How dangerous is the Mandelson scandal for Starmer?
The Labour government and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer are under pressure. Following the release of further Epstein files, Peter Mandelson is suspected of having passed on confidential government information to Jeffrey Epstein, who was already a convicted sex offender, during his time as Secretary of State for Business and Trade. Starmer is now facing accusations of having knowledge of Mandelson's ties to Epstein when he appointed Mandelson as US ambassador in 2024.
A blow to the PM's authority
The Mandelson scandal has completely undermined Starmer's credibility, says The Daily Telegraph:
“What possessed the Prime Minister to make Lord Mandelson ambassador? The answer is that Sir Keir gambled that the peer's ability as a courtier would enable him to get alongside the Trump administration in Washington as, indeed, it did. In other words, Sir Keir was apparently not especially bothered about the victims of Epstein's depravities provided his choice for the post could deliver political dividends. ...The Prime Minister may promise to pass on information to the police, rail about 'betrayal' and fulminate about being lied to by Lord Mandelson. But it is all too late.”
A huge mistake
Had Starmer remained true to his pragmatic principles he would never have appointed Mandelson as US ambassador, and thus spared himself a lot of trouble, says The Economist:
“If Sir Keir had a purpose, it was stopping things like this. He was a politician of process rather than conviction. Following the erratic Boris Johnson, whose three years in power were marred by executive chaos, this had some appeal. ... In a party full of lifers and riddled by - at times - psychopathic factionalism, Sir Keir was supposed to be a refreshing, fair-minded pragmatist. Yet Lord Mandelson was appointed above all thanks to the people he knew and for the wing of the party he represented.”