HJS999
2.3K posts

HJS999
@HJS9993
The older I get the more I realise what the world is really like.


Exclusive: Lord Mandelson has not been asked to hand over WhatsApp messages or texts from his personal phone amid mounting concern about the limited nature of the government’s disclosures The peer handed over his work mobile when he was sacked as ambassador to the US because of his friendship with the late paedophile Jeffrey Epstein But he has not been asked by the Cabinet Office for any of the messages on his personal device It has been left to a group of a dozen officials to attempt to “reconstruct” the contents of Mandelson’s phone by asking ministers and officials for their correspondence with the peer The Times has been told that the Cabinet Office was so concerned about the limited nature of the disclosures that it has asked people for messages from their personal devices It is also now asking people for group WhatsApp messages that involved Mandelson, having initially refrained from doing so Mandelson used his personal mobile in the run-up to his appointment as ambassador before switching over to a work mobile just under a month into the role. He resumed using his personal mobile on his return to the UK after he was sacked in September The Tories said that under the terms of the “humble address”, a parliamentary mechanism that forces the government to disclose information, the Cabinet Office should have requested the messages from Mandelson. They said that the failure to do so “risks putting the government in contempt of parliament” Mandelson could not be compelled to hand it over, but others who used to work for government have been asked for messages from their personal devices thetimes.com/uk/politics/ar…




There we go. Literally as I predicted. No.10 are clearing the way for saying the bulk of McSweeney’s communications with Mandelson have been lost. But the rules will be tightened in the future.



Oh look - here are the rules on using WhatsApp that senior officials are required to follow: - They should forward on messages onto government systems, simple screenshots will do - they can ask civil servants to help them do this


The police response to Morgan McSweeney having his phone stolen in October last year seems bizarre As phones go his was about as sensitive as it gets. The number of every cabinet minister and the prime minister. Messages with all of them. Emails, text messages. You name it If you were a hostile state looking for an insight into what was going on in government at that time/ kompromat it's probably about as good as it gets And yet they treated him in the same way as tens of thousands of people are treated every year when their phones are stolen They gave him a crime reference number. Officers didn't speak to him. They didn't conduct an investigation. They just closed the case Now that's not to say they could have tracked down the thief - he was on an e-bike and wearing a balaclava for one. It's just the lack of any further investigation seems odd, although I'm sure it will be familiar to many of the 70,000+ people who reported their mobiles stolen last year More on our podcast The State of It pod.fo/e/3bdacf





Keir Starmer has responded to the first know photo of Andrew, Mandelson and Epstein together, uncovered by ITV News Asked why he still appointed Mandelson as US ambassador despite concerns from his team, the PM admitted 'the [appointment] process wasn't strong enough'





“I graduated from my undergraduate degree last summer… and I have £90,231 of student loan debt.” Gina Tindale, 22, who went to university from a low income background, says the necessity to take out a larger maintenance loan has significantly added to her debt. #Newsnight


The water regulator has said it plans to fine South East Water £22 million over water supply failures between 2020 and 2023 which impacted more than 286,000 people.









