PMQs live: Starmer to face Badenoch as PM under pressure over Mandelson-Epstein revelations

Lord Mandelson is the grandson of former Labour home and foreign secretary Herbert Morrison.

His work as a political fixer for the Labour Party has seen him go on to spend five decades at the heart of Labour politics.

He became the Labour Party’s director of communications in 1985 before being elected as a MP in Hartlepool in 1992.

He was made director of Labour’s landslide 1997 general election campaign and was then handed a role in Sir Tony Blair’s government.

He then became trade secretary and Northern Ireland secretary, but had to resign from both roles.

He then stood down as an MP to become the European Commissioner for the UK before returning to parliament in 2008 as a peer.

He served as a business secretary under Gordon Brown and when Labour were kicked out of government in 2010, he co-founded a lobbying firm.

Last December, he was appointed to be the British ambassador to the US.

Sir Keir Starmer will face his weekly questions in the Commons at midday.

He will be grilled by the leader of the Conservative Party, Kemi Badenoch, and other MPs for the first time since his major cabinet reshuffle.

He will likely face questions on Peter Mandelson, as well as his controversial meeting with the Israeli president this afternoon and Labour’s deputy leadership content.

Defence Secretary John Healey said Russia’s actions were “reckless, unprecedented and dangerous” after Poland shot down multiple Russian drones that entered its territory.

In remarks before talks in London with defence officials from Poland, Italy, France and Germany, Mr Healey said the meeting was taking place against the backdrop of “escalating Russian aggression”.

He said: “Last night Putin took this aggression to a new level of hostility. A violation of Polish airspace deep enough for Warsaw airport to be closed and Nato jets forced directly to shoot down Russia’s drones while, of course, the attacks on Ukraine continue to intensify.”

He added: “Russia’s actions are reckless, unprecedented and dangerous. We totally condemn these attacks, and we say to President Putin: Your aggression only strengthens the unity between Nato nations.”

Charities have condemned the Israeli president’s visit to the UK today after the country’s strike on Qatar and continued bombardment of Gaza.

ActionAid UK said it is “shameful” that the government is hosting Isaac Herzog today.

“President Isaac Herzog represents a government that is perpetrating ongoing atrocities and war crimes in Gaza,” Hannah Bond, co-CEO of ActionAid UK said.

“The Israeli authorities must be held accountable for the grave and multiple breaches of international humanitarian law. That means implementing rulings by the ICC and ICJ, which the UK is obligated to comply with.”

Peter Mandelson has retained the backing of the government after a birthday message he wrote to Jefferey Epstein in 2003 resurfaced.

Sir Keir Starmer has given Lord Mandelson his full backing to stay on as Britain’s ambassador to the US, stressing the positive work he has done to build ties with the Trump administration.

Education minister Josh MacAlister said on Wednesday morning that Lord Mandelson still retained the backing of the Government and he warned against finding people “guilty by association” with Jeffrey Epstein.

Mr MacAlister said: “People who abuse people in this way are often very good at hiding what they’re doing and… manipulating people. And that’s obviously what Jeffrey Epstein did.

He added: “Jeffrey Epstein was a very effective social networker. He built relationships with lots of people, and in doing so, was highly manipulative, very secretive, and abused a lot of people in the process, and it’s why so many people, including Peter Mandelson, now deeply regret ever having been introduced to him and also continuing the relationship with him, if they had one.”

Six MPs have thrown their hat in the ring to become Labour’s next deputy leader.

Ms Phillipson, the Education Secretary, has emerged as the early frontrunner, securing the backing of the most colleagues in the first official tally after nominations opened on Tuesday.

Former Commons leader Lucy Powell has 35 of the 99 overall nominations as of Tuesday evening. Having been sacked by Sir Keir in his reshuffle, her status as more of an outsider could work in her favour.

Backbencher Ms Ribeiro-Addy was the first to declare her candidacy. Seen as coming from the left of the party and supported by Socialist Campaign Group chairman Richard Burgon, she has called for Labour to “go back to the guiding values of our party and movement”.

The Commons Foreign Affairs Committee chairwoman sits on the backbenches but held a number of senior roles in opposition.

Liverpool Wavertree MP Ms Barker said she was running because she is “worried about the lack of geographical and political diversity at the top of our Party.

Housing minister Ms McGovern, launching her bid for the deputy leadership, vowed to defeat the “huge threat from the dark forces of right-wing populism” by fighting for “the right to a home, a job and to feel part of this country”.