‘Keir Starmer should draw a line beneath Mandelson saga or danger being caught in poisonous fallout’
Keir Starmer was forced to admit how much he regretted rolling the dice on appointing Peter Mandelson as US ambassador as the furore over his ties to Jeffrey Epstein deepened
Keir Starmer and the-then British ambassador to the US Lord Mandelson during a welcome reception at the ambassador’s residence in Washington(Image: PA)
Appointing the so-called Prince of Darkness to be US ambassador was always a high-stakes gamble.
And today, Keir Starmer was forced to admit how much he regretted rolling the dice on sending Peter Mandelson to Washington. At the time, the Labour grandee was seen as having the political know-how to handle Donald Trump.
His friendship with Jeffrey Epstein was known at the time but the PM has since said Lord Mandelson lied repeatedly about the depth of their ties.
Mr Starmer hoped to draw a line under this grim saga when he sacked Lord Mandelson last September, saying at the time that he had been made aware of new information about his friendship with Epstein. But the latest explosive revelations over the weekend cranked the bellows under the scandal again.
The Prime Minister admitted to MPs for the first time today that he was warned of the ongoing friendship between Lord Mandelson and Jeffrey Epstein before appointing him. He insisted that the Labour heavyweight lied repeatedly about their friendship and said Mandelson had “betrayed” this country with his conduct.
But strong words were not enough for MPs and Mr Starmer is now facing dangerous questions about his own judgement. Downing Street believes that documents about the appointment process will show clearly that Mandelson lied to the PM and will provide answers to some of these questions.
But attempts to get this information out there quickly have been thwarted, partly by the Metropolitan Police which has ordered the Government to hold back on publishing certain documents to avoid undermining its inquiry.
Angry MPs also threw a spanner in the works by demanding the decision on what is published be handed to Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC).
This move underscores the growing distrust of No10 among Labour backbenchers, who are increasingly willing to flex their muscles. And once again, Angela Rayner acted to dig the Government out of a hole by brokering a compromise on the initial amendment.
It leaves the PM in a tough spot. Since the start of the year, he has repeatedly tried to put the spotlight on the Government’s efforts to tackle the cost of living, identifying correctly that it’s a top priority for voters.
But he keeps being buffeted by events. Donald Trump’s erratic foreign policy dominated the news agenda in January, and then Labour civil war erupted over Andy Burnham’s attempts to stand in the Gorton and Denton by-election.
While he was on a high-profile trip to China, the Epstein scandal reared its head again – with grim pictures of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Lord Mandelson splashed across the newspapers.
Global public outrage over the conduct of Epstein and his associates is only intensifying. The PM needs to draw a line under the Mandelson saga quickly to prevent from being tainted by the toxic fallout.
