Ade adams

No. It has to do with my 43 years covering politics - and not taking sides.

@EdwardJDavey Stopped clock and all that. Did you not have time to change into your swarfega covered wetsuit?

If Keir Starmer lied about Peter Mandelson’s vetting, he has to go. Labour promised to clean up our politics now they're just as bad as the Conservatives

@adamboultonTABB Well that’s ok then. Nothing to see here.

Yes this is a lie by Starmer - but not in parliament.

@MatthewStadlen Come on Matty, you’re losing your touch. Was totally expecting you to slip in some Farridge whataboutery.

Imagine how FURIOUS certain journalists and commentators will be if, as now looks likely, this latest furore fails to bring down Starmer.

@BethRigby 19 yrs in the military and I’ve never heard of anyone failing a DV. It is a massive deal. For someone expected to handle strap level info, it is completely implausible this wasn’t disseminated up the chain. They’re treating us like idiots.

NEW: Anger in No 10 tonight - am told by a source that neither the PM nor his advisors were told, over a series of months, that Mandelson had been granted security clearance against the recommendation of UK security vetting. That suggests this information was held in foreign office and not shared. Big Qs now about the PM misleading the House. I am told the PM had been asking Qs about vetting and not been told this information while giving statements to parliament. Told this week PM had been trying to get answers about what happened since Tues night - Guardian got ahead of story. The critical point is that the minister has to have ‘knowingly misled’ the House, and clearly No 10 saying tonight the PM was not aware. I understand the PM had been intending to update the HoC as soon as No 10 had established facts, which they have been doing since Tues. So expect to see the PM come to HoC on Monday to correct the record I asked PM on March 16 whether he has misled the House when he said due process was followed. This is what he told me BETH RIGBY: On the Mandelson files, your national security adviser said the process was quote, weirdly rushed, and Mandelson was appointed before developed vetting had been complete. You told MPs in the House of Commons that due process was followed. Is there a possibility that you have misled the House when you said that? KEIR STARMER: No, and the independent adviser looked at that very question. I think on Thursday or Friday of last week, and answered it very robustly, that the process had been followed. The process wasn't strong enough. And amongst the changes that I intend to put into place is the fact that you can't announce someone until the vetting is finished. It wasn't an individual decision in the Mandelson case, that was the process. Well, you only have to look at that. in the light of the appointment, to realise that that needs to change. But on due process, the process that was there was followed, the problem was the process wasn't strong enough, but ultimately, it was my mistake and I have apologised for that and quite right to.

@PippaCrerar 19 years in the military and I’ve never heard of anyone failing a DV. This is a huge deal and completely implausible that it wasn’t communicated to the PM, bearing in mind it was a political appointment. Obviously, someone with zero integrity wont resign.

BREAKING: Downing Street says that neither Keir Starmer nor David Lammy knew that Peter Mandelson failed his security vetting - and lays blame with Foreign Office official for overruling the decision.

@Alexarmstrong Can’t wait for Matty Stadlen to explain how this is a massive problem for Farage.

Keir Starmer lacks the judgement necessary to be Prime Minister. It’s evident in the decision to overrule security vetting to let his friend Mandelson take the top job, and the 16 U-turns in under two years of holding office. He makes Boris look competent.

@michaelwhite There’s no critical thinking anymore, just blatant tribalism. It’s getting truly pathetic. Was there any investigation initiated by HMRC? They definitely knew about it post event. We now live in a world where facts don’t matter and feelings are everything.

I suppose Tice accidentally made a careless tax ‘minor administrative error' worth £91k before putting most of his profit offshore. But I don’t recall him - or the Mail - being so charitable towards Rayner when she made a tax mistake . Double standards bbc.co.uk/news/articles/…

@benonwine Sounds exactly like Alex Phillips, right down to the rhotacism. Quite right though.

🚨 This woman absolutely unloads on Keir Starmer… “ARE YOU LISTENING, KEIR STARMER?” She accuses him of betraying the country and losing sight of what Britain stands for. 👏👏👏 Say what you want… but this is how a lot of people are feeling right now. Agree or Disagree? 👇

The grown ups have arrived.

@MattCas04807118 @billymooreAPBD Absolutely off his nut.

More cowardly attacking of @billymooreAPBD at Aintree race horse track.🫣 They know there are cameras, witnesses and police nearby, if you want to insult then be a man and do it somewhere quietly.🤡

@LeoKearse 😂, however, by the end of the day…

I moved out of London last year. It wasn't because of "disinformation" on social media. It was because I saw London become a third world shithole full of sketchy deliveroo bongolians. I want my kids to be able to go to the park on their own without being harassed/filmed/assaulted by some government-sponsored janjaweed tuberculosis squad. Sadiq has done this to London to bring in people who vote for him, creating an electoral dictatorship. Like any dictator, he now wants to suppress any dissent. This is the left's blueprint for the whole country. The "disinformation" is Sadiq pretending that London is fine.

@CanadianPolling New polling finds 0% of Canadians want a 3.5% income tax hike to pay for it.

New polling finds 76% of Canadians say NATO should move on without the US

@VeryBrexitProbs Europe doesn’t have strategic airlift, enough tankers, a cogent missile defence or a competent command and control network. That was all paid for by the US, but gratefully used by NATO. Hard facts that you’re now going to have to pay for. Enjoy.

MAGA thinks Europe can't defend itself without America. Here's what they don't know. 1. France and Britain have 515 nuclear warheads and 8 nuclear missile submarines. 2. European defence spending hit €481 billion this year. That's more than Russia and China spend combined. The EU's ReArm Europe plan is mobilising another €800 billion. 3. European countries have over 1.7 million active troops. Russia has 1.3 million. 4. EU and UK air forces fly over 1,400 combat aircraft. Their navies have five aircraft carriers, over 60 submarines, more than 120 frigates and destroyers. 5. Europe has over 6,000 artillery pieces and that's before the biggest rearmament wave since the Cold War. Poland alone is adding 212 new howitzers. 6. The British SAS invented modern special forces. The US copied them to build Delta Force. From France's Foreign Legion to Poland's GROM, Europe's elite units are among the deadliest on earth. 7. Europe already has joint military commands ready to fight. The UK leads a 10-nation rapid reaction force across Northern Europe and the Arctic. Finland alone can mobilise 900,000 trained reservists all prepared to fight in arctic conditions. 8. Europe has its own satellite navigation (Galileo), its own defence programme (75 active projects) and is building its own rapid deployment force. The "helpless Europe" story was never about defence. It was about keeping Europe dependent and buying American weapons, relying on American intelligence, following American foreign policy. Thanks to Trump, that now ends.

@MikeTappTweets Stockholm syndrome. Let’s see how you respond when he has to resign in disgrace - bet you change your tune then.

I couldn’t be more proud to be serving in Keir Starmer’s Government. This is exactly the leadership our country needs in uncertain times. 🇬🇧🇬🇧

@Roobarb59 @chrisszumilo @VeryBrexitProbs It’s only an idiotic take if you don’t understand the military and investment in capability. With that spend, the US brings the nuclear umbrella, sat int / surveillance, strategic airlift / tanking, missile defence and C+C. NATO is reliant on these. if these go you’re hamstrung.

@Adeadams17 @chrisszumilo @VeryBrexitProbs Idiotic take. Yes if you add the US $997Bn total budget to the rest of NATO's $400Bn, it looks like 65-70%. But the fact is, only a small proportion of the total US spend is in Europe - the vast majority of the US military budget is spent in the Americas, Pacific & Asia.

MAGA: “Europeans are freeloaders! We pay for NATO. We pay for everything! We’re leaving.” Europeans: “Okay. Cheerio.” MAGA: “We’re packing up! No more handouts. You’ll be screwed without us.” Europeans: “I’m sure we’ll manage. Bye then.” MAGA: “Better start learning Russian. You won’t last 15 minutes without us. You’re a bunch of pussies!!!” Europeans: “Still here?” MAGA: “We’ve got 300 aircraft carriers and 10 gazillion rockets and space lasers! You europoors still have cannons!” Europeans: yawn in French, go for three-hour lunch. MAGA: “USA! USA! USA! You’ll beg us to come back!!!” Europeans: order a second bottle of Chablis.

@j_vonneumann @VeryBrexitProbs The US spend nearly a trillion dollars a year on defence. $100b total spend is inconsequential to them. To you however, it means a huge tax rise or welfare cuts. Enjoy.

@Adeadams17 @VeryBrexitProbs Sure. Also we will research, produce and buy European weapons. So you can say goodbye to $100B+ of military purchasing from UE. Byyyyeeee! Idiots. Enjoy.

@NOMonomach @VeryBrexitProbs You are absolutely clueless militarily and how your collective weakness will be perceived. Dust off those white flags.

@Adeadams17 @VeryBrexitProbs Yep, but you are. EU doesn't need to be present in every place in the Earth like US is. Local defence costs less. Many times less to be precise. And with UA as a new member and ally, anyone can try. UA drones would destry the whole US navy near Europe in a month.

@chrisszumilo @VeryBrexitProbs Nope, that’s where you’re wrong kiddo. The U.S. currently accounts for roughly 65–70% of NATO’s total defense spending. Look it up.

@Adeadams17 @VeryBrexitProbs Nope. US contributions to the common NATO budget is just shy of 16%. They contribute as much as Germany does.