Conor Sewell
@ccsewell.bsky.social
Associate Director at Flint Global. Macro, financial services, digital assets. Views my own. Ex-BoE, Treasury. Labour member, big on sports, rugby referee. Bi and autistic.
This is what I meant when I said a few days ago that this will be a drip drip drip story.
Between the FT and others pursuing existing lines of inquiry, and almost guaranteed new revelations from the ISC releases, this won’t go away no matter how much Starmer hopes it will.
Between the FT and others pursuing existing lines of inquiry, and almost guaranteed new revelations from the ISC releases, this won’t go away no matter how much Starmer hopes it will.
New on FT website:
Downing Street has refused to say whether Sir Keir Starmer knew Palantir was a client of Peter Mandelson’s lobbying firm when they both visited the company in Washington last February — ahead of it winning a £240mn UK government contract.
www.ft.com/content/5bba...
Downing Street has refused to say whether Sir Keir Starmer knew Palantir was a client of Peter Mandelson’s lobbying firm when they both visited the company in Washington last February — ahead of it winning a £240mn UK government contract.
www.ft.com/content/5bba...
Starmer faces questions over visit to Palantir office alongside Mandelson
Former ambassador was also shareholder in lobbying group that counted US tech firm as a client
www.ft.com
February 7, 2026 at 10:03 AM
This is what I meant when I said a few days ago that this will be a drip drip drip story.
Between the FT and others pursuing existing lines of inquiry, and almost guaranteed new revelations from the ISC releases, this won’t go away no matter how much Starmer hopes it will.
Between the FT and others pursuing existing lines of inquiry, and almost guaranteed new revelations from the ISC releases, this won’t go away no matter how much Starmer hopes it will.
Reposted by Conor Sewell
Everyone has their breaking point, I guess!
(A rather spectacular goof from The Spectator...)
(A rather spectacular goof from The Spectator...)
February 6, 2026 at 5:36 PM
Everyone has their breaking point, I guess!
(A rather spectacular goof from The Spectator...)
(A rather spectacular goof from The Spectator...)
Reposted by Conor Sewell
this is who we think it is yeah?
*UK POLICE SAY CARRYING OUT SEARCHES IN WILTSHIRE, CAMDEN
*UK POLICE CARRYING OUT SEARCH WARRANTS OVER 72-YEAR-OLD MAN
*UK POLICE SEARCH RELATED TO PROBE INTO PUBLIC OFFICE MISCONDUCT
*UK POLICE SAY NO ARREST, ENQUIRIES ONGOING
*UK POLICE SAY CARRYING OUT SEARCHES IN WILTSHIRE, CAMDEN
*UK POLICE CARRYING OUT SEARCH WARRANTS OVER 72-YEAR-OLD MAN
*UK POLICE SEARCH RELATED TO PROBE INTO PUBLIC OFFICE MISCONDUCT
*UK POLICE SAY NO ARREST, ENQUIRIES ONGOING
February 6, 2026 at 3:46 PM
this is who we think it is yeah?
*UK POLICE SAY CARRYING OUT SEARCHES IN WILTSHIRE, CAMDEN
*UK POLICE CARRYING OUT SEARCH WARRANTS OVER 72-YEAR-OLD MAN
*UK POLICE SEARCH RELATED TO PROBE INTO PUBLIC OFFICE MISCONDUCT
*UK POLICE SAY NO ARREST, ENQUIRIES ONGOING
*UK POLICE SAY CARRYING OUT SEARCHES IN WILTSHIRE, CAMDEN
*UK POLICE CARRYING OUT SEARCH WARRANTS OVER 72-YEAR-OLD MAN
*UK POLICE SEARCH RELATED TO PROBE INTO PUBLIC OFFICE MISCONDUCT
*UK POLICE SAY NO ARREST, ENQUIRIES ONGOING
I have no doubt Mandelson lied.
But, given what was already known and in the public domain when he was appointed, limiting scrutiny to these three specific questions is a completely failure of judgement and responsibility.
But, given what was already known and in the public domain when he was appointed, limiting scrutiny to these three specific questions is a completely failure of judgement and responsibility.
February 6, 2026 at 3:30 PM
I have no doubt Mandelson lied.
But, given what was already known and in the public domain when he was appointed, limiting scrutiny to these three specific questions is a completely failure of judgement and responsibility.
But, given what was already known and in the public domain when he was appointed, limiting scrutiny to these three specific questions is a completely failure of judgement and responsibility.
I’m sorry, but this doesn’t hold water.
I, some random dude with a Bluesky account, knew all about those links when he was appointed.
For Starmer not to know suggests he was wilfully blind.
I, some random dude with a Bluesky account, knew all about those links when he was appointed.
For Starmer not to know suggests he was wilfully blind.
Labour MPs & party insiders tell me they’ve never seen Keir Starmer so angry as over Mandelson’s lies about Epstein links.
But those who know him well say that anger has now turned inwards. That Starmer is, above all else, a man of public service, and will be grappling with his conscious this w/e.
But those who know him well say that anger has now turned inwards. That Starmer is, above all else, a man of public service, and will be grappling with his conscious this w/e.
February 6, 2026 at 2:17 PM
I’m sorry, but this doesn’t hold water.
I, some random dude with a Bluesky account, knew all about those links when he was appointed.
For Starmer not to know suggests he was wilfully blind.
I, some random dude with a Bluesky account, knew all about those links when he was appointed.
For Starmer not to know suggests he was wilfully blind.
Reposted by Conor Sewell
There's no reason to accept this as normal, though. Much of Starmer and Labour's unpopularity is not misfortune but his own doing. Mandelson was a choice. Consistently pursuing policy positions designed to appeal to people who will not vote for you - and alienating core supporters - is a choice.
Starmer's reported condition - incredibly unpopular, shorn of authority, probably un-reelectable and yet will stagger on for want of an alternative - is just the new normal of how Britain is governed. It was also true for two-thirds of May's premiership, half of Johnson's and all of Sunak's.
February 6, 2026 at 11:48 AM
There's no reason to accept this as normal, though. Much of Starmer and Labour's unpopularity is not misfortune but his own doing. Mandelson was a choice. Consistently pursuing policy positions designed to appeal to people who will not vote for you - and alienating core supporters - is a choice.
Reposted by Conor Sewell
There's exactly one normal man left on planet Earth.
Child at the podium: “A woo woo woo.”
Mamdani: That’s how I felt when we came up with this plan. Together, we will expand the idea of what is possible in our city—and what sounds and noises we can make at a press conference.
Mamdani: That’s how I felt when we came up with this plan. Together, we will expand the idea of what is possible in our city—and what sounds and noises we can make at a press conference.
February 6, 2026 at 5:12 AM
There's exactly one normal man left on planet Earth.
This is the basis for my Ed Miliband propaganda.
Is he the perfect candidate? No.
Does he, out of the viable options, have by far the most consistent, convincing and deliverable worldview and agenda? Yes.
Is he the perfect candidate? No.
Does he, out of the viable options, have by far the most consistent, convincing and deliverable worldview and agenda? Yes.
The only way Labour can win the next election is by governing well.
That might not be enough, but it’s the bare minimum.
The questions to be asking about any potential new PM are “what is their agenda and can they achieve it?”
Not “do they currently poll well?”
Or “can they handle a media round?”
That might not be enough, but it’s the bare minimum.
The questions to be asking about any potential new PM are “what is their agenda and can they achieve it?”
Not “do they currently poll well?”
Or “can they handle a media round?”
February 5, 2026 at 10:39 AM
This is the basis for my Ed Miliband propaganda.
Is he the perfect candidate? No.
Does he, out of the viable options, have by far the most consistent, convincing and deliverable worldview and agenda? Yes.
Is he the perfect candidate? No.
Does he, out of the viable options, have by far the most consistent, convincing and deliverable worldview and agenda? Yes.
Reposted by Conor Sewell
this is vicious and correct www.economist.com/britain/2026...
February 5, 2026 at 9:35 AM
this is vicious and correct www.economist.com/britain/2026...
Lots of Mandelson/Partygate comparisons today (of varying degrees of accuracy).
One key similarity: because of the role for the ISC in vetting docs for release, and the ongoing Met investigation, we will get new news in bits and pieces for months.
It’s not one bad story. It’s a stream of them.
One key similarity: because of the role for the ISC in vetting docs for release, and the ongoing Met investigation, we will get new news in bits and pieces for months.
It’s not one bad story. It’s a stream of them.
February 5, 2026 at 10:28 AM
Lots of Mandelson/Partygate comparisons today (of varying degrees of accuracy).
One key similarity: because of the role for the ISC in vetting docs for release, and the ongoing Met investigation, we will get new news in bits and pieces for months.
It’s not one bad story. It’s a stream of them.
One key similarity: because of the role for the ISC in vetting docs for release, and the ongoing Met investigation, we will get new news in bits and pieces for months.
It’s not one bad story. It’s a stream of them.
Reposted by Conor Sewell
What is the point of Keir Starmer staying as prime minister?
February 5, 2026 at 8:19 AM
What is the point of Keir Starmer staying as prime minister?
Well that’s his Economics A-Level failed
BESSENT: TARIFFS DO NOT CAUSE INFLATION
February 4, 2026 at 3:44 PM
Well that’s his Economics A-Level failed
Reposted by Conor Sewell
A friend put money on Miliband as next PM at 40-1 ages ago and I’m bitterly regretting not doing the same
February 4, 2026 at 2:25 PM
A friend put money on Miliband as next PM at 40-1 ages ago and I’m bitterly regretting not doing the same
Think we’ve gone straight through febrile and into volatile, with the possibility of reaching explosive by the end of the day
February 4, 2026 at 2:15 PM
Think we’ve gone straight through febrile and into volatile, with the possibility of reaching explosive by the end of the day
Reposted by Conor Sewell
EXC: Disgraced peer Peter Mandelson was directly involved in helping Morgan McSweeney select Labour’s parliamentary candidates ahead of the 2024 general election, a party whistleblower told The i Paper.
inews.co.uk/news/politic...
inews.co.uk/news/politic...
Mandelson was given secret spreadsheet to vet left-wing MPs in Labour power struggle
The revelation shows the extent of Mandelson’s direct involvement in the bitter battle to gain control of the party ahead of the 2024 general election
inews.co.uk
February 4, 2026 at 12:29 PM
EXC: Disgraced peer Peter Mandelson was directly involved in helping Morgan McSweeney select Labour’s parliamentary candidates ahead of the 2024 general election, a party whistleblower told The i Paper.
inews.co.uk/news/politic...
inews.co.uk/news/politic...
One point:
As with most scandals, it is actually quite easy to avoid by having a basic moral compass and principles, and applying them in all decisions.
“Should we make the convicted paedophile’s mate ambassador?” is only a difficult question if you lack morals or are terminally politics-brained.
As with most scandals, it is actually quite easy to avoid by having a basic moral compass and principles, and applying them in all decisions.
“Should we make the convicted paedophile’s mate ambassador?” is only a difficult question if you lack morals or are terminally politics-brained.
February 4, 2026 at 11:55 AM
One point:
As with most scandals, it is actually quite easy to avoid by having a basic moral compass and principles, and applying them in all decisions.
“Should we make the convicted paedophile’s mate ambassador?” is only a difficult question if you lack morals or are terminally politics-brained.
As with most scandals, it is actually quite easy to avoid by having a basic moral compass and principles, and applying them in all decisions.
“Should we make the convicted paedophile’s mate ambassador?” is only a difficult question if you lack morals or are terminally politics-brained.
Reposted by Conor Sewell
It's a finely balanced decision. On the one hand, you have the architect of a strategy that is not working, who could not do this job in opposition *the first time*, and buy the PM breathing space. On the other, moving it would involve admitting that some of the PM's old legal buddies were right.
Is the extraordinary Mandelson scandal the final nail in the coffin that is McSweeney’s time in No10? Labour MPs tells our Tom the PLP “direction of travel” is towards Starmer’s CoS having to go. Even some PM loyalists think Starmer may have to remove his close ally to shore up his own position.
The growing Mandelson scandal has resulted in renewed pressure on the position of Keir Starmer's chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, who was instrumental in the decision to bring him into government, reports PolHome's Tom Scotson
February 4, 2026 at 11:03 AM
It's a finely balanced decision. On the one hand, you have the architect of a strategy that is not working, who could not do this job in opposition *the first time*, and buy the PM breathing space. On the other, moving it would involve admitting that some of the PM's old legal buddies were right.
Reposted by Conor Sewell
key reason you can’t give no 10 the benefit of the doubt on this stuff. ought to be fatal. www.newstatesman.com/politics/lab...
February 4, 2026 at 8:52 AM
key reason you can’t give no 10 the benefit of the doubt on this stuff. ought to be fatal. www.newstatesman.com/politics/lab...
The fact that a government which:
1. Desperately needs growth
2. Is facing a dangerous far-right party
Is catering to the far-right on migration (something which we know to both be economically harmful and not work politically) is an example of how familiar memes win out over actual thinking.
1. Desperately needs growth
2. Is facing a dangerous far-right party
Is catering to the far-right on migration (something which we know to both be economically harmful and not work politically) is an example of how familiar memes win out over actual thinking.
February 4, 2026 at 10:37 AM
The fact that a government which:
1. Desperately needs growth
2. Is facing a dangerous far-right party
Is catering to the far-right on migration (something which we know to both be economically harmful and not work politically) is an example of how familiar memes win out over actual thinking.
1. Desperately needs growth
2. Is facing a dangerous far-right party
Is catering to the far-right on migration (something which we know to both be economically harmful and not work politically) is an example of how familiar memes win out over actual thinking.
Anecdotal but I’ve been sent this by two unconnected non-political friends in the last few days…
In case anyone hasn’t seen one of the greatest videos of all time m.youtube.com/watch?v=Ue1U...
Mike Skinner Backstage Peter Mandelson Went Mad | Turn The Page Live | The Streets
YouTube video by stan tonkin
m.youtube.com
February 4, 2026 at 9:33 AM
Anecdotal but I’ve been sent this by two unconnected non-political friends in the last few days…
This has to be one of the most mean-spirited ideas in the modern history of British politics
Reform UK says it would re-impose two-child benefit cap for most families to fund £3bn support package for pubs - www.theguardian.com/politics/liv...
February 3, 2026 at 7:09 PM
This has to be one of the most mean-spirited ideas in the modern history of British politics
Harbaugh oh no what is you doing baby
NEWS: The New York Giants are hiring Matt Nagy to be their next offensive coordinator, per source.
John Harbaugh has his new OC.
John Harbaugh has his new OC.
February 3, 2026 at 2:53 PM
Harbaugh oh no what is you doing baby