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Everything Peter Mandelson has misplaced from plum DC residence and life-time seat in Lords

Everything Peter Mandelson has lost from plum DC residence and life-time seat in Lords – The Mirror

Labour veteran Peter Mandelson’s bombshell decision comes after the PM called for his former ambassador to be kicked out of the Lords and claimed he had let the country down

  • Peter Mandelson is stepping down from the House of Lordsafter facing a fresh wave of fury over his links to Jeffrey Epstein. Lord Mandelson’s decision comes just after Keir Starmer called for his former ambassador to be kicked out of the Lords and said he had let the country down over the scandal. Earlier No10 said the Cabinet Office had also referred material to the police following a review of the Jeffrey Epstein files.
  • His exit was announced by the Lord Speaker on Tuesday. He said: “Given the public interest and for the convenience of the House, I’ve decided to inform the House that the clerk of the Parliaments has today received notification from Lord Mandelson of his intention to retire from the House, effective from February 4. I will formally notify this to the house tomorrow in the usual way.”
  • As the scandal began to engulf Lord Mandelson, he has lost or been forced to give up a series of benefits. Lord Mandelson has already resigned from his membership of the Labour Party, claiming he did not wish to cause further embarrassment over his links to Mr Epstein.
  • After stepping down from the House of Lords, Lord Mandelson can no longer claim £361 per day for attending proceedings, nor enjoy travel expenses, including up to £100 per night for accommodation. He will also no longer be able to vote, a key part of being a peer.
  • Having already resigned as US Ambassador in Washington last year, Lord Mandelson also lost access to the British embassy in Washington, which following a £118.8 million refurb features art from Andy Warhol, a Grayson Perry tapestry and a statue of Winston Churchill.
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  • However, the disgraced politician will continue to be known as Lord Peter Mandelson of Foy and Hartlepool, because a title is for life. As a result several former peers still use their Lord title, as do hereditary peers who were removed 30 years ago.
  • It would take an act of Parliament to remove a title, which Downing Street is now believed to be considering. The PM does not have the power to remove Mandelson, despite saying he believes he should not sit in the upper chamber anymore. The Government is investigating ways to pass legislation to ensure that peers who bring Parliament into disrepute – and there are plenty of other examples – can be axed. No10 has made it clear that the PM wants Mandelson out of the Lords.
  • The health minister Karin Smyth confirmed on Tuesday that cross-party talks have started about bringing new legislation. Ms Smyth said: “We’re all learning the rules. Peter Mandelson is not the first Lord to have been in disrepute. But this issue is about bringing forward new legislation. We don’t have a majority in the House of Lords, so that has to be done in cooperation with all parties.”
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