No 10 says Starmer found Mandelson’s emails to Epstein ‘reprehensible’
At the Downing Street lobby briefing the PM’s spokesperson said that Keir Starmer found Peter Mandelson’s emails to Jeffrey Epstein “reprehensible”.
When he was asked if Starmer agreed with Mike Tapp, the Home Office minister who said this morning the emails were “sickening” (see 10.11am), the spokesperson was at first reluctant to use the same language.
But, when pressed, he said:
I think it’s self-evident that he found the content of these emails reprehensible.
Key events
Reform council to ‘rescind’ climate emergency declaration
No 10 says it was not responsible for Mandelson’s security vetting prior to being appointed ambassador
Mandelson does not accept he thought Epstein’s first conviction ‘wrongful’, BBC reports
Farage urged to ‘come clean’ about Clacton house after BBC investigation raises questions about his account of purchase
Man held after suspected arson attack on office of Labour MP Sharon Hodgson
No 10 rejects suggestions PM should have realised before US appointment Mandelson didn’t accept Epstein’s first conviction
No 10 declines to say Starmer was ‘misled’ by Mandelson about Epstein links ahead of appointment as ambassador
No 10 says Starmer found Mandelson’s emails to Epstein ‘reprehensible’
No 10 struggles to explain why previous disclosures about Mandelson/Epstein links didn’t disbar him from US job
James Roscoe, former deputy head of mission, has replaced Mandelson as interim US ambassador, No 10 says
Plaid Cymru says Mandelson affair shows ‘something deeply wrong at heart of Starmer’s government’
How disclosures by Bloomberg and the Sun led to Mandelson being sacked
David Davis says Mandelson appointment shows ‘sheer size of failure of vetting process’
Green leader Zack Polanski says Mandelson affair evidence of ‘dirty, broken political system’
Tories demand release of paperwork showing full extent of Mandelson’s pre-appointment vetting
Ed Davey says PM should replace Mandelson with ambassador ‘who will stand up to Trump’
MPs call for inquiry into why vetting did not pick up full extent of Mandelson’s links to Epstein
Minister won’t say if Mandelson will retain Labour whip in House of Lords
Badenoch claims Starmer ‘failed another key test of leadership’ by backing Mandelson in Commons yesterday
Tories welcome Mandelson’s resignation, but claim it has left ‘huge turmoil’ ahead of state visit
Mandelson sacked in particular for saying, in emails unknown to No 10, Epstein’s first conviction was wrong, minister says
Mandelson has been sacked as ambassador to US, MPs told
SNP calls for Mandelson to be sacked ‘without further delay’
Paula Barker withdraws from Labour’s deputy leadership contest
Labour MP Sharon Hodgson condemns attack on her constituency office
Hospital waiting list figures rise for second month in row, NHS England figures reveal
Mandelson reportedly being asked by Foreign Office to clarify details of his relationship with Epstein
Home Office minister Mike Tapp says he found Mandelson’s emails to Epstein ‘disturbing and sickening’
Foreign Office minister to answer Commons urgent question on Mandelson’s appointment as ambassador to US
Emily Thornberry drops out of Labour’s deputy leadership contest after coming last in latest nomination count
Starmer under fresh pressure to sack Mandelson as Andy McDonald claims PLP ‘100%’ against letting him stay
Reform council to ‘rescind’ climate emergency declaration
Plans by Reform UK to “rescind” the declaration of a climate emergency at one of the English county councils it now controls have been condemned by opposition parties, Ben Quinn reports.
I enjoyed this, posted BTL, but attributed to a commentator on Bluesky.
To resign in disgrace once, Mr. Mandelson, may be regarded as a misfortune; to resign twice looks like carelessness; but a hat-trick is just taking the piss.
No 10 says it was not responsible for Mandelson’s security vetting prior to being appointed ambassador
Downing Street has said that No 10 was not involved in the vetting of Peter Mandelson before he was made ambassador to the US.
At the afternoon lobby briefing, a No 10 spokesperson said:
No 10 was not involved in the security vetting process. This is managed at departmental level by the agency responsible and any suggestion that No 10 was involved is untrue.
Mandelson does not accept he thought Epstein’s first conviction ‘wrongful’, BBC reports
According to the BBC, Peter Mandelson does not accept the Foreign Office/No 10 line that he though Jeffrey Epstein’s first conviction was “wrongful”. (See 10.54am and 1.12pm.) “Rather [Mandelson] privately supported his friend, believed was telling the truth and thought the length of his sentence should be challenged,” Joe Pike from the BBC reports.
The difference between thinking a conviction was wrong and the sentence being wrong may be minimal. Epstein did plead guilty in 2008, but it was part of a complicated plea deal, and quite what Epstein told Mandelson about what he had or had not done – ie, what what Mandelson believed about his friend – is not clear.
Farage urged to ‘come clean’ about Clacton house after BBC investigation raises questions about his account of purchase
In May this year my colleague Rowena Mason revealed that, even though Nigel Farage had been telling people that he had bought a house in Clacton, in fact it had been purchased by his partner, Laure Ferrari. It was hardly the biggest lie in politics – Farage argued that whether “whether I say ‘I’ or ‘we’ is pretty irrelevant” – but it was indicative of a certain slipperiness and casual attitude to accuracy that critics would argue is typical of the Reform UK leader.
The scoop did not attract huge interest at the time. But, after Angela Rayner resigned as deputy prime minister because she had underpaid stamp duty, there was renewed interest in the Farage Clacton house. Rayner got into trouble because she should have paid the extra stamp duty owed when someone buys a second home, and Farage was asked if he had been doing the same thing.
Billy Kenber and Phil Kemp from the BBC have now published the results of a very thorough investigation into this. They have found no evidence that there was anything about the purchase that was unlawful. But they have found evidence that undermines Farage’s suggestion that his partner, a former waitress, was able to buy the £885,000 home without a mortgage because she comes from a wealthy family.
They also found that Farage recently commissioned a KC specialising in tax to provide a statement saying the correct stamp duty was paid – even though Farage says he was not involved in the purchase.
Kenber and Kemp say:
It is legal for an unmarried person to gift or otherwise transfer wealth to their partner for them to buy a property in their own name and doing so does not incur stamp duty.
Farage has though faced accusations that he has acted hypocritically and sought to avoid tax if he played a role in financing the purchase of his constituency home in his partner’s name.
Commenting on the BBC story, Anna Turley, the Labour party chair, said:
Nigel Farage repeatedly misled his constituents and the British public about buying a home in his constituency. There are now far too many unanswered questions about the house he stays in while in Clacton. He must urgently come clean with the public as to whether he financially contributed towards the purchase of this property.
Misleading the public for political gain about buying a constituency home is appalling in itself. But if he deliberately put in place this arrangement to avoid paying his fair share of tax that would be even worse.
And Sarah Olney, a Lib Dem Cabinet Office spokesperson, said:
Nigel Farage has serious questions to answer over this. After spending days attacking others over their tax arrangements he now needs to be frank and honest about his own.
I’m not holding my breath. The only time Nigel Farage wants to answer questions is when he is in the US talking Britain down.
In a statement to the BBC, a spokesperson for Farage said:
Laure Ferrari is the sole legal and beneficial owner of the property. It belongs solely to Laure and was purchased with funds which belong to her. All taxes were properly paid. Nigel has no financial interest in the property whatsoever.
Mark Brown
Mark Brown is the Guardian’s north of England correspondent.
Fiona Hill, a former Russia adviser to the White House, said the timing of Peter Mandelson’s sacking could hardly be worse. She told the Guardian:
I do have to say that it’s come at a terrible time for US-UK relations because it’s just ahead of the state visit. It just puts a cloud over an already extraordinarily difficult visit.
This visit is very personal to Trump … it’s important for managing the relationship at this particular point, whether people like it or not. This is going to make things much more difficult.
Having said that Hill, an adviser to the UK government on its strategic defence review, suggested she was not surprised by the outcome. “I just had the same sinking feeling that everybody else did,” she said.
Man held after suspected arson attack on office of Labour MP Sharon Hodgson
A man in his 20s has been arrested by police after a suspected arson attack wrecked the constituency office of the Labour MP Sharon Hodgson, Mark Brown reports.
The Conservatives have restated their call for what they are describing as the “Mandeslon files” – the papers showing the extent of the vetting before Mandelson was appointed ambassador to the US, and what they said about Mandelson’s relationship with Jeffrey Eptsein – to be published.
In a statement, Priti Patel, the shadow foreign secretary, said:
This whole affair has been a national disgrace.
Keir Starmer continued to defend Peter Mandelson even after more and more shocking revelations came to light and his position was beyond untenable. It’s just more weakness from a prime minister without a backbone.
The British public deserve to know what Labour knew, and when. They must immediately publish all of the Mandelson files.
Jeremy Hunt, the former Tory foreign secretary and chancellor, told the World at One that, while appointing Peter Mandelson as an ambassador was risky, sometimes risks of that kind are worth taking.
Hunt said it was “inconceivable that people won’t have pointed out to Keir Starmer the risks of appointing someone like Peter Mandelson to a job like this.” He added:
But you do have to take some risks in the appointments you make, and this time it went wrong.
No 10 rejects suggestions PM should have realised before US appointment Mandelson didn’t accept Epstein’s first conviction
At Downing Street lobby briefings the questions are often more interesting than the answers. Here are some of the most difficult questions the PM’s spokesperson had to deal with this morning about the Peter Mandelson sacking.
They show that No 10 should have realised, well before Peter Mandelson’s appointment as ambassador, that he had not accepted Epstein’s original child sex conviction.
In 2008 Epstein pleaded guilty to procuring a girl under the age of 18 for prostitution. This is the one that Mandelson urged Epstein to challenge; Mandelson thought it was unfair, and encouraged Epstein to push for early release. In 2019 Epstein was arrested again on sex trafficking charges.
Q: Given that it has been widely known for several years that Peter Mandelson stayed in Jeffery Epstein’s luxury New York mansion in 2009, stayed in his luxury Paris property 2010 and 2011 – these are all reported facts – why have some supportive emails changed the PM’s view?
The spokesperson said what was new was the information about the “extent and depth” of the relationship, and that the new information was “materially different”.
Q: If the PM was surprised by the new information, showing Mandelson encouraged Epstein to fight his first conviction, but he knew Mandelson had stayed in Epstein’s flat after that conviction, did the PM think Mandelson stayed there thinking Epstein was guilty?
To this, the spokesperson just repeated the “extent and depth” point.
Q: You seem to saying it is fine to stay in a convicted paedophile’s property if you think they are guilty, but not if you think they are innocent?
The spokesperson did not engage with this point, and just repeated the “materially different” line.
Q: Can you clarify for other ministers and ambassadors – is it OK to stay in a paedeophile’s house?
The spokesperson said there was a process for appointments.
Q: Does the PM take a dim view of all high-profile political figures who have in the past associated with Epstein?
The spokesperson dodged this one completely.
Q: Does the PM have confidence in the vetting process if it missed these elements of the Mandelson/Epstein relationship?
To this one, there was a clear answer. “Yes,” the spokesperson said.
Q: Does the PM feel personally let down by Mandelson?
The spokesperson said the PM has acted the the basis of new information that had come to light.
Q: The new emails did not really reveal anything that we did not already know. So was Mandelson sacked because he was just becoming a political liability?
The spokesperson said he disagreed with that “fundamentally”. The emails revealed something “materially different”, he said.
No 10 declines to say Starmer was ‘misled’ by Mandelson about Epstein links ahead of appointment as ambassador
At the Downing Street lobby briefing the PM’s spokesperson repeatedly said that Peter Mandelson was sacked because of “new information” that came to light about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.
But, despite being asked repeatedly, the spokesperson declined to say that No 10 had been “misled” by Mandelson.
No 10 says Starmer found Mandelson’s emails to Epstein ‘reprehensible’
At the Downing Street lobby briefing the PM’s spokesperson said that Keir Starmer found Peter Mandelson’s emails to Jeffrey Epstein “reprehensible”.
When he was asked if Starmer agreed with Mike Tapp, the Home Office minister who said this morning the emails were “sickening” (see 10.11am), the spokesperson was at first reluctant to use the same language.
But, when pressed, he said:
I think it’s self-evident that he found the content of these emails reprehensible.
No 10 struggles to explain why previous disclosures about Mandelson/Epstein links didn’t disbar him from US job
This morning’s Downing Street lobby briefing last about an hour – almost twice as long as usual – and that is normally a clear sign that that the government is in trouble. If Keir Starmer was hoping the relatively swift sacking of Peter Mandelson would close down this story, he is likely to be disappointed.
The PM’s spokesperson explained the decision in almost identical terms to those used by Stephen Doughty in the Commons. The spokesperson said:
In light of the additional information and emails written by Peter Mandelson, the prime minister has asked the foreign secretary to withdraw him as ambassador.
The emails show the depth and extent of Peter Mandelson’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein is materially different from that known at the time of his appointment.
In particular, Peter Mandelson’s suggestion that Jeffrey Epstein’s first conviction was wrongful and should be challenged is new information.
In light of that, mindful of the victims of Epstein’s crimes, and he’s been withdrawn as ambassador with immediate effect.
It is understood that the the Mandelson/Epstein emails were not available to the government at the time of Mandelson’s pre-appointment vetting. Apparently the emails were not even available to Mandelson, because they were sent to an email address that has been closed for a long time.
Keir Starmer decided to get rid of Mandelson at a meeting in No 10 this morning, also attended by Yvette Cooper, the foreign secretary, the spokesperson said.
The PM’s spokesperson argued that the emails published yesterday afternoon (see 12.27pm) changed the situation because they showed that Mandelson had encouraged Epstein to challenge his first child sex offence conviction.
But the spokesperson struggled to explain why Starmer thought it was right to appoint Mandelson in the first place when, long before he was made ambassador, it was known that he had continued his friendship with Epstein after his first conviction – even staying in his New York flat while the financier was in prison.
James Roscoe, former deputy head of mission, has replaced Mandelson as interim US ambassador, No 10 says
James Roscoe has taken over as acting interim ambassador in the US, Downing Street said at the morning lobby briefing. He was deputy head of mission, the PM’s spokesperson told journalists. Roscoe is a previous ambassador to the UN.
Peter Mandelson has left the post “with immediate effect”, the spokesperson said.
He was unable to say whether or not Mandelson would get a severance payment.
The spokesperson said the process of replacing Mandelson was just starting. He would not say whether the job would go to a career civil servant (the normal practice) or to a political appointee (as Mandelson was).
Plaid Cymru says Mandelson affair shows ‘something deeply wrong at heart of Starmer’s government’
Liz Saville Roberts, the Plaid Cymru leader at Westminster, says the Mandelson affairs shows that there is “something deeply wrong” with the Starmer government.
Just yesterday, Keir Starmer defended Peter Mandelson and expressed confidence in him, while MPs looked on incredulous.
He took far too long to act this week, but appointing Mandelson as US Ambassador in the first place despite his well-known close friendship with his ‘best pal’ Jeffrey Epstein shows deeper failings in political instincts.
This is hardly the first time the prime minister’s cloth-eared judgement has allowed issues to snowball. It all points to something deeply wrong at the heart of Starmer’s government, and Welsh Labour MPs should surely question how much longer they can stand by in silence.
How disclosures by Bloomberg and the Sun led to Mandelson being sacked
This is what Stephen Doughty, the Foreign Office minister, told MPs about why Peter Mandelson was being sacked today, after Keir Starmer defended him at PMQs yesterday.
In light of the additional information in emails written by Peter Mandelson, the prime minister has asked the foreign secretary to withdraw him as ambassador to the United States.
The emails show that the depth and extent of Lord Mandelson’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein is materially different from that known at the time of his appointment.
In particular, Lord Mandelson’s suggestion that Jeffrey Epstein’s first conviction was wrongful and should be challenged is new information.
This seemed a reference to a story published by the Sun at 4.47pm yesterday. Written by Harry Cole, it started:
Peter Mandelson coached “best pal” Jeffrey Epstein through his “years of torture” over teen sex allegations, leaked emails suggest.
While the predator was facing charges in June 2008 over soliciting a minor, Lord Mandelson wrote: “Your friends stay with you and love you.”
Cole quoted various emails sent by Mandelson to Jeffrey Epstein. They seemed familiar to a team of Bloomberg journalists, who had access to more than 100 emails between Mandelson and Epstein. They published their own report, much fuller and more extensive then the Sun’s, not long after the Cole story appeared online.
So how did the Sun the get emails? Journalists don’t reveal their sources, but Alex Wickham from Bloomberg provided a possible clue in a post on social media describing what happened as the Bloomberg team prepared their story.
Bloomberg sent Mandelson a detailed right of reply on Monday, with no response
After Mandelson chose to do an interview on Wednesday morning, we followed up
Some of the emails then appeared in another outlet on Wednesday evening
The interview on Wednesday was with Cole, and in the course of it Mandelson said he expected further “very embarrassing” correspondence between himself and Epstein to surface. Cole was able to publish some of it later.
David Davis says Mandelson appointment shows ‘sheer size of failure of vetting process’
During the urgent question in the Commons David Davis, a former Tory cabinet minister, said Peter Mandelson’s appointment as ambassador to the US showed the “sheer size of the failure of the vetting process”. He said:
I think the house needs to understand the sheer size of the failure of the vetting process. In the public domain, Lord Mandelson had to resign for not telling the truth about an interest free loan. He had to resign, on the second occasion, because he had helped out a business friend to get a passport.
Beyond that, there are still unresolved doubts about his behaviour as the European trade commissioner when he gave concessions to the Russians.
When he came to be a minister again, in 2010, the code section 71 says ministers must ensure that no conflict arises, or could reasonably be perceived to arise, between their public duties and their private interests, financial or otherwise.
“Secretaries of State don’t have private diaries. He spent time with or in Mr Epstein’s flat, it seems, quietly meeting other members of the people involved in the Sempra deal, which cannot be cannot be seen to following his proper duty as a Secretary of State. Was this investigated?
In response, Stephen Doughty, the Foreign Office minister, said just said that all ambassadors are subject to extensive vetting.
Mainstream, the new centre-left Labour organisation backed by Andy Burnham among others, has issued a statement saying the Mandelson controversy shows Keir Starmer is running a “narrow and brittle political project”.
Luke Hurst, Mainstream’s national coordinator, said:
Peter Mandelson’s inevitable sacking is what happens when you put your party factions interest before your party and before the country.
If Starmer keeps running a narrow and brittle political project it will break him and could break the Labour party. We need a government and party of all the talents and all the views.
