In an intense two-hour face-off in the Commons on Monday, which saw two MPs booted out for calling him a liar, the prime minister reiterated he made the wrong call in appointing Lord Mandelson as US ambassador – but repeated he would not have done so had he known the ex-Labour minister had failed the vetting process.
Politics latest: Sacked Foreign Office boss facing MPs
He has claimed he only found out last Tuesday that the Foreign Office had approved the appointment without telling him and has pinned the blame on Sir Olly Robbins, who was the department's most senior civil servant when the appointment was confirmed last year. He was sacked on Thursday.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has called for the PM to resign and accused him of throwing his staff and officials "under the bus" – and Sir Olly himself will have the chance to respond this morning.
He will face questions about the scandal from the Foreign Affairs Committee at 9am.
He is likely to tell MPs that the vetting was done in an atmosphere where there was an expectation that Mandelson's appointment could not be unpicked, despite his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.
Sir Olly's supporters think he is likely to make the case that there was a dismissive attitude to vetting.
Sky's deputy political editor Sam Coates reported on Friday that Sir Olly is likely to reject the characterisation that he was given a vetting "decision" which was overturned, and also likely to say he did not see the formal vetting document from UK Security Vetting but was given a verbal briefing.
Coates also reported that Sir Keir ignored advice from the then cabinet secretary Simon Case not to appoint Lord Mandelson until security vetting was complete.
And it could get more awkward from there for the PM, with the Speaker having granted Ms Badenoch's request for an emergency Commons debate on the scandal, due around 12.30pm.
Other opposition party leaders have already joined her in calling for Sir Keir to resign. He has denied misleading parliament with his previous statements about Lord Mandelson's appointment, which he has said he regrets.
Trump: Starmer made really bad pick
US President Donald Trump weighed in overnight, posting on his Truth Social page that Lord Mandelson was a "really bad pick". He has previously claimed not to have known Lord Mandelson, despite being pictured with him at the White House.
"Prime Minister Keir Starmer of the United Kingdom acknowledged that he 'exercised wrong judgement' when he chose his Ambassador to Washington," Mr Trump wrote.
"I agree, he was a really bad pick. Plenty of time to recover, however!"
'Fired for trying to help'
Ahead of what could be a bruising day for Sir Keir, former Labour deputy leader Harriet Harman told Sky News's Electoral Dysfunction podcast the row has damaged his relationship with the civil service.
Speaking to political editor Beth Rigby, Baroness Harman said: "I think it's in the civil service that they're really distraught… [Sir Keir] said he wanted [civil servants] to be 'can do', to be backing the government to make the change the government wants to deliver.
"So that was the kind of culture he was trying to set: 'Help me do what I want to do.'
"I think a lot of the civil service think that's what Olly Robbins was trying to do. He was trying to help the prime minister do what he wanted to do, which was appoint Peter Mandelson, and now he's got fired for it!"
She added: "I think there's real bridge-building the prime minister has got to do with the civil service."
'War with the civil service'
It's not the first time Sir Keir has fallen out with the civil service. In December 2024, a few months into his premiership, Sir Keir gave a speech suggesting that "too many people in Whitehall" are being "comfortable in the tepid bath of managed decline".
Baroness Harman said a good relationship with the civil service is vital to the success of the government.
"[Sir Keir] has got to get a good relationship with the civil service to have any hope of delivering on the government's objectives," she said. "And at the moment, the relationship is absolutely terrible."
"When the government is at war with the civil service, nobody wins," she warned.
Peter Magyar, who is set to end Viktor Orban's 16-year reign after his historic election win earlier this month, announced his intention with a warning to Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu.
Retaining membership means those wanted by the body could be arrested if they enter Hungary.
Speaking at a news briefing in Budapest, Mr Magyar said he had "made this clear" to Mr Netanyahu, who has been wanted over alleged war crimes in Gaza since 2024.
Mr Orban had announced his decision to withdraw from the ICC last year, in part due to his disagreement with the warrant for his Israeli counterpart.
It was due to take effect on 2 June and make Hungary the only EU country not to recognise the court's jurisdiction, but Mr Magyar, who leads the centre-right Tisza party, said his team "have looked into it, and we will stop [it]".
"I believe that if the country is a member of the International Criminal Court, and a person who is wanted by the court enters our territory, then that person must be taken into custody," he added, with reference to Mr Netanyahu.
Read more: Who is Peter Magyar?
The warrant for Mr Netanyahu was strongly criticised at the time by the then US president Joe Biden. His successor Donald Trump has continued to staunchly back the Israeli PM.
The US is not a member of the ICC and Mr Netanyahu has visited Washington and Mr Trump's Florida estate several times, including ahead of launching the war against Iran.
Mr Trump and Mr Netanyahu have both been strong supporters of fellow right-winger Mr Orban, and had hoped to see him stay in power until his landslide election defeat.
First-of-its-kind analysis revealed a rise in stabbing deaths among under-17s, increasing from 21 in 2019/20 to 36 in 2023/24.
Most were boys aged around 14, and most were from areas with greater levels of poverty.
Using data from the National Child Mortality Database, as well as hospital, social care, and police data, researchers at Bristol Medical School found 90% of the 145 total deaths across the five-year period were male.
Around a third of those who died (32%) were black and another third (31%) were white, while 110 (75%) were from the most poverty-stricken areas of the country.
Analysed on a population basis, those of black or black British ethnicity were around 13 times more likely to die of a knife-related injury than children and young people who were white.
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'Urgent need' for early intervention
Researchers also noted a history of domestic violence and abuse among many of the victims: a quarter lived with an adult with mental illness and a third lived in a household with substance abuse.
The involvement of gangs was mentioned in a third of the case files.
Lead author Dr Tom Roberts, an A&E clinician at North Bristol NHS Trust, said the data revealed an "urgent need" to support children facing adversity as they grow up.
He warned: "Despite frequent contact with services, many children received no targeted support for adverse childhood experiences, especially domestic violence and abuse, revealing major gaps in early intervention."
Mr Cook, who joined the technology giant in 1998 and has been its CEO for nearly 15 years after succeeding the late Steve Jobs, will take up the role of executive chairman.
He will remain in his current role until 1 September, when Mr Ternus, the current head of the hardware engineering department, will officially take up the position.
The move comes following months of speculation that Apple was searching for a successor to Mr Cook, with Mr Ternus seen as a likely candidate to take over.
In his new role, Mr Cook will "assist with certain aspects of the company, including engaging with policymakers around the world", Apple said.
In a statement, Mr Cook said: "It has been the greatest privilege of my life to be the CEO of Apple and to have been trusted to lead such an extraordinary company.
"I love Apple with all of my being, and I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to work with a team of such ingenious, innovative, creative, and deeply caring people who have been unwavering in their dedication to enriching the lives of our customers and creating the best products and services in the world."
Mr Cook described his successor as a "visionary" with "the soul of an innovator".
He added: "He [Ternus] is without question the right person to lead Apple into the future. I could not be more confident in his abilities and his character."
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Mr Ternus joined Apple in 2001, and during his 25 years at the company has been involved in a number of its major product releases, including the iPad and AirPods, as well as several generations of iPhone, Mac, and Apple Watch.
He referred to Mr Cook as his mentor and said he was "profoundly grateful" for the opportunity to "carry Apple's mission forward".
"I am filled with optimism about what we can achieve in the years to come," he added.
The Cathy Newman Show, launching on 27 April at 7pm, combines agenda-setting interviews, exclusive investigations and spirited debate from Sky News' Westminster studio.
The show, airing Monday to Thursday on Sky News and YouTube, is designed to cut through the noise and make sense of the stories that matter.
'The perfect time to get started'
Newman, who joins Sky News after two decades at Channel 4, will lead a show featuring uninterrupted conversations that challenge perspectives – with a warm but rigorous approach.
The show will include interviews with leading political, public and cultural figures, original reporting and investigations, and analysis of the biggest UK, US and European stories.
"With the local elections coming up, it feels like the perfect time to get started," said Cathy Newman.
"I'm looking forward to welcoming guests on to the orange velvet sofa for big interviews, exclusives and real conversations that help make sense of it all. Join me from next week for a friendly but forensic chat."
There will also be longer-form investigations and documentaries that sit alongside the show, with a new podcast launching this autumn.
The programme is part of Sky News' 2030 strategy for premium, video-first journalism, designed to bring personality-led reporting to audiences wherever they are.
"Cathy's journalism is forensic, fearless and engaging, and this new format brings that to life in a way that truly connects with audiences," said Jonathan Levy, executive editor and managing director.
Join us from 27 April at 7pm for interviews that probe, investigations that reveal, and conversations that matter.