The Speaker has announced the resignation of the Clerk of the Commons, Tom Goldsmith, with a successor to be identified by summer recess. So, it's a good time to read @marcgeddes.uk & me on the challenges of this job and the chaotic recruitment process in 2014 🙌 journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
Doing some comparative work on parliaments but finding I can’t access a number of parliamentary websites I’ve used previously including Mexico, Romania, Israel. It could be routine maintenance but wondering if they’re increasing security settings to counter possible cyber attacks. 🤷♂️
Proud of our School of Social & Political Sciences students who took part in the BISA/FCDO NATO simulation joining peers from 31 UK universities + France & Canada. Representing Spain, they tackled security on NATO’s eastern flank. Thanks to @adefty.bsky.social for supporting. @mybisa.bsky.social
Very significant clarification today from the ISC regarding handling of the Mandelson papers. After some discussion the government has agreed that the decision about whether material referred to the ISC should be published will be taken by the ISC alone.
Proud to take another group of University of Lincoln politics and international relations students to participate in #BISAFCDOmodelNATO in the grandest of settings- the Locarno Suite at the Foreign Office.
More on Gapchinska’s remarkable painting here: www.kyivpost.com/post/36938
For the last two years I’ve been finding & sharing artworks relating to intelligence. Today I bring you “Budanov and the Magical Frog” (2024) by Ukrainian artist Yevgenia Gapchinska. It depicts Kyrylo Budanov then head of Ukrainian military intelligence #ArtofSpying #SlavaUkraini
Today’s opposition day humble address. This time from the Liberal Democrats, asking for papers in relation to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s appointment as a trade envoy. Although directed at the Government, the nature of the humble address means if passed this address will be presented to the King.
Current reading.
The workload facing MPs and their staff is growing, in ways that aren't visible to the public: casework and the inbox.
For @thehousemag.bsky.social, I delved into what the workload looks like, why it's growing, and what this means for how MPs can balance the different aspects of their role
For the avoidance of doubt, of which there appears to be some.
Interesting comment from former ISC member, Mark Pritchard, about the need to make the committee more independent from the Cabinet Office. Although he’s wrong about the Chair - appointed by the committee not the PM, which he must know.
Urgent Question in Commons today about government response to Mandelson humble address. Interesting but - it’s not urgent, previous government took a lot longer to respond to humble addresses, and includes quite a lot of whataboutery: hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2026...
Zelensky really has little incentive to bend to Trump--the US has stopped supporting his country so it shouldn't have much leverage.
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I worry this may be offset by all the banging the head on the desk in frustration.
A reminder of last week’s humble address. All papers in the motion must be released, either to Parliament or the ISC. Worth noting: there is no third category of papers which the government decides can’t be released to the ISC; motion doesn’t say what the ISC is to do with the papers.
Latest statement from the ISC in relation to the Mandelson papers - outlines the process. The committee met representatives of the Cabinet Office and FCDO yesterday. The Cabinet Secretary was due to attend “but was unavailable at the last minute.”
Looking forward to the online training module on how to spot Chinese espionage www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Worth bearing in mind the ISC has been asked by Parliament to look at the Mandelson papers and must do so, but there are legitimate questions about whether this is what the ISC is for. I am reminded of this paragraph from the ISC’s first report in May 1995.
ISC also being quite clever here - by getting government to mark which parts of the papers are prejudicial to national security, if ISC then produces a report which does not reveal those 'words, phrase or sentences' the government would struggle to legally block the publication of a report.
The ISC has published its letter to the PM regarding how it will handle the Mandelson papers. It is a carefully worded and fascinating document not least because the ISC has a statutory relationship with the executive but has unusually been asked to carry out a job by Parliament.
The involvement of the Intelligence and Security Committee in the Mandelson affair further reinforces the argument that the ISC should move out of the Cabinet Office. This from the ISC Chair in May 2025.
Clever move this from ISC Deputy Chair, Jeremy Wright, leveraging additional resources for the committee to enable it to review the Mandelson material.
When I was writing about Labour’s prolific use of the humble address in opposition day debates during the last Parliament I remember thinking that when they’re in government they better be ready because the Tories are going to use the same tactic against them. Were they ready? It seems not.
NEW: Govt has updated own amendment to allow ISC to vet Mandelson docs after Labour MPs warned they would vote down attempts to limit disclosures about appointment as ambassador.
Tories will back a/ment taking some immediate peril away from Starmer.
🚨 NEW: The Government is set to back down and allow the Intelligence Security Committee to oversee the release of the Peter Mandelson's vetting documents
It follows a major backlash from Labour MPs, including Angela Rayner
🚨 BREAKING: Angela Rayner calls for Keir Starmer to allow the Intelligence and Security Committee to oversee the publication of Peter Mandelson's vetting documents
It comes after PMQs reportedly made more Labour MPs oppose Keir Starmer’s "national security" amendment
