Mandelson, money - and the risk to the prime minister
2/6/202634 min
Fresh revelations about Peter Mandelson’s relationship with the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein have sparked a political explosion in Westminster, reopening questions about Keir Starmer’s decision to return him to the heart of public life. Mandelson, the former UK ambassador to Washington, has resigned from the House of Lords and from the Labour Party, while a criminal investigation has been launched into allegations that he shared sensitive information with Epstein during his time as business secretary under Gordon Brown.
Starmer has apologised for appointing Mandelson and pledged to publish the files relating to his vetting for the ambassadorship, but with pressure growing on his leadership, how can the prime minister and the Labour Party hope to move on?
Host Lucy Fisher is joined by Jim Pickard, Stephen Bush and Ashley Armstrong to discuss the fallout.
Follow the panel on Bluesky - Lucy @lucyfisher.ft.com; Jim @pickardje.bsky.social; and Stephen @stephenkb.bsky.social
Want more? Free links:
Keir Starmer apologises to victims of Jeffrey Epstein
Pressure grows on Keir Starmer’s chief of staff over Peter Mandelson ambassador appointment
Every doomed prime minister has a moment – this is Starmer’s
Mandelson and the money that never sleeps
Peter Mandelson leaked sensitive UK government tax plans to Jeffrey Epstein
George Parker’s interview from 2025 – Peter Mandelson’s back: The Prince of Darkness returns
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Presented by Lucy Fisher, and produced by Lulu Smyth. The executive producer is Flo Phillips. Original music and mix by Breen Turner. The FT’s global head of audio is Cheryl Brumley.
What did you think of this episode? Let us know at politicalfix@ft.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsSpeaker 0· Soundbite0:01
Can the Prime Minister tell us, did the official security vetting he received mention Mandelson's ongoing relationship with the pedophile Jeffrey Epstein?
Ashley Armstrong· Panelist0:12
So clear.
Jim Pickard· Panelist0:13
Prime Minister?
Stephen Bush· Panelist0:15
Yes, it did.
Ashley Armstrong· Panelist0:16
Ah!
Stephen Bush· Panelist0:18
A- a- as a res- Point to the- As a result, various questions were put to him.
Ashley Armstrong· Panelist0:23
Still today.
Stephen Bush· Panelist0:23
I intend to disclose to this House the full documentation, so it will see for itself the extent to which, the extent to which time and time again, Mandelson completely misrepresented the extent of his relationship with Epstein.
Lucy Fisher· Host0:38
[dramatic music] The Prime Minister there, under intense pressure in the Commons, confronting not just another political crisis, but one with potentially profound consequences for his premiership. And at its center is Peter Mandelson, one of the most influential political operators of the past 40 years, a central architect of New Labour, and a figure whose political shadow has loomed large over Keir Starmer's own time in office. Five months after the Prime Minister was forced to sack the man he'd appointed as UK Ambassador to Washington, fresh revelations about Mandelson's relationship with the convicted sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein, have reopened questions about Starmer's decision to bring him back to the heart of public life. So the question now is, could Mandelson, a master strategist from a previous Labour era, end up bringing Starmer down? Welcome to Political Fix from the Financial