BREAKING: Keir Starmer says Peter Mandelson ought to NOT be Lords member after Epstein hyperlinks
Keir Starmer wants Peter Mandelson to be kicked out of the House of Lords, No10 has said, after further revelations about his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein emerged.
The Prime Minister has called on those in the Lords to work with the Government “urgently” to modernise disciplinary procedures so “disgraced members” can be removed.
Mr Starmer does not currently have the power to remove Lord Mandelson’s peerage and new legislation would have to be passed. It piles pressure on Lord Mandelson – who is currently on a leave of absence from the Lords – to publicly resign from House.
The Labour veteran – who is nicknamed Prince of Darkness – last night quit the Labour Party to avoid causing it “further embarrassment” following further revelations about his friendship with paedophile Epstein.
Speaking to reporters on Monday, Mr Starmer’s official spokesman said: “I can’t speak to his resignation from the the party. But on the general issue the PM has asked for this to be urgently looked at. The PM believes Peter Mandelson should not be a member of the House of Lords or use the title…
“We’ve been very clear that we want to reform the House of Lords and that includes strengthening the circumstances in which disgraced members can be removed.”
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PA)
He continued: “The Prime Minister doesn’t have the power at this stage to remove it (his peerage). And that’s why he’s calling on those in the Lords to work with the government.”
The Cabinet Secretary has also been asked too look at all available information regarding Lord Mandelson’s contacts with Epstein during the period he was a government minister. It comes amid suggestions Lord Mandelson leaked sensitive documents from No10 to Epstein when he was Business Secretary in 2009.
Downing Street said Lord Mandelson should testify before the US congressional investigation into Epstein if he is asked to give evidence. It follows Mr Starmer urging Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor to do so over the weekend.
There isn’t a specific precedent for removing a specific person from the Lords. It would require primary legislation to kick Lord Mandelson out. The Titles Deprivation Act was used to remove peerages from “enemies” during WWI but it applied to a group of peers, not an individual.
Lord Mandelson – who was an MP between 1992 and 2004 – became a peer in 2008. In 2024, Mr Starmer appointed him Britain’s Ambassador to the US. The PM sacked him from the Trump-whisperer role last September after it emerged he coached Epstein through “years of torture” over underage sex charges.
At the time, the British Embassy in Washington said the emails show the depth and extent of Lord Mandelson’s relationship with Epstein is “materially different from that known at the time of his appointment”.
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DoJ)
Lord Mandelson faced renewed pressure over the weekend after photographs of him half dressed alongside a woman in a bathrobe featured among thousands of images released by the US Department of Justice. Bank statements in the files also suggested Epstein sent Lord Mandelson two payments of $25,000 in 2004, and another $25,000 to the account of Reinaldo Avila da Silva, now Lord Mandelson’s husband, in 2003.
Lord Mandelson insisted he doesn’t remember the payments, telling The Mirror: “I have no record and no recollection of receiving these sums and do not know if the documents are authentic. I can say clearly, though, I regret ever having known Epstein.”
A Labour Party spokesman said: “It is right that Peter Mandelson is no longer a member of the Labour Party. Disciplinary action was underway prior to his resignation. Jeffrey Epstein’s heinous crimes destroyed the lives of so many women and girls, and our thoughts remain with his victims.”
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