How much did Starmer really know about Mandelson’s ties to Epstein?

After the release of a vast tranche of documents and emails that shed further light on the close relationship between Peter Mandelson and Jeffrey Epstein, the government has come under intense pressure to release details about its vetting process before Mandelson’s appointment as US ambassador in December 2024.The prime minister confirmed for the first time on Wednesday that he had known about Mandelson’s longer-term relationship with Epstein before appointing him US ambassador, saying the former peer had “lied repeatedly” about the extent of his contact with the late child sex offender.That Starmer knew Mandelson had kept ties with Epstein after his conviction was widely reported when the former cabinet minister lost his job in Washington in September. A Downing Street source said there had been reports linking Mandelson and Epstein before the appointment, including after the disgraced financier was convicted, which had been looked at as part of the appointment process. “Peter Mandelson lied to the prime minister, hid information that has since come to light and presented Epstein as someone he barely knew,” said a Downing street source

Last chance, Keir? MPs in despair as crisis engulfs Downing Street

The debacle of last summer, when Keir Starmer caved in over welfare changes after promised concessions failed to convince his mutinous backbenchers, was viewed as a low point for his government. Now, amazingly, it has happened all over again.If the repetition of history was not already enough, with the ructions over releasing government documents about Peter Mandelson, once again Starmer has a certain Angela Rayner to thank, in part, for digging him out of a political hole.With welfare reform it was the then-deputy prime minister who bluntly told Downing Street that their offering to Labour MPs was not enough to prevent a likely Commons defeat, prompting No 10 to drop the bulk of the plans.On Wednesday, Rayner was a key voice advocating that the intelligence and security committee (ISC) should vet the Mandelson files, not No 10, a decision eventually adopted by the government in its amendment to a Conservative motion

Nigel Farage’s two-day trip to Davos cost more than £50,000, documents reveal

Nigel Farage’s two-day trip to Davos cost more than £50,000 after he was given two guest passes by an Iranian-born billionaire, documents show.The Reform UK leader officially declared his attendance at the conference on the register of MPs’ interests, after giving speeches at the Switzerland summit in which he pledged to “put the global elites on notice”.Despite previously having dismissed the World Economic Forum as a jaunt for “globalists”, Farage also accepted £1,100 of luxury hotel accommodation from the conference organisers.The Guardian revealed last month that Farage had his trip to Davos paid for by Sasan Ghandehari, which the Reform UK leader refused to confirm at the time. He was registered at the forum under the banner of HP Trust, which is the family office of Ghandehari and describes itself as having a portfolio value in excess of $10bn (£7

Labour forced into humble pie address over Mandelson disclosures | John Crace

Sometimes the obvious question is the killer question. The one on the minds of practically every person in the country. No need for anything tricksy. No try-hard rhetorical flourishes. Just keep it simple

Committee to review Mandelson disclosures after Labour MPs threaten to rebel

Ministers have been forced into a last-minute concession after Labour MPs had threatened to vote down a government amendment to limit the disclosures about Peter Mandelson’s links with Jeffrey Epstein.In the final hours before the vote, whips agreed to hand power over the disclosures to the intelligence and security select committee (ISC), a compromise brokered by the chair of the Treasury select committee, Meg Hillier, and the former deputy prime minister Angela Rayner.The Conservatives – who triggered the vote to force the release of documents related to Mandelson’s appointment as ambassador to the US – will back the new amendment.“Yet again the prime minister has to thank Angela Rayner’s swift political judgment to save this government from itself,” said one MP, referring back to the concessions brokered by Rayner ahead of the welfare reform vote. “The sooner the day comes that she’s making the original decisions, the better

Nigel Farage made ‘non-apology’, says school contemporary who accused him of racism

Nigel Farage has been accused of making a “non-apology” by a school contemporary who accused him of racist and antisemitic behaviour, after saying he was “sorry” if he had “genuinely” hurt anyone.For the first time since the row broke after a Guardian investigation, the Reform UK party leader appeared to indicate some remorse for the impact of his alleged behaviour while at Dulwich college, a private school in south London.“I think there are two people who said they were hurt, and if they genuinely were, then that’s a pity, and I’m sorry,” Farage said in an interview with the BBC. “But never, ever did I intend to hurt anybody. Never have