Donald Trump is continuing to threaten rejecting Lord Peter Mandelson as Ambassador to the US unless the UK Government accepts restrictions on his activities.
The Prime Minister is under pressure from the White House to bow to the demands or have their pick for envoy vetoed.
Sources close to the President said he is being reminded to reject the credentials of Sir Keir Starmer’s pick when they are presented to him.
However, a source told The Independent: “There’s also a possibility that they approve it conditionally. There would be a very short leash.”
Mandelson has been a strong advocate of closer economic ties with China, even writing an article in 2018 warning that Trump’s antipathy to China was “putting free trade at risk.”
However, there were also concerns over Starmer’s stint in power, following Elon Musk’s attacks on the Prime Minister over alleged policing of social media in the UK and grooming gangs have had an impact.
Another source told the publication: “It seems that the Starmer government is trying to play a game where it sets China up as a fallback for a relationship with the US. Nobody is buying that here. It’s completely ridiculous but compromises the British government.”
“It [Starmer’s Government] is perceived as anti-free speech by the incoming administration,” the source added. “That is a big red line.”
Downing Street played down the concerns of rift between the two administrations, with Starmer saying he believes his Government can have “a constructive relationship” with Trump’s White House.
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Keir Starmer to address the nation on Axel Rudakubana in minutes
Sir Keir Starmer is to address the nation on Axel Rudakubana this morning at 8.30am after it was revealed that the killer teenager had been referred to a Government anti-extremism scheme three times before the Southport stabbings.
Starmer described the Rudakubana as “vile and sick”, and said there were “grave questions to answer” on how the state “failed” to protect the three girls.
The PM added: “Britain will rightly demand answers, and we will leave no stone unturned in that pursuit.”
It comes after the Home Secretary announced a public inquiry into the 18-year-old who carried out an attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class
Yvette Cooper said the inquiry would examine how Rudakubana “came to be so dangerous” and why the Prevent programme failed to identify the risks he posed.
UK unemployment hits 4.4% in blow for Reeves
The rate of UK unemployment rose to 4.4 per cent in the three months to November, official figures have shown.
This is up from 4.3 per cent in the three months to October.
The UK’s average regular earnings growth increased to 5.6 per cent in the three months leading up to November.
UK needs ‘reckoning with Government spending’, Treasury minister will say
Darren Jones, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, is expected to use a speech at the Institute for Government’s annual conference on Tuesday to stress that ministers need to take a different approach in order to ensure that taxpayers’ money in spent effectively
GB NEWS
The UK is “long overdue a reckoning with Government spending”, a senior Treasury minister will say as Labour could be bringing in further cutes.
Darren Jones, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, is expected to use a speech at the Institute for Government’s annual conference on Tuesday to stress that ministers need to take a different approach in order to ensure that taxpayers’ money in spent effectively.
Jones is leading the spending review that will determine how much money departments will get over the coming years.
He will say the Government “will not settle for doing things the same and hoping for different results”.
It follows criticism of the previous government, with Labour accusing the Conservatives of wasting taxpayers’ money and leaving a £22billion “black hole” in last year’s budget – something the opposition denies.