Labour to face awkward questions on Mandelson hours before Trump’s arrival
Labour ministers will have to answer awkward questions in parliament on the appointment of Peter Mandelson as ambassador to Washington hours before President Donald Trump lands in the UK for a state visit.
The Speaker of the House, Lindsay Hoyle, has granted an emergency debate, requested by the Tories, over Mandelson’s dismissal as ambassador and his links to Jeffrey Epstein.
It means senior Labour figures will have to engage in a three-hour debate with MPs in the House of Commons in a week when the government hoped to shake off the recent scandal.
Keir Starmer is facing more scrutiny over when he became aware of leaked Mandelson emails in which he tells Epstein “I think the world of you”, which were sent after the paedophile was convicted of soliciting child prostitution.
Last week at PMQs, Starmer said he had “full confidence” in Epstein before sacking him on Thursday morning.
Number 10 said information presented to the Prime Minister on Wednesday afternoon was “materially different” to that known before, prompting Starmer to sack his ambassador a week before Trump’s state visit.
Bloomberg sent Mandelson a list of emails it would report in a story published 48 hours later, with Downing Street officials claiming they probed the veracity of the emails before Starmer saw the full contents of the emails on Wednesday evening.
Starmer speaks
On Monday afternoon, Starmer told broadcasters: “I’m angry to have been put in that position.”
“In retrospect, of course I think it would be better if the detailed allegations that have been made in relation to Peter [Mandelson] had been put in front of me before PMQs.
“But the team were trying to get answers out of him in relation to those questions and that was the right thing to do.
“Had I known then what I know now, I’d have never appointed him.”
His interview came after his team at Number 10 faced fresh controversy over the resignation of No 10 strategy chief, Paul Ovendon, after derogatory remarks about Diane Abbott made in 2017 were published by ITV News.
Labour’s predicament
Labour backbenchers have become more frustrated with Starmer’s leadership, with a growing number of MPs saying publicly they predicted he would not survive beyond next year’s local elections in May.
Starmer said on Monday that he was focused on the “task” of the government as he hoped the last fortnight’s woes could be put to bed.
“We have a crossroads, really, in terms of the future of this country,” Starmer said.
“We go forward with Labour for national renewal, a patriotic call about this country and taking this country forward, true patriotism, or we have division and decline under Reform.”