Sir Keir Starmer has been warned that the revelations over his appointment of Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the US could spark his downfall, in the same way the drip drip of the ‘partygate’ revelations derailed Boris Johnson‘s premiership.
The warnings from MPs came after the Cabinet Office published the first tranche of documents surrounding the 2024 appointment of Lord Mandelson to the position of UK ambassador to the United States – the most important ambassadorial posts, according to the documents.
They reveal the appointment was made despite clear warnings Lord Mandelson had had maintained links with the paedophile Jeffrey Epstein after his conviction.
This was despite the civil service warning that such a decision held a “reputational risk” for the Government.
Appointment was ‘weirdly rushed’
The papers also reveal that senior members of Starmer’s inner circle raised concerns. They include National Security Adviser Jonathan Powell, later said the appointment had been “weirdly rushed”.
The papers have sparked fears among MPs that worse could be yet to come, with thousands of documents still to be published.
It has left some to liken the dripfeeding of files into the public domain to that of the so-called partygate revelations that weakened Boris Johnson in the wake of the Covid pandemic and ultimately led to his resignation.
A senior Labour MP told The i Paper: “I think the assumption amongst labour MPs was that today is the least damaging stuff to come out, so there is surprise at what has come out so early, and how much worse it can be – and how quickly.
“This has the prospect of being like Covid lockdown rule-breaking was for Boris.”
And they added: “The only saving grace is the Iran situation and just how poor the Tories and Reform have been this week.”
Peter Mandelson pictured with Jeffrey EpsteinAsked whether the files will remind the public of concerns over the Prime Minister’s political judgement, another Labour MP replied: “I think it was baked in. As long as there isn’t anything additional or scandalous in there.”
But others to the Left of the party are furious over how Starmer’s Downing Street team handled the appointment of Mandelson.
In particular, MPs are angry over the involvement of the Prime Minister’s former director of communications Matthew Doyle, who has himself had the party whip suspended and is the subject of an internal investigation due to his own links to a convicted paedophile.
Veteran MP Andy McDonald said it was “extremely concerning” that the files showed Doyle was among those “satisfied with Mandelson’s responses to due diligence questions about his contact with Epstein”.
And he added: “He may have been poorly advised, but it was clearly a matter of dreadful judgment by the Prime Minister to make the appointment of Mandelson.”
McDonald said it was not enough for Starmer to apologise “for believing Mandelson’s lies”, adding that he must “accept and apologise for his dreadful judgment in approving the appointment in the first place”.
Demands for an inquiry
The former Labour shadow chancellor John McDonnell demanded an inquiry be launched into the scandal.
Posting on X, McDonnell said: “Questions are now being asked why and by whom the appointment of Mandelson was ‘weirdly rushed’ in No10 to quote Jonathan Powell. This must surely lead to an inquiry into the role of the key players in the PM’s office and the links they had with Mandelson.”
There was anger too over the decision to give Mandelson a tax-free severance package of £75,000 after he was sacked. The files show he first requested the remainder of his four-year contract was paid out in full, totalling more than £500,000.
Starmer’s handling of the Mandelson affair has left him significantly weakened, and ultimately led to the resignation of his former right hand man Morgan McSweeney, whom many blamed for being behind the Mandelson decision.
The Prime Minister has however previously said that Mandelson “lied” in his answers to McSweeney, which were assessed by Doyle. These papers held back from publication at the request of the Metropolitan Police to ensure its investigation into the peer is not jeopardised.
Among the papers is a prescient warning from former Cabinet Secretary Simon Case to Starmer on the pros and cons of making a ‘political’ appointment as ambassador, rather than appointing a career civil servant.
“If anything goes wrong, you could be more exposed as the individual is more connected to you personally,” he said.
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The scandal prompted Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar last month to demand the Prime Minister resign over concerns that the scandal risked torpedoing the party’s chances in the Scottish elections in May.
But MPs raised doubts over any move against Starmer before May, unless future releases of the Mandelson files revealed more damaging details.
One MP insisted that the Prime Minister’s position remains safe until a rival emerges. “The biggest unanswered question remains – if not him, then who?”
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