In this issue of the Monday Briefing, we look at the British Government unpopular response to Epstein File release, while in the US the House passes the SAVE act. Colombia president is almost assassinated and South African violent gangs are countered by the Army. In Europe, EU officials try to stand on their own feet.
Spotlight: Starmer in trouble after Epstein Files hit Westminster.
When a new wave of Epstein Files was released at the end of January, many in the world were asking for accountability of those involved. While investigations and inquiries continue in the US, it is across the Atlantic that the first consequences appear. Keir Starmer Government is under strong pressure internally and externally, and the most recent Mendelson Scandal will not alleviate their position. Are we going to see another UK prime minister fall so soon?
Lord Peter Mendelson is the key figure of this scandal. The now former member of the House of Lord has occupied several governments in position throughout the years, going back to the Labour governments of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. Most recently he had been nominated British Ambassador to the US, under strong pressure of Morgan McSweeney, the recently resigned chief of stuff of Starmer’s Government. Mendelson’s connections to Epstein go back several years, as he and the New York financier were close friends. While holding key position in the British government, he shared major secret documents with Epstein, allegedly receiving money from him as well. These accusations have prompted Mendelson’s resignation, triggering the current political crisis.
The key point on which the public is questioning the government is Starmer’s own political judgement. When Mendelson was appointed ambassador by the government last year, his links to Epstein were already public, although not to the degree they are today. The Prime Minister claimed in the House of Commons that Mendelson had lied about them during the security vetting process, something that will be proved when the whole process’s documents are released. Opposition, internal and external attacked the current PM immediately, especially targeting the role of McSweeney in the whole scandal. Starmer initially defended his close political ally, but when the Chief of Staff resigned on Sunday 8th of February, the crisis deepened.
Commentators have already dubbed this the “political death of a PM”, as Starmer tries to tighten the ranks of his government. Economic hardship, the worsening conditions of the NHS and his weak relationship with Trump are all pressuring the Prime Minister, which is now facing a 10 percentage points gap behind Nigel Farage’s Reform in Polls. The writing on the walls is clear, and Labour is divided on whether Starmer is fit for the tough task ahead. Echoes of the last days of Boris Johnson suggest that when the party hesitates, changes are on the horizon. What will this mean for Keir Starmer and for the United Kingdom is yet to be seen, but Epstein shadow might be claiming its first political victim.
World News
U.S. House of Representative passes the SAVE America Act
by Veronika Lizier-Zmudzinski
On the 11th, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act. The Act would require people to provide either a valid US passport or birth certificate when registering to vote and photo identification before submitting their ballots. Currently, states set most voter ID and registration rules, this act would be a federal measure.
There is disagreement on the measure. Some argue that because of name changes possibly due to marriage or the fact that not everyone has documents readably accessible, that the measure hinders citizens ability to vote. Others, including President Trump who is in total favor, believe implementing the act will curb potential voter fraud making elections more just and accurate.
The measure would still need to be voted on by the Senate before being implemented and it is unclear if and when that will occur, creating uncertainty for the bill’s future particularly given partisan divisions over voting access and election security.
Colombian President Suffers Assassination Attempt
by Diego Chaparro de Carvalho
On Tuesday, Colombian President Gustavo Petro said he had suffered an assassination attempt while travelling on the day before. According to Petro, the helicopter he and his two daughters were on couldn’t land because of shooting threats and instead had to stay in open sea until his safety could be guaranteed.
This event is part of a resurgence in political violence in Colombia, in a country that has historically been plagued by it. On the same day as the attempt on Petro, Colombian Senator Aida Quilcué was kidnapped in the Colombian department of Cauca by FARC dissidents that do not adhere to the peace agreement with the Colombian government. The Colombian Left has been a historic target of assassinations by paramilitary and drug-trafficking groups; Petro, the country’s first leftist president, had also reported another attempt on his life in 2024.
While the perpetrators of the plot have not been yet discovered, it has been speculated that it was a reaction against Petro’s meeting with American President Donald Trump, in which the Colombian President promised to crack down on drug trafficking. Most paramilitary groups in Colombia, including the FARCs and its dissidents, are to some extent involved in the drug trade.
The flare-up in violence is particularly concerning as Colombia will have general elections in less than three months, raising fears of electoral suppression. In June 2025, Miguel Uribe, a primary candidate for president, was shot and killed while campaigning. Petro is not up for re-election as he is legally barred from it.
Military forces to counter gang violence in South Africa
by Riccardo De Ambrogi
In order to fight the rising levels of gang violence in Cape Town, the president Cyril Ramaphosa have announced the deployment of the South African National Defence Forces in the critical areas. The city is infamous for the generalized violence across the streets caused by the gangs’ activities.
The government decided to intervene with an iron fist deploying the military, also due to the increasing global attention given to the situation. In his declaration, Ramaphosa highlighted how the gang activity undermined state authority in the interested suburbs of Cape Town. Local crime fighters want the military to play a supportive role, allowing the Police Anti-Gang Unit to lead directly against gangsterism.
The intervention is a short-term solution to support the citizenry, but the urge of long-term social intervention is clear and the adoption of more peaceful programs must become a priority for South African executive.
European News
Can Europe and the U.S. share a common world vision?
This year’s Munich Security Conference has taken place on Saturday, February 14th, 2026, featuring U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio as he addresses how the secularist and migration-prone tendencies so far displayed within Europe’s borders may be misaligned with the conservatism enlivening the U.S. socioeconomic code in present times. Still, cultural denominators do not inhibit cooperation prospects by default: the conciliatory tone exhibited by Rubio exploits indeed last century’s World Wars as the historical precedent for justifying destiny intertwining between Europe and the U.S, who should now loosen geopolitical tensions so as to shape the current world order in a mutually beneficial fashion.
Despite his hopeful speech, the words of Rubio suffer from the burdening legacy of the 2025 Conference, in which the U.S. Vice President had brought to the attention of European leaders the potential threat to democratic survival as one posed by the annihilating loss of people’s freedom of speech. As one looks at the two continents’ historical past, so as to be recalled of the possibility to build a united front, a recurring trope at this year’s meeting is the necessity for Europe to sharpen self-reliance, as the prelude to the bettered management of the security issues arising within its territorial perimeter.
As defense and security officials in Europe breathe an air of possible reconciliation, a new question is being raised: are Europe and the U.S. ultimately compatible? The timely reaction to the Conference’s points may shed light on this interrogative, as Europe understands whether it can build a network of global partners to corroborate its self-sustainment, or it may struggle from leaving the U.S. safety net.
Every week, your TiL Monday Briefing 🗞: you better read it with a cup of coffee! ☕️
Head of the Monday Briefing column: Pietro Ferrari. Current writing staff: Vatsal Aggarwal, Cristiana Murè. Cartoons by Polina Mednikova. The Monday Briefing column was established in its current form in 2021 by Bojan Zeric.
I’m Veronika. I grew up in the US but am half-Italian, half-Polish. I’m a first-year BIEM student and am interested in not only economics, but fashion, politics, books, and getting to know the community around me.
