Why the Mandelson files matter for Starmer's future

Keir Starmer has already admitted appointing Peter Mandelson as US Ambassador was a mistake. But after the first batch of documents was released, Beth, Ruth and Harriet ask the big question: we still don’t know how big that ‘mistake’ it was – could it get worse with what is yet to come out about what the Prime Minister knew about Mandelson’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein?

In this episode we break down:

1. What’s in the first tranche of documents around Peter Mandelson’s appointmnet (and what’s still missing)
2. The red flags raised before Mandelson was appointed and why the process looks so rushed
3. What “developed vetting” actually is, and why it could become the key detail
4. The growing political risk for Starmer, including questions around what was said in the Commons

Peter Mandelson has consistently denied any criminal wrongdoing and he is cooperating with the police investigation.

Plus, a powerful moment in Parliament this week as Labour MPs Charlotte Nichols and Natalie Fleet speak about their own experiences as victims. How do their stories feed into the government’s legal reforms? And what would the plans mean for justice, juries and the courts backlog?

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