Yvette Cooper has issued a statement saying the whole country is thinking of the families of those killed in the Southport knife attack as the man accused of their murders goes on trial. Meanwhile, the PM has congratulated US president-elect Donald Trump ahead of his inauguration.
Monday 20 January 2025 09:14, UK
Foreign Secretary David Lammy has today insisted that Lord Mandelson is the “right man for the job” as he prepares to become the UK’s ambassador to the US.
Sources have told Sky News that there is genuine concern that Lord Mandelson could be blocked from taking over the job from Karen Pierce.
Mr Lammy said: “Peter Mandelson is a man of considerable expertise. He’s the right man for this moment to be our ambassador.
“He’s been a business secretary, a Northern Ireland secretary. Of course.
“He’s worked in the European Commission and he brings all of that to bear, working as our ambassador in the United States and, of course, he’s looking forward to presenting his credentials to Donald Trump.”
Mr Lammy was also asked when we should expect to see Sir Keir Starmer visit soon-to-be President Trump in the White House.
He said that, in the past, it has taken prime ministers between a week and a month.
“The importance is the strength of the relationship and the serious discussions that we have. In the end, we have war in Europe; we have a cease fire in the Middle East, but it’s incredibly fragile; and there are important, malign actors like Iran that we’ve got to discuss with the United States.
“And of course, our growing trade relations with the United States: there is lots of discuss.
“I’m very confident that Keir Starmer will be discussing this with Donald Trump within the next few weeks.”
Now joining Mark Austin on Sky News Breakfast is former chancellor Jeremy Hunt.
He was asked about Reform UK’s relationship with soon-to-be President Trump – and whether this is concerning to the Conservative Party.
Mr Hunt says: “Donald Trump likes people who share his views, his worldview and I think you’ll find when it comes to international issues, he has a lot in common with the Conservative viewpoints.”
Mark asks again whether it worries the Tories that Mr Trump could well support Reform UK at the next general election.
“The next election is a is a very long way away and indeed, it’s possible that, if Sir Keir Starmer runs to the end of his term, Donald Trump won’t actually be President at the time of the next general election,” the former chancellor says.
“So, I think we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.
“The Conservative Party is in a big process of renewal.
“We have to rebuild our trust having, been so comprehensively beaten, I think when Trump sees the new Conservative Party, he will see that we want to do many of the things that he wants to do in the United States, not all of them.
“We won’t be the same.”
Yvette Cooper, the home secretary, has insisted the “most important thing” is for the “legal process to take its course” as Southport suspect goes on trial today.
Axel Rudakubana, from Lancashire, will stand trial at Liverpool Crown Court accused of the murders of Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven.
They were killed in a Taylor Swift-themed dance class at The Hart Space in Southport on 29 July.
Ahead of the trial, which begins today, Ms Cooper made a rare intervention.
She said: “This will be a deeply traumatic and distressing time for the families of Alice, Bebe and Elsie, the survivors, and the people of Southport and the whole country will be thinking of them.
“The most important thing for all of us is to ensure that the legal process can take its course, to respect the difficult job the court has to do so there is a fair trial and justice can be done.
“There will be a time at the end of this trial to discuss what happened and the action needed in response to this horrific tragedy.
“But for now, and until the proceedings have concluded, the priority for all of us must be to ensure justice is done.”
After “going dark” for most of the week, Sky News political editor Beth Rigby pops up in Poland to talk world politics with Ruth and Harriet.
Top security, a slow train and Russian drones are all part of the inside story of the prime minister’s visit to Ukraine.
Beth explores why UK solidarity with the Kyiv could mean British boots on the ground.
And overshadowing everything is president-elect Trump. He is already leaving his mark on the world. Trump claimed his impending inauguration piled on the pressure to get the Gaza ceasefire deal through.
Ruth, Harriet and Beth work out how the UK needs to manage its role in “Trump World”. And in Ukraine, Beth finds out if the Trump era could leave the country feeling betrayed.
Email us at electoraldysfunction@sky.uk, post on X to @BethRigby, or send a WhatsApp voice note on 07934 200 444.
There is genuine concern in government that Lord Mandelson could be blocked as ambassador to the US, Sky News sources have said.
Our deputy political editor Sam Coates told Politics at Jack and Sam’s that it is likely his predecessor – Karen Pierce – was keen to stay on in the role.
“The consequences of that are extremely tricky for Peter Mandelson,” he said.
Ms Pierce has “great connections” with soon-to-be President Trump, Sam explains, and had “convinced Trump land that she was the best woman for the job”.
He adds he has heard Mr Trump himself was “dismayed” about the change, and there are questions around whether he will “accept Peter Mandelson as the British ambassador to Washington”.
He says: “know that Downing Street have been going around calling this all barroom chatter. I am sure that this is not Trump Land would like Karen to stay. That isn’t happening.
“But I think there is a sense that Downing Street, maybe even the operation in Washington, absolutely, absolutely underestimated how grumpy the Trump man would be at the decision to replace Karen.”
However, Politico’s Jack Blanchard says: “The only thing to say is that you’ve got to not overstate just how much the Trump White House actually care about this.
“They’ve got a lot to do. They’ve got a lot to think about.”
Jeremy Corbyn has agreed to be interviewed under caution by police following a pro-Palestinian rally in central London, Sky News understands.
The former Labour leader, 75, voluntarily attended a police station in the capital on Sunday afternoon.
The BBC has reported that John McDonnell, 73, who was the shadow chancellor during Mr Corbyn’s leadership, also agreed to be voluntarily interviewed.
Sky News saw the pair leaving Charing Cross Police station this afternoon. They declined to comment when approached.
Nine other people have been charged with public order offences following arrests at the protest organised by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) on Saturday.
👉 Listen to Politics At Jack And Sam’s on your podcast app👈
On the day of Donald Trump’s second inauguration, Sky News’ deputy political editor Sam Coates and Politico’s Jack Blanchard have their guide to the day ahead in both British politics, and politics across the pond.
So how is Trump 2.0 going to influence the UK? Can Sir Keir Starmer’s government work with President Trump?
And with Peter Mandelson due to start as our ambassador to the US, Sam has the inside track on how he got the job. But will the MAGA crowd block his appointment?
Meanwhile, what will the UK government slip out on the day when nobody is listening?
You can send a WhatsApp to Jack and Sam on 07511 867 633 or email them: jackandsam@sky.uk
Tech billionaire Elon Musk unexpectedly waded into British politics this year, launching attacks at both Sir Keir Starmer and safeguarding minister Jess Phillips over Labour’s reluctance to launch a national grooming gangs inquiry.
He later claimed Sir Keir was snubbed by president-elect Donald Trump by not being invited to his inauguration, which will take place in Washington DC today.
Mr Musk suggested this was because the prime minister had “undermined” the US election in November, referring to the 100 Labour staff who campaigned on behalf of Kamala Harris.
But is it the case that the prime minister was snubbed?
To put it simply, no.
Foreign leaders aren’t typically invited to American inaugurations, like the one being held on 20 January, so Sir Keir’s lack of attendance will be nothing out of the ordinary.
It is the case, however, that Mr Trump has broken from tradition by inviting some foreign allies.
Notably, it is understood that the president-to-be sent a personal invitation to Chinese President Xi Jinping, though it is unclear if he will attend.
Others thought to have been invited by Mr Trump include Argentinian President Javier Milei, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
Again, it is unclear if any of those invited will attend.
However, we do understand that Reform UK leader Nigel Farage – an ally of Mr Trump – will be at the inauguration.
Others likely to be in attendance are shadow foreign secretary Priti Patel and former prime minister Liz Truss, both of whom have been spotted in DC this weekend.
There’s a deep, transatlantic contrast between the bombastic billionaire Donald Trump and the bespectacled human rights lawyer Sir Keir Starmer, on a political and a personal level.
Despite the so-called “special relationship” it’s clearly going to be an uphill battle for the British PM to forge a productive relationship with the incoming president, but he has no choice but to do so.
The papers today are full of briefings about the difficulties ahead. The Mail on Sunday claims Sir Keir Starmer would be at the “back of the queue” for a visit to the White House (in contrast to Theresa May’s highly awkward appearance after just seven days), claiming “he will have to eat humble pie” before receiving an invitation.
According to The Independent, sources in the Trump campaign suggest that the president-elect is considering rejecting Peter Mandelson as US ambassador, an almost unprecedented move that would be a huge diplomatic insult.
Labour figures have been doing their best to downplay these reports, with the Chief Secretary to the Treasury Darren Jones telling Sky News “I doubt very much that’s going to happen”, adding the claims are “probably being propagated by some politicians that would like to cause a bit of a nuisance”.
World leaders such as Italy’s Georgia Meloni and Argentina’s Javier Milei, more closely aligned with Trump’s populist politics, have been invited to the inauguration.
Starmer has not been, though No 10 say the UK is to be represented by outgoing ambassador Dame Karen Pierce, in line with usual diplomatic protocol.
But with a crowd of high-profile right-leaning British politicians partying in Washington – including Boris Johnson, Liz Truss, Suella Braverman, Priti Patel and, of course, Nigel Farage all in attendance – he is at risk of looking a little left out.
So what are the key stumbling blocks between the two leaders?
Sir Keir Starmer has congratulated US president-elect Donald Trump ahead of his inauguration and said that the so-called special relationship “will continue to flourish for years to come”.
The president-elect will be sworn in to his second term in the White House later today, eight years after he first took the oath of office.
The prime minister paid tribute to the “depth of friendship” between the 47th president and the UK, and pledged to continue to “work together to ensure the success of both our countries and deliver for people on both sides of the Atlantic”.
Mr Trump spent the eve of the inauguration at a rally, where he declared his supporters had “built a new American majority that will lead our country to success for generations to come”.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage and shadow foreign secretary Priti Patel are in Washington DC ahead of the inauguration, while Sir Keir will not attend.
But questions remain over what impact the second Trump presidency will have on economies across the world if he follows through on threats to implement tariffs.
In a statement, the prime minister sent his congratulations to Mr Trump.
“For centuries, the relationship between our two nations has been one of collaboration, cooperation and enduring partnership. It is a uniquely close bond,” Sir Keir said.
“Together, we have defended the world from tyranny and worked towards our mutual security and prosperity.”
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