Peter Mandelson - Epstein . Should Starmer sack him?

A foolish appointment, apropos of his associations he's always been mired in controversy. Possibly put forward for this role because on the surface he comes across as urbane and a smooth operator. I remember thinking when he was seen hobnobbing with George Osborne on some millionaire or oligarch's yacht "why is he even Labour? completely unrepresentative of their ideals"

Mandelson should go, his excuses for supporting Epstein even after he was arrested are the biggest load of baloney I have ever heard.
If he doesn’t resign Starmer should sack him.
A very unpleasant individual even before this came to light.

Casdon

This is just my own theory, but I think he will go after Trump’s state visit next week. Practically, as he will be involved in that, it would be difficult for him to go before then because of the significance of the visit and the potential slight to Trump.

That’s exactly what I think too.

If he was an honourable man he would resign.

But honour seems to be lacking these days.

We have many thousands of people in this Country who hold a security clearance based on positive vetting. Part of the vetting process is full disclosure of one’s past - however murky that might be. Why - because the vetting authorities want to be sure as they can be that nothing is hidden from them which if it emerged covertly could be used to advantage by a third party. I would be surprised if non-disclosure was an issue in this case.

To my mind the bigger issue is the judgement of the man that gave the job to one of his Labour mates despite his previous history in Government. The PM must have realised that the issue of Epstein was very raw in the American psyche. I would also question the judgement of Mandelson who must have known what could emerge and how damaging it might be: accepting the post was pure vanity.

If the PM doesn’t sack Mandelson then yet again he will show how poor his political judgement is. I don’t buy into the argument that Mandelson is needed in Washington: as a Country we have very good ambassadorial material. The PM has made it very that every decision he makes has an element of ‘what will POTUS think or do’ in it. He is reluctant to criticise POTUS publicly even though he must know that many of Trump’s decisions are very questionable. This is not what good leadership is all about. Sadly, the PM has hitched his cart to the POTUS horse now for over a year: it will be difficult to get out of this situation without a lot of upset.

All that said, the PM needs to remove this man from his post. Has he got the resolve to do it: time will tell.

Unquestionably Mandelson must go. We need to rid Government of these sleazy people. ( that’s being polite).
Whilst this is an issue and those like it, they are distracting from the real job of governing the country.

Surely you would know to meet him that he was a sleazebag?

We are (not for the first time) in complete agreement GrannyGravy. Mandelson must go, his position is untenable. I’m so cross, I’d like to see Starmer sack him. How ever he goes, it must be without further delay.

Doles should be Coles 🤷‍♀️

Iam64 I think Peter Mandelson’s position is untenable.

The emails that have already come out are damning in themselves, PM said in the uTube interview with Harry Doles that there are more to come

Best he goes of his own accord as opposed to continuing and damaging the Labour Party and Sir Starmer.

According to Keir Starmer, due process was followed before Mandelson was appointed. I seem to recall I defended the appointment, despite concerns about Mandelson’s integrity. I could see his dubious, Machiavellian personality being useful with the Trump Whitehouse. I was wrong because I’d forgotten the extent of his relationship with Epstein.

Mi6 will have known the extent of friendship, the continued contacts despite Epstein pleading guilty to procuring sex from 14 year old girls. It must have been obvious this alone would inevitably be used at some stage. Such an easy way to humiliate Starmer, to undermine his commitment to protecting the safety of women and girls

Of course he should go. Far worse than Angela Rayner. Don’t they do a proper check on these people ?

I seem to remember there had been a couple of scandals about him before, or at least some very dubious behaviour. He always came across as a shifty - and very smarmy sort of character.

He should never have been appointed and he should go.

It made me laugh when he said, with a pained expression on his face, that he wishes he'd never met Epstein - I bet he does!

But I still dislike the fact that the driver behind all this furore is the aim of embarrassing Starmer.

No, Starmer manages to embarrass himself all on his own, he doesn't need help from anyone else 😂

Well, I suppose he did at the reshuffle.

I was listening today that it will be difficult for Starmer to sack Mandelson as he appears in the same “diary” as Trump, and that would be criticising Trump as well.

And other posts on this thread.

Does Starmer "back" everyone?

winterwhite

When I wrote that I thought it plausible that Mandelson didn’t know about the young girls I was assuming that he met Epstein on occasions when they weren’t around, which itself seemed likely enough since Mandelson is gay. If that’s not so I take it back.

But I still dislike the fact that the driver behind all this furore is the aim of embarrassing Starmer. Epstein has been dead for several years. Mandelson is not interested in young girls. Too much is being made of too little.

I don’t mean that I think Mandelson a good choice for the job in the first place, but for quite different reasons.

No it’s not about embarrassing Starmer

It’s about an Ambassador of the U.K. admitting to being best pals with a convicted sex offender.

Just because the current POTUS is a convicted felon, doesn’t mean that we (UK) should stoop to his standards.

Apologies Casdon, I misread the post

I wasn’t putting it forward as an excuse AnnieBach, we don’t know what actually happened, it was pure speculation. What I was musing was whether in fact MI5 would know how involved Mandelson actually was - which has not come out so far.

Quote GrannyGravy13 Wed 10-Sept-25 20:32:57
Casdon
Mandelson has been up front about his friendship with Mandelson and visits to his properties all along though FriedGreenTomatoes2, so that was not something new to Starmer.
As a gay man, he would have been less suspicious in Epstein’s circles, presumably. I think the issue now is the nature of the birthday message he sent him throws a different light on their relationship to what he had revealed previously. As that birthday messages book was in the Epstein vaults, it’s unlikely that MI5 knew the exact nature of it, surely?
Being a gay man does not make you blind to young underage girls around powerful men.

Casdon if that is PM’s excuse he is more of a snake than I have always thought.

He has already been sacked twice from political positions.

I couldn’t judge him , I am not gay , not a man

What do you think about Trump’s involvement FriedGreenTomatoes2, do you think he should continue as president, given his contribution to the birthday book was just as vile? I think there is plenty more to come out about all those involved yet.

I’ve now emailed Keir Starmer - yes I know 🙈. I’ve reminded him and said I believe his repeated commitment to safeguarding women and girls. Mandelson saying as a gay man he wouldn’t have noticed what was happening - after his 2008 conviction means he has to go, sack him

Labour said Farage was on the side of Savile for opposing the online safety act.

Now we have the same Labour Party defending a member who was literally a paedophile’s best mate.

When I wrote that I thought it plausible that Mandelson didn’t know about the young girls I was assuming that he met Epstein on occasions when they weren’t around, which itself seemed likely enough since Mandelson is gay. If that’s not so I take it back.

But I still dislike the fact that the driver behind all this furore is the aim of embarrassing Starmer. Epstein has been dead for several years. Mandelson is not interested in young girls. Too much is being made of too little.

I don’t mean that I think Mandelson a good choice for the job in the first place, but for quite different reasons.

I wonder what the abused young victims of Epstein would be thinking if they are aware of and read or seen Mandelson’s sickening creepy words of support for his best pal.

This is the UK’s US Ambassador folks.

I feel a dreadful amount of shame that this sicko represents me and our country

My heart goes out to those victims, every one of them. Just awful for them.