5 things you need to know about Starmer's botched handling of Mandelson scandal
Reach Daily Express February 05, 2026 03:39 AM
- Sir Keir Starmer knew about Lord Mandelson's ongoing friendship with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein when he appointed him ambassador to the US
- Sir Keir claimed the peer "lied repeatedly" about the extent of the relationship with the financier.
- The Prime Minister was forced into a climbdown on Wednesday over the release of documents relating to Lord Mandelson's appointment. Sir Keir had wanted the top civil servant, Sir Chris Wormald, to decide what documents could not be released on national security grounds or because they could prejudice international relations. But under pressure from Labour MPs, led by former deputy leader Angela Rayner, he accepted the decision could be made by Parliament's Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) instead.
The Tories tabled a humble address motion in the Commons, an arcane parliamentary mechanism to compel the Government to release documents, including due diligence work carried out by the Cabinet Office and emails between Lord Mandelson and his ally Morgan McSweeney, the Prime Minister's chief of staff.
The Met Police has launched a criminal investigation into allegations Lord Mandelson passed market-sensitive information to paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.
