Sir Keir Starmer’s current welfare minister said the Prime Minister “destroyed” his own authority by watering down his benefit reforms last year, in damaging secret texts revealed in the Mandelson files.
Pat McFadden, the Work and Pensions Secretary, was discussing with Lord Mandelson – then-US ambassador – the Labour rebellion against sickness and disability benefit cuts which threatened to wipe out the Prime Minister’s House of Commons majority.
McFadden also criticised Labour MPs who were against the cuts, saying: “Every meeting I have is, ‘Who can we tax in order to pay benefits to others,'” the text messages reveal.
Caption: Undated file photo of the sign for the Ministry of Defence in London. Former Tory defence secretary Sir Ben Wallace has said he makes “no apology” for applying for an injunction blocking reporting about the leak of data on Afghans who supported British forces. Thousands of people are being relocated to the UK as part of a secret ?850 million scheme set up after the breach. Issue date: Wednesday July 16, 2025. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Tim Ireland/PA Wire Photographer: Tim Ireland Provider: Tim Ireland/PA Wire Source: PA
A Royal Navy helicopter has crashed into a field near an A-road in Devon, the Ministry of Defence has confirmed.
The US military said it launched “self-defence” strikes on Iran overnight while shooting down ballistic missiles and drones targeting ships and surrounding Gulf countries.
What happened?
The US strikes targeted Qeshm Island, in the Strait of Hormuz, US Central Command (Centcom) said. Centcom said Iran fired two missiles at Kuwait and three at Bahrain, all of which broke apart or were intercepted. Iran said it had retaliated by attacking US bases and helicopters in a “regional country” using missiles and drones.
Donald Trump has suggested he will abide by a court ruling that halted his ‘slush fund’ (Photo: Al Drago/Getty)
Ceasefire negotiations between the US and Iran stalled over the weekend but Donald Trump this week told his critics to “sit back and relax”. Trump has since said that Iran has agreed to not have a nuclear weapon.
The shift to online TV viewing is accelerating, with the number of UK homes without broadband predicted to fall to just 220,000 by 2034.
What the BBC wants
The BBC wants ministers to set a date to switch-off digital TV signals which are being used by fewer viewers in the streaming era (Getty)
New figures reveal a faster-than-expected take-up of internet-only TV, strengthening the case for switching off Freeview broadcasts during the next decade. UK broadcasters are asking the Government to set a date to switch off Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) signals, or Freeview, by the mid-2030s.
The latest figures from independent analysts, 3 Reasons, shows the number of UK homes without broadband fell by 30 per cent between 2023 and 2025, and is now 1.2 million.
The fall in broadband-free homes outpaced the 10 per cent previously predicted for the time period.
Such an updated forecast will be used as further evidence by the BBC and other broadcasters that switch-off is achievable within a decade.
They would save millions of pounds in channel distribution costs by ending DTT transmissions.
Pushing switch-off as a policy objective carries a risk after The i Paper revealed nearly 48 per cent of people would oppose paying the £180 licence fee if its content were online-only.
What could go wrong?
Campaigners warn a switch-off would force the elderly, disabled people and those on low incomes to take on expensive high-speed broadband contracts just to watch TV, which is currently free-to-air.
Caption: Undated handout file photo originally issued on 07/12/25 by Hampshire Police of Henry Nowak. Sikh man Vickrum Digwa has been jailed at Southampton Crown Court for life with a minimum term of 21 years for the murder of 18-year-old student Henry Nowak. Digwa stabbed Henry to death with a Sikh kirpan ceremonial knife five times in the incident in Belmont Road, Southampton, on December 3 2025. Issue date: Monday June 01, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Hampshire Police/PA Wire
NOTE TO EDITORS: This handout photo may only be used for editorial reporting purposes for the contemporaneous illustration of events, things or the people in the image or facts mentioned in the caption. Reuse of the picture may require further permission from the copyright holder. Photographer: Hampshire Police Provider: Hampshire Police/PA Wire Source: pa
Two people have been arrested after protesters clashed with police near the site where 18-year-old student Henry Nowak was fatally stabbed.
Why are people protesting?
The clashes with police follow scrutiny over how officers dealt with the stabbing, which included handcuffing Nowak as he lay dying last December.
Bodycam footage showed him telling police “I’ve been stabbed” and an officer replied “I don’t think you have mate”. Nowak was arrested after Vickrum Digwa falsely claimed he had racially abused him. Digwa was jailed for life.
Police and crime minister, Sarah Jones, confirmed two people had been detained following the clashes. Eleven officers were also injured on Tuesday night.
Caption: TOPSHOT – Protestors demonstrate with police officers near Portswood Police Station in Southampton, southern England, on June 2, 2026, during a protest held in reaction to the Police’s handling of the detention of victim Henry Nowak, following the conviction of his murderer Vickrum Digwa. Body camera footage of dying student Henry Nowak, who was handcuffed by British police after being stabbed by Sikh man Vickrum Digwa, and falsely accused of racially abusing his murderer sparked outrage Tuesday. (Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP via Getty Images) Photographer: JUSTIN TALLIS Provider: AFP via Getty Images Source: AFP Copyright: AFP or licensors Caption: Screen grab taken from PA Video of police and protestors clashing in Southampton during a protest following the death of Henry Nowak. Vickrum Digwa was jailed at Southampton Crown Court for life with a minimum term of 21 years for the murder of 18-year-old student Henry Nowak. Digwa stabbed Henry to death with a Sikh kirpan ceremonial knife five times in the incident in Belmont Road, Southampton, on December 3 2025. Picture date: Tuesday June 2, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Jamie Lashmar/PA Wire Photographer: Jamie Lashmar Provider: Jamie Lashmar/PA Wire Source: PA
How the far right is weaponising the protests
Police are monitoring the British far right over concerns that the protests will spark rioting.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has been accused of “whipping up” anger and division after he said that the murder “must be a turning point” because “white lives matter too”.
Several far-right groups and figures have used the case to repeat the allegations, denied by police leaders, that “two-tier policing” discriminates in favour of ethnic minorities, and claim a “white genocide” is taking place.
Nick Mendes, of mortgage broker John Charcol, said politics only really matters for mortgages when it changes what markets think about borrowing, inflation or the credibility of the Government’s economic plan. These can change swap rates and, therefore, lender funding costs.
A prime minister can change, but if markets believe the broad fiscal direction is the same, the impact on mortgage pricing may be limited. If investors start to think a new government would borrow more, loosen fiscal policy, or make inflation harder to control, gilt yields can move higher. Swap rates can then follow.
NICK MENDES
Caption: Greater Manchester Mayor and Labour candidate Andy Burnham looks on as he meets residents impacted by flooding in the Makerfield constituency, where he is a candidate in the by-election, at the Platt Bridge Community Centre in Wigan, Britain, June 2, 2026 REUTERS/Temilade Adelaja Photographer: Temilade Adelaja Provider: REUTERS Source: REUTERS
HEALTH
How yoga can reduce anxiety in cancer patients
Woman plus size practicing yoga at home in living room – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
Yoga can lower emotional distress, anxiety, fatigue and insomnia in people living with cancer, a clinical trial has found.
Up to 95 per cent of cancer survivors struggle with sleep disturbances or insomnia at some point during or after their treatment, and more than half experience mood disturbances, anxiety or fatigue.
What did the study find?
The first clinical trial of its kind has shown that regular gentle hatha and restorative yoga can help improve those side-effects, without medication, The Guardian reported.
204 participants were randomly assigned to receive standard survivorship care, which includes maintenance therapy, follow-up visits and monitoring for side-effects.
The other 206 participants received standard survivorship care and took part in Yoga for Cancer Survivors, a four-week programme using 18 gentle hatha and restorative yoga poses, breathing exercises and mindfulness.
Compared with the standard care participants, yoga participants experienced less overall mood disturbance, anxiety and fatigue, the study by the University of Rochester found.
It’s an important advance because it offers survivors, who are likely already managing multiple medications, a non-pharmaceutical solution for reducing four different side-effects at once.
Fumiko Chino, cancer researcher
Senior woman doing yoga in living room – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
PENSIONS
What to know about inheritance tax changes for pensions
Caption: House Model on Top of Stack of Coins Photographer: seng kui Lim / 500px Provider: Getty Images/500px Source: 500px
The way inheritance tax applies to pensions is changing from next year.
Here is what we know so far about the rules coming in from April 2027.
What’s changing?
From 6 April 2027, most unused pension funds and pension death benefits will be brought within the value of the estate of someone who has died for inheritance tax purposes.
Current legislation does not consider most pension funds for the tax.
Personal representatives will be responsible for taking “reasonable steps” to identify the deceased person’s pension savings, work out their value and pay tax on them.
Personal representatives are those appointed to settle the affairs of someone who has died.
Personal representatives will need to scan through the person’s records and bank accounts, but may also need to contact pension companies and insurance schemes to notify them of the death and request information, Sky News reported. HMRC has not said what “reasonable steps” would be, and solicitors have warned that families often face fragmented records, historic workplace schemes, multiple providers, and online accounts that are password-protected.
What Lebanon’s Beaufort Castle is – and why Israel captured it
Israel announced the seizure of the medieval fortress yesterday, in the latest sign of its continued ceasefire breaches in the country.
Caption: An Israeli flag and a flag of the Golani Brigade fly on Beaufort Castle, as seen from Marjayoun, southern Lebanon, June 1, 2026. REUTERS/Stringer Photographer: Stringer Provider: REUTERS Source: REUTERS
Defence minister announces capture
Caption: Members of Israeli troops at the 900-year-old Beaufort Castle in Nabatieh Governorate, southern Lebanon, in this screengrab from a handout video released on May 31, 2026. Israeli troops seized the Beaufort Castle and a strategic ridge in southern Lebanon, the military said, despite a ceasefire announced more than six weeks ago. Israeli Military/Handout via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. OVERLAY FROM SOURCE. Photographer: ISRAELI MILITARY Provider: via REUTERS Source: Handout
Israel Katz said the Israeli flag was flying over the castle yesterday.
The fort in southern Lebanon represents a strategic gain.
Israeli Defence Forces have carried out strikes in the surrounding area.
Known as Qalaat al-Shaqif in Arabic, the castle was built by French crusaders in the 12th century. It is near Nabatieh and its position is 700m (2,300ft) above sea level and affords whoever controls it a view over southern Lebanon and northern Israel.
Caption: Smoke rises following Israeli bombardment in southern Lebanon as seen from a position across the border in the Upper Galilee in northern Israel on May 31, 2026. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to push deeper into Lebanon after his military took over the medieval castle of Beaufort on May 31, calling it a “dramatic shift” in the campaign against Hezbollah. (Photo by Jalaa MAREY / AFP via Getty Images) Photographer: JALAA MAREY Provider: AFP via Getty Images Source: AFP Copyright: AFP or licensors Caption: TOPSHOT – This picture taken from a position in the Upper Galilee region in northern Israel shows an Israeli tank taking position amid destroyed buildings in southern Lebanon on May 31, 2026. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to push deeper into Lebanon after his military took over the medieval castle of Beaufort on May 31, calling it a “dramatic shift” in the campaign against Hezbollah. (Photo by Jalaa MAREY / AFP via Getty Images) Photographer: JALAA MAREY Provider: AFP via Getty Images Source: AFP Copyright: AFP or licensors
It has changed hands several times over the centuries, with Palestinian fighters using it as a base before Israel captured it in 1982. Israel then occupied it until withdrawing from southern Lebanon in 2000.
What is Israel doing in Lebanon?
Despite agreeing to a ceasefire on 16 April, Israel has continued to strike Lebanon with the aim of destroying the armed group Hezbollah, which mainly operates in the south of the country.
Beirut has been struck on two occasions and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered further strikes on the capital today.
Caption: FILE PHOTO: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a memorial service held for Ran Gvili, an off-duty police officer who was killed fighting militants that had infiltrated Israel during the deadly October 7, 2023, attack by Hamas, and the last hostage recovered from Gaza, in Meitar, Israel, January 28, 2026. REUTERS/Amir Cohen TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY/File Photo Photographer: Amir Cohen Provider: REUTERS Source: REUTERS
Flames engulfed a warehouse in Khan Younis after it was hit by an Israeli strike on Thursday night, as civil defence workers struggled to put out the fire. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday he had directed Israel’s military to take more of Gaza, initially by seizing 70% of the Palestinian territory, where the population is already penned into a tiny strip of land along the coast. Israel effectively controls an estimated 64% of the tiny coastal Strip, bombarded to ruins by Israel’s two-year military assault that followed the 2023 Hamas attack on southern Israel.
In private WhatsApp messages on 24 June revealed in the Mandelson files, as a 120-strong Labour revolt gathered pace, McFadden said the situation was “very bad” with rebels “not moving” despite a full Cabinet effort to meet and talk around MPs.
McFadden said Starmer was “meeting the ringleaders today”, adding: “I think it’s very bad. Defeat, pull [the] bill or gut it all destroy his authority.”
McFadden added: “Keir’s authority.” Mandelson replied: “Yes I am afraid so.”
The climbdown has widely been seen as the moment Starmer’s leadership was fatally undermined, and the texts will further damage the PM as he appears to head towards a leadership challenge from Andy Burnham or Wes Streeting, or both.
McFadden’s criticism of MPs who were resisting the welfare cuts had come weeks earlier in another exchange with Mandelson on 2 May, where he accused them of “asking the wrong questions”.
Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Pat McFadden (Photo by Wiktor Szymanowicz/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Elsewhere, McFadden, often seen as a Starmer loyalist, and Mandelson discussed other concerns with the PM’s leadership.
At one point, Mandelson said that the “comms leadership is shit” in No 10 “by common agreement”, picking up on concerns that Downing Street was failing to get its messaging out.
He also claimed that Starmer’s own chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, told him that he had “no faith in Keir’s ability to change No 10” and that he should therefore prioritise winning the support of Labour backbenchers.
Elsewhere, Mandelson told McFadden that Starmer’s leadership style was “advance/buckle/advance/buckle” following a string of damaging policy U-turns.
In other exchanges which show that concern about Starmer was not restricted to a narrow set of senior Labour figures, Pensions Minister Torsten Bell suggests that the Government has been “messy” due to a failure to grip policy.
After Bell said “the big picture” of the Government is “messy” in a text exchange in July 2025, Mandelson responded by saying that “it’s messy because the government doesn’t do policy, generally speaking, well enough. It all starts with policy”.
Bell goes on to reply: “Well that is definitely true – everyone seems to think it’s someone else’s job to get the policy right… which is very odd”
Mandelson replied: “As the saying goes, rubbish in rubbish out…”
Responding to McFadden’s comments on welfare, the Conservatives said: “Labour’s Welfare Secretary admitted to Peter Mandelson what he won’t tell you. Labour raised your taxes to pay for more benefits.”
The i Paper understands McFadden has been working on a new attempt at welfare reform focused on work and opportunity for young people.
A spokeswoman for McFadden said: “Pat has fully complied with the Humble Address and handed over all messages.
“His only contact with Peter Mandelson since he left government has been to urge him to think about the victims in all this and apologise to them.”
