Gordon Rayner

London

Associate Editor at The Telegraph

Associate Editor of The Daily Telegraph and long-suffering Newcastle United fan. All views my own.

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Articles

How Britain's £300 billion welfare bill became untouchable

5 days ago | telegraph.co.uk | Gordon Rayner

The cost of benefits is out of control, but it will take guts and immense political skill to wean the UK off its addiction to hand-outsIn 1972 Edward Heath decided to give pensioners a "one off" Christmas bonus of £10, which was worth an extra week and a half's pension for a single person.
The five secrets of Peter Mandelson’s unrivalled political genius

5 days ago | ca.news.yahoo.com | Gordon Rayner

For many in Britain watching Donald Trump’s trade deal announcement this week, the most striking takeaway was not, perhaps, what Trump said but the sight of a familiar figure standing over his left shoulder. Flanking the most powerful man in the world along with vice-president JD Vance was Britain’s own Lord Mandelson, the man who once described himself as “the eternal comeback kid”. Love him or loathe him, it’s impossible to argue with Lord Mandelson’s assessment of his career.
The five secrets of Peter Mandelson’s unrivalled political genius

5 days ago | yahoo.com | Gordon Rayner

Credit: ReutersFor many in Britain watching Donald Trump’s trade deal announcement this week, the most striking takeaway was not, perhaps, what Trump said but the sight of a familiar figure standing over his left shoulder. Flanking the most powerful man in the world along with vice-president JD Vance was Britain’s own Lord Mandelson, the man who once described himself as “the eternal comeback kid”.
The five secrets of Peter Mandelson's unrivalled political genius

5 days ago | telegraph.co.uk | Gordon Rayner

The contrast between Volodymyr Zelensky's disastrous Oval Office bust-up with Trump and Vance in February and Lord Mandelson's quiet but highly successful wooing of the president, demonstrates his ability to identify the way the political wind is blowing and harness, rather than fight it. On paper Lord Mandelson's politics are far removed from Trump, whom he once described as "a danger to the world" and "little short of a white nationalist and racist".
Miliband 'suppressing net zero dissent' as he sacks Mary Archer from advisory role

1 week ago | telegraph.co.uk | Gordon Rayner

Dame Mary confirmed that she had been removed from her post but did not want to comment further. She was chosen for her expertise in solar energy, having co-founded the UK section of the International Solar Energy Society as well as being founder chair of the National Energy Foundation. Her role involved providing strategic guidance to the department, using her years of academic expertise.
Its regulator wants to be nice

1 week ago | telegraph.co.uk | Gordon Rayner

Ipso ruled that despite Gove's comments being made under parliamentary privilege, The Telegraph 's account of those comments in a subsequent story in January 2025 was misleading because it failed to include a response from the MAB, which denies any affiliation with the Muslim Brotherhood.
Victorious Farage threatens Westminster’s two-party system

1 week ago | ca.news.yahoo.com | Gordon Rayner

What a morning this is turning into for Reform UK and for British politics. Nigel Farage’s party has won the Runcorn and Helsby by-election by just six votes in one of the tightest results in electoral history. More importantly, in years to come, it might just be that today will be remembered as the beginning of the end of Westminster’s two party system. After Sarah Pochin became Reform’s first female MP, Mr Farage declared: “This is phenomenal.
Victorious Farage threatens Westminster's two-party system

1 week ago | telegraph.co.uk | Gordon Rayner

What a morning this is turning into for Reform UK and for British politics. Nigel Farage's party has won the Runcorn and Helsby by-election by just six votes in one of the tightest results in electoral history. More importantly, in years to come, it might just be that today will be remembered as the beginning of the end of Westminster's two party system. After Sarah Pochin became Reform's first female MP, Mr Farage declared: "This is phenomenal.
Allison Pearson cleared by press regulator after police complaint

2 weeks ago | yahoo.com | Gordon Rayner

Essex Police is facing criticism after the press regulator threw out its complaint about The Telegraph’s reporting of its investigation of Allison Pearson. The force claimed that a column by Pearson and a news report of a visit made to her home by officers on Remembrance Sunday last year were inaccurate, but the Independent Press Standards Organisation (Ipso) found that its complaint was without foundation.
Allison Pearson cleared by press regulator after police complaint

2 weeks ago | telegraph.co.uk | Gordon Rayner

The Essex force claimed that The Telegraph's reporting was inaccurate because Pearson had said she was told she was being investigated for a non-crime hate incident (NCHI), when the force said she was actually the subject of a criminal investigation. But Ipso said The Telegraph had correctly reported Essex Police's written statement that the inquiry was into a criminal offence, notwithstanding Pearson's belief that she had been told on her doorstep that it was a NCHI.