘Punch-Drunk Boxer’ For Lashing Out At Supreme Court Over Tariffs Ruling

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Newsom Calls Trump A ‘Punch-Drunk Boxer’ For Lashing Out At Supreme Court Over Tariffs Ruling

California Governor Gavin Newsom accused President Donald Trump of flailing after he admonished the US Supreme Court for striking down his sweeping tariffs last week.

On Friday, the court ruled Trump didn’t have the emergency power to impose the sweeping tariffs, prompting him to sign an executive order on Friday night stating he could bypass Congress and impose a 10% tax on global imports.

Then on Saturday, Trump posted on Truth Social that he was raising the global tariff to 15%.

“Based on a thorough, detailed, and complete review of the ridiculous, poorly written, and extraordinarily anti-American decision on Tariffs issued yesterday, after MANY months of contemplation, by the United States Supreme Court, please let this statement serve to represent that I, as President of the United States of America, will be, effective immediately, raising the 10% Worldwide Tariff on Countries, many of which have been “ripping” the U.S. off for decades, without retribution (until I came along!), to the fully allowed, and legally tested, 15% level,” Trump wrote.

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“The whole thing is a farce,” Newsom told CNN’s Dana Bash in an interview that aired Sunday. “I talk about petulance. It was 10% two days ago, maybe 20% tomorrow. I mean, this is madness.”

Newsom also said Trump was flailing.

“He’s a punch-drunk boxer,” Newsom said. “He’s just trying to hit anything, a shadow, and he’s a shadow of himself. He’s lost a step or two.”

Newsom said Trump’s tariffs were ”always an illegal act,” and that he needs to return the money.

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“He needs to refund that money with interest,” Newsom said. “He could do that in a nanosecond. They could do that electronically.”

Newsom then likened Trump and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to the 1994 screwball comedy “Dumb & Dumber,” and said the pair had “wrecked this economy.”

“[Trump’s] entire economic paradigm is mass deportations, tax cuts for billionaires and tariffs. And he’s been exposed. He’s a fraud. And by the way, the tariff? This is a self-dealing operation. This is about his personal portfolio,” Newsome added.

Watch a clip from Newsom’s “State of the Union” interview below.

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Bafta Addresses James Van Der Beek And Eric Dane’s Omissions From Tributes

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Bafta Addresses James Van Der Beek And Eric Dane's Omissions From Tributes

A spokesperson for Bafta has responded to the backlash over two key omissions from the “in memoriam” section of this year’s awards show.

Every year, the Baftas pays tribute to those from the movie industry who have died over the last 12 months, with this year’s tributes being accompanied by a touching performance from Jessie Ware.

In a statement to the Daily Mail, a Bafta rep said: “We honour those within the sector in which their work was most closely associated. Our TV Awards take place later this spring.”

Last week, it was also confirmed that Eric had died at 53, having been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in 2025.

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Newslinks for Monday 23rd February 2026

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Newslinks for Friday 30th January 2026

No 10 fast-tracked security vetting for Mandelson despite known links to Epstein

“Peter Mandelson’s security vetting as US ambassador was fast-tracked despite his known links to Jeffrey Epstein, The i Paper can reveal. Photos of Mandelson show he had security clearance to view “top secret” material within three and a half weeks of his role being announced, when such checks typically take several months. Insiders say the Foreign Office was asked to complete the former Labour peer’s security screening as quickly as possible to get him in post, under pressure from No 10 officials. The photographs and insider reports raise new questions about how quickly officials vetted Mandelson and whether they could have discovered his close connections to the convicted sex offender earlier. A senior Government source said that Mandelson’s vetting was done through the normal process but without the usual waiting period, because the most important roles are fast-tracked through the vetting system. A Government spokesman said: “No part of the vetting process was removed, or skipped in the case of Peter Mandelson. It is normal practice for vetting sponsors to expedite applications, and they can request that cases are prioritised based on operational deployment deadlines.” This is the first admission by the UK Government that Mandelson’s security vetting was fast-tracked, despite the publicly known concerns over his links to Jeffrey Epstein.” – The i

  • Evidence in Epstein UK flight investigation ‘destroyed’ – The Times
  • Epstein hid secret files in storage units across US – Daily Telegraph
  • Andrew & Mandelson should be investigated for TREASON, senior MP demands & calls for special probe into Epstein links – The Sun
  • Parliament ‘must launch a Treason probe into Andrew and Mandelson’, senior MP – Daily Express

Comment:

  • Charles, William & the royals have to convince us right now monarchy is worth sticking with… I know what they need to do – Rod Liddle, The Sun

> Yesterday:

Britain faces billion-pound bill if Chagos deal collapses

“Britain faces paying billions in compensation if Donald Trump collapses Sir Keir Starmer’s Chagos deal, The Telegraph can reveal. Ministers are concerned that Mauritius will sue if the Government cancels a treaty to give away the Chagos Islands, following opposition from the White House. This week, the US president changed his position on the deal for the third time, arguing that Sir Keir was making a “big mistake” and should not “give away” Diego Garcia, the joint US-UK military base there. As part of the deal, Britain will pay Mauritius £35bn over the next century to rent back the base and fund Mauritius’s development. However, Mr Trump’s intervention means the deal could be cancelled entirely, with officials privately admitting that it cannot go ahead without the United States’ support. Two Whitehall sources told The Telegraph that if Britain is forced to withdraw from the treaty, it will likely face legal action from Mauritius that could trigger a compensation bill worth billions… If the deal is cancelled, officials believe Mauritius will try to recoup the money anyway in the international courts.” – Daily Telegraph

  • Britain could pay billions if Trump collapses Chagos deal – The Times
  • Ex-defence secretary accuses Nigel Farage of ‘performing Maga stunt’ with failed Chagos ‘aid mission’ – The Independent
  • Farage: My Chagos aid mission has been blocked – Daily Telegraph

Comment:

  • Sir Keir must not allow Mauritius to force through the Chagos deal – Telegraph View
  • Is Starmer’s 15th U-turn on the horizon? – Andrew Pierce, Daily Mail

Streeting must be sacked to reset Government, allies tell Starmer

“Wes Streeting should be sacked as part of the Downing Street reset, allies of Sir Keir Starmer have said. The Prime Minister is being told by his supporters to assert his authority and dispose of the “distracting” Health Secretary to get his premiership back on track. Sir Keir will return to Parliament after recess on Monday. He is seeking to stabilise his premiership following a bruising start to the year. He is conducting a wholesale overhaul of No 10 after the Lord Mandelson scandal pushed his Government to the brink, with the clear-out already costing him two of his most senior aides. Sources close to four Cabinet ministers have now turned the spotlight on Mr Streeting, telling The Telegraph he is becoming increasingly unpopular with Government colleagues after months of bitter briefing wars with No 10. They said the attacks on Downing Street were interfering with Labour’s agenda and could not be allowed to continue, with one warning: “The situation is clearly unsustainable.” Mr Streeting, a prominent figure on the Labour Right, is widely seen as a potential challenger to Sir Keir and has been accused on multiple occasions of plotting a coup against the Prime Minister.” – Daily Telegraph

  • Sir Keir Starmer ‘drawing up plans to sack rival Wes Streeting for plotting to take his job’ – Daily Mail
  • Keir Starmer ‘readies plans to SACK Wes Streeting for plotting to take his job’ – GB News

Comment:

  • The Streeting/Milburn era must end to give the NHS a fresh start – HSJ
  • Britain has been broken by bad ideas before: but seldom by so many at once – Robert Tombs, Daily Telegraph

> Today:

News in brief:

  • Can Reform UK fix Prevent? – Dominic Adler, UnHerd
  • Labour is trapped in a statist doom-loop – Eliot Wilson, The Critic
  • Can Reform really make Britain Christian again? – Lois McLatchie Miller, The Spectator
  • Equating the Greens with Reform will ruin Labour – Jonn Elledge, The New Statesman

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Baftas 2026: All The Red Carpet Photos From This Year’s Awards Show

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Baftas 2026: All The Red Carpet Photos From This Year's Awards Show

The 2026 Baftas ceremony brought some of the biggest stars in Hollywood to London on Sunday night.

And, of course, a star-studded awards ceremony means plenty of A-list red carpet photos for us all to pore through afterwards.

One Battle After Another led the way when it came to both nominations and wins at this year’s Baftas, with cast members Teyana Taylor and Chase Infiniti delivering some of the stand-out looks of the evening, with Benicio Del Toro and Leonardo DiCaprio also looking smart on the night.

Elsewhere, Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal were out representing their tear-jerking drama Hamnet, two-time winner Robert Aramayo was looking dapper and Sinners faves like Wunmi Mosaku, Michael B Jordan and Miles Caton pulled out all the stops on the red carpet, too.

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But it wasn’t just about the nominees this year, with presenters including HuffPost faves Hannah Waddingham, Riz Ahmed, Erin Doherty and Aimee Lou Wood.

Check out the must-see red carpet snaps from the 2026 Baftas below…

Chase Infiniti

Nominated – Best Actress

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Jessie Buckley

Robert Aramayo

Winner – Best Actor and Rising Star

Teyana Taylor

Nominated – Best Supporting Actress

David Fisher/Shutterstock

Wunmi Mosaku

Winner – Best Supporting Actress

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Anthony Harvey/Shutterstock

Erin Doherty

Hannah Waddingham

Timothée Chalamet

Paul Mescal and Gracie Abrams

Nominated – Best Supporting Actor

Emma Stone

Nominated – Best Actress

Riz Ahmed

Aimee Lou Wood

Jesse Plemons and Kirsten Dunst

Matt Baron/BEI/Shutterstock

Alan Cumming

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Renate Reinsve

Nominated – Best Actress

Anthony Harvey/Shutterstock

Michael B Jordan

Matt Baron/BEI/Shutterstock

Tom Blyth

Kathryn Hahn

Kathryn Hahn
Kathryn Hahn

David Fisher/Shutterstock

Regé-Jean Page

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Anthony Harvey/Shutterstock

Sadie Sink

Carey Mulligan

Nominated – Best Supporting Actress

Archie Madekwe

Nominated – Rising Star

Anthony Harvey/Shutterstock

Bobby Cannavale and Rose Byrne

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Nominated – Best Actress

Kate Hudson

Nominated – Best Actress

Anthony Harvey/Shutterstock

Stormzy

Gillian Anderson

Ethan Hawke

Harry Melling

Jessie Ware

Emily Watson

Nominated – Best Supporting Actress

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Odessa A’zion

Nominated – Best Supporting Actress

Joe Alwyn

Anthony Harvey/Shutterstock

Leonardo DiCaprio

Chloe Zhao

Nominated – Best Director

Wagner Moura

Monica Bellucci

Jacobi and Noah Jupe

Anthony Harvey/Shutterstock

Cillian Murphy

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David Fisher/Shutterstock

David Jonsson

David Fisher/Shutterstock

Miles Caton

Nominated – Rising Star

Alessandro Galatoli/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock

Inga Ibdsdotter Lileaas

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Nominated – Best Supporting Actress

David Fisher/Shutterstock

Maggie Gyllenhaal

Anthony Harvey/Shutterstock

Jaime Winstone

Benicio Del Toro

Nominated – Best Supporting Actor

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Stellan Skarsgård

Nominated – Best Supporting Actor

Maya Rudolph

Minnie Driver

Warwick Davis

Mia McKenna-Bruce

Milly Alcock

David Fisher/Shutterstock

Jenna Coleman

Glenn Close

Sheila Atim

Maura Higgins

Anthony Harvey/Shutterstock

Audrey Nuna

Rei Ami

Kerry Washington

Little Simz

Harry Lawtey

Anthony Harvey/Shutterstock

Russell Tovey

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Anthony Harvey/Shutterstock

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