Peter Mandelson torn aside on BBC radio over Epstein bombshell – ’embarrassed the PM’
Lord Mandelson, who was last year sacked as Britain’s Ambassador to the US, faces demands to refer himself to the Lords’ standards watchdog for investigation
Peter Mandelson has been accused of having “embarrassed” the Prime Minister(Image: Getty Images)
Peter Mandelson has been accused of having “embarrassed” the Prime Minister, the Labour Party and himself over his links to Jeffrey Epstein.
The disgraced Labour veteran, who was last year sacked as Britain’s Ambassador to the US, faces demands to refer himself to the Lords’ standards watchdog for investigation. One Labour MP told him frankly he was an embarrassment to himself.
Lord Mandelson finally quit the Labour Party late on Sunday night to avoid causing it “further embarrassment” after images of him half-dressed were unearthed in the Epstein files.
But he faces further pressure from Labour MPs to rule out a return to the Lords as an independent peer and to put himself up for an official standards probe.
Jo White, chair of the influential Red Wall group of MPs, told BBC Radio4: “He’s embarrassed the Labour Party, he’s embarrassed the Prime Minister and he’s an embarrassment to himself, to be honest.”
READ MORE: Peter Mandelson insists he has ‘no recollection’ of bombshell Epstein payments
She continued: “I think the anger that would occur if he turned up on the doorstep of the House of Lords, I think he’d immediately know that he wasn’t welcome. At the very start, Peter Mandelson should abstain and not attend the House of Lords anymore. And he should openly say that. But the Commissioner for Standards should certainly be involved.”
Labour MP Rachael Maskell told LBC: “What I would say concerning Lord Mandelson, I think it would be right that he refers himself immediately to the Lords Commissioner for Standards. That would be the appropriate place. It would seem that there’s been breaches, at least of the behaviour code in the past, the ministerial code, and also the code of conduct for peers.”
Education minister Olivia Bailey said she was “pleased” Lord Mandelson had resigned from the Labour Party – but declined to say whether he should remain in the Lords.
Asked whether he should remain a member of the Lords, she told Times Radio: “The reality of the removal of a peerage is a complicated one. You have to have been, I believe, sent to jail for over 12 months or an Act of Parliament needs to be passed…. He is not currently in the House of Lords and I do understand that he does not intend to return.”
The former MP is still technically a peer but has taken a leave of absence so is not sitting in the Lords currently.
Asked if she was comfortable with him remaining a member of the upper chamber, Ms Bailey added: “I think it’s clear that he has questions to answer. He will account for those. It is right that he’s not a member of the party. He is not currently sitting in the House of Lords.”
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.”
The Mirror understands there’s a general sense among long-serving peers that the Labour veteran won’t return to the Lords and that his membership will effectively end. This newspaper also learned Lord Mandelson has no plans to change his leave of absence.
But he will be required to renew it when the parliamentary session ends in May. Members can request a leave of absence if they cannot attend the House due to temporary circumstances and intend to return to the House in the future. Lord Mandelson did not reply to questions from The Mirror about whether he will request another leave of absence or under what grounds.
The House of Lords Expulsion and Suspension Act confirmed that the House has the power to expel members for breaches of its code of conduct. Allegations of breaches of the code are investigated by the independent commissioner for standards, who then recommends a punishment such as a suspension or expulsion.
However, a peerage – as opposed to a peer’s membership of the House – can only be removed via a specific piece of legislation. The Titles Deprivation Act was used to remove peerages from “enemies” during WWI but as the legislation still refers specifically to the war, it is unlikely that its provisions could be used today, according to the House of Lords’ library.
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