The Transatlantic Tea 28
Inside: Are British scandals born in the US actually making news here, Breitbart hearts the Guardian, and is anyone ready for SNL UK?
While there is some interest in Mandelson here, given the Epstein files is the origin of the information and Mandelson was the US Ambassador (even though Trump said he ‘didn’t know who he was’….) - it is pretty muted and far down the media agenda. But here’s what I found for you:
Mandelson
PBS picks up AP copy from Starmer’s press conference where he apologises to Epstein’s victims. WSJ also covers what the scandal might mean for the PM, saying his press conference apology ‘attempted to draw a line under the matter’. They summarise his predicament with the line “Starmer, who pitched himself to the nation as a technocratic salve after years of chaotic Conservative Government, has himself instead presided over a series of min scandals..” Politico’s DC Playbook also briefly covers describing the PM as being “in all sorts of trouble over his decision to appoint UK Labour Party grandee Peter Mandelson as his ambassador to Washington last year.”
Breitbart focuses on the role of McSweeney (there is some bad blood there from Labour Together days). Their long read is unusually highly complimentary of the Guardian - “the British newspaper of the left and the publication that has the pulse of Labour parliamentarians better than any other, reports utter demoralisation.” and says the scandal has shocked the nation.
Best of the rest:
The President’s u-turn on his position on the Chagos deal is barely covered here but The Hill picks it up, mainly using Trump’s own words from his Truth Social post. Just prior to this change in position, Forbes had run an editorial asking why Britain was giving up the key strategic base to '“a pal of Beijing”. Their view was “President Trump loudly opposes Britain’s move to give up control of an obscure chain of islands situated in the Indian Ocean. He’s right: They’re critical to our defense. Britain must back off.”
Fox covers a DEFRA sponsored report into access to the countryside, leading with criticisms from the Henry Jackson Society that “it’s astonishing ministers are spending time and money worrying about the ‘whiteness’ of the countryside.”
Newsmax covers SNL coming to Britain and the announcement of the new case (I’d missed this totally?! Anyone excited?)
And for those of you working in comms - do take a look at The Comms Planner I created, especially for us!