Starmer accused Mandelson of “repeatedly lying” to No. 10 about his ties with Epstein, while the police and government remain at odds over revealing Downing Street’s knowledge through documentation. The prime minister has faced scrutiny for appointing Mandelson despite his ongoing connection with Epstein post-conviction and has vowed transparency—a promise complicated by the withholding of crucial exchanges. This controversy led to the dismissal of McSweeney, a senior ally of Starmer, who advocated for Mandelson’s role.
MPs voted to release documents related to Mandelson’s ambassadorial appointment, including a broader collection of communications between him, ministers, and Labour Party advisers. While the full cache contains tens of thousands of documents, priority is on those directly concerning Mandelson’s appointment. The Met Police have requested that a subset of these files be withheld during their investigation into Mandelson, according to one of the sources.
Mandelson’s appointment involved extensive vetting, including an exchange with McSweeney, due diligence by the Cabinet Office, and thorough security checks following the announcement of his post. The Metropolitan Police are investigating whether Mandelson engaged in misconduct in public office after a 2009 email, uncovered in the Epstein files, appeared to show him sharing government financial discussion details with Epstein. Mandelson has not been interviewed yet and denies any wrongdoing.
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