Nightmare day for Keir Starmer as first Mandelson files released | Politics | News
The first set of Mandelson files will be released today (Image: Getty)
Keir Starmer faces a nightmare day as the first set of Mandelson files prepares to be released this afternoon. It means the scandal will once again be in the spotlight, despite the Prime Minister’s efforts to end controversy over his decision to appoint the former Labor politician to a senior post as US ambassador, despite knowledge of Lord Mandelson’s friendship with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
And today only the first set of documents will be published, which means there are more to come. Cabinet minister Darren Jones said the documents would be released “in large numbers”, but it was expected to be only some of the documents requested by Parliament. MPs last month ordered the Government to publish tens of thousands of documents related to Lord Mandelson’s appointment in 2024, following questions about how he was vetted and what was known about his links to pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.
Read more: Good Morning Britain pauses Mandelson update in major blow to Starmer
Read more: Starmer Times Mandelson says angry MPs left dossiers to bypass PMQs
The Prime Minister insisted Lord Mandelson “repeatedly lied” to Number 10 about his relationship with Epstein before and during his tenure as ambassador.
Mr Jones, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, will confirm that the first set of documents approved for release by the police investigating Lord Mandelson have been disclosed in the Commons statement.
The timing of the release led to accusations from the Conservatives that the Prime Minister was trying to “dodge questions” about Lord Mandelson’s review by releasing the documents after the PMQs.
Shadow Cabinet Office minister Alex Burghart said: “He has his fingers on everything.
“He had already admitted that he knew about Mandelson’s ongoing relationship with Epstein when he appointed him.
“His judgment has been repeatedly shown to be inadequate.”
But Mr Jones told Times Radio: “We were always prepared to report the first tranche of documents in early March, which we are doing this afternoon.
“As I lead the Cabinet Office at the heart of government, it has always been my responsibility to convey these updates to the House of Commons and statements always come after Prime Minister’s Questions.”
The release of the documents came after MPs backed a “modest appeal” motion put forward by the Conservative Party, a rarely used ploy to force the Government to take action.
Some files will be retained for national security or foreign affairs reasons, but Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee has the final say on which documents to redact.
The government has also agreed with the Metropolitan Police a framework within which documents can be released without damaging the ongoing police investigation into Lord Mandelson.
Mr Jones said on Sky News: “These are a lot of documents. The Government takes its responsibility to be transparent with Parliament really seriously.”
“And of course, we all have a shared interest in bringing some accountability and transparency to this issue, to these issues regarding Peter Mandelson and his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.
“So the first tranche will be released this afternoon. The second tranche will come later because there is more work we have had to do across Government in response to the humble speech that is not yet ready.”
“We also have two other processes that take some time, given the live crime investigation with the Metropolitan Police and the role of the Intelligence and Security Committee in Parliament that has some oversight of this matter.”
Lord Mandelson was arrested on February 23 on suspicion of abuse of public office, accused of passing sensitive information to Epstein during his time as business secretary.
He was later released on bail, but was later released from his bail conditions although the investigation was ongoing.
