Minister defends Starmer, saying Mandelson ‘conned everyone’ – UK politics live

Key events4m agoStarmer about to take questions following speech in East Sussex11m agoHow much did Starmer really know about Mandelson’s ties to Epstein?33m agoMandelson files will be published even if embarrassing to No 10, says ISC chair43m agoFarage: Mandelson scandal 'the biggest in British politics for over a century'1h ago'Of course' Starmer and McSweeney are safe in their jobs, says Reed1h agoMandelson 'conned everybody' including Keir Starmer, says housing secretaryShow key events onlyPlease turn on JavaScript to use this featureStarmer about to take questions following speech in East SussexPrime minister Keir Starmer will be taking questions imminently following a speech he is giving this morning in Hastings, East Sussex.He is talking about the government’s Pride in Place programme but I suspect the vast majority of questions will be about Mandeleson.Stay tuned as we bring you the top news lines…Karl Turner, the Labour MP for Kingston upon Hull East, said the mood among backbenchers was the angriest he’d seen in 16 years and that Starmer had to sack McSweeney as chief of staff in order to survive the fury of his party.He told Times Radio: If the prime minister decides that he has to be surrounded by advisers who give him shoddy advice, I think the reality of that will end in the prime minister having to be making a decision about his future at some point soon. I don’t want to be telling the PM who he’s entitled to have an as adviser … If McSweeney continues in No 10 Downing Street, I think the PM is up against it in a way that he doesn’t need to be. How much did Starmer really know about Mandelson’s ties to Epstein?Alexandra ToppingAfter the release of a vast tranche of documents and emails that shed further light on the close relationship between Peter Mandelson and Jeffrey Epstein, the government has come under intense pressure to release details about its vetting process before Mandelson’s appointment as US ambassador in December 2024.Below, we look at how much Keir Starmer knew about Mandelson’s relationship with Epstein, and what vetting process the former peer went through for the top diplomatic job in Washington.Back to that Reform UK press conference in Newport, Wales, for a moment.The Welsh-born former London council leader Dan Thomas has been unveiled by Nigel Farage as the leader of Reform UK in Wales ahead of the Senedd elections in May.Thomas, who grew up in Wales, was the Conservative leader of Barnet Council from 2019 to 2022 but joined Reform UK last year.He quit as a councillor for Finchley Church End in December after returning to Wales with his family.Meanwhile, the former Conservative James Evans has been unveiled as the latest defector to Reform UK.The current Senedd member for Brecon and Radnorshire was sacked by the Tories last month over suspicions he was planning to defect to Nigel Farage’s party and has since sat as an independent.Former Conservative politician James Evans who has been unveiled by Reform UK leader Nigel Farage (left) as the latest defector to Reform UK before the Senedd elections in Wales in May. Photograph: Andrew Matthews/PAMandelson files will be published even if embarrassing to No 10, says ISC chairAlexandra ToppingA parliamentary committee looking into the appointment of Peter Mandelson as US ambassador and the depth of his relationship with the convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein will not be afraid to publish material that is embarrassing to the government, its chair has said.Lord Beamish, who leads parliament’s intelligence and security committee (ISC), said there had to be “maximum transparency” about the vetting process Mandelson went through before he was appointed ambassador to the US in December 2024 and what the government knew about his friendship with Epstein.The ISC, which has statutory responsibility for oversight of the UK’s intelligence services will assess whether documents should not be released because they compromise national security, rather than jeopardising international relations, the Labour peer told BBC Radio 4’s The World Tonight.Beamish said it was possible the committee could publish documents that impacted international relations. “In the past, for example, we’ve had disputes where things have potentially been embarrassing to governments, but we’ve put them in because it doesn’t jeopardise national security,” he said.John McDonnell has added his voice to the growing dissent among Labour MPs, as he questioned why senior party figures did not challenge Starmer at the time of Mandelson’s appointment as US ambassador.“Why weren’t they standing up, speaking out? This is about more than Keir’s judgment, it’s a collective failure of all Labour leadership,” McDonnell, who was shadow chancellor under Jeremy Corbyn, posted on X.“I believe Keir is a responsible person and will want to consider whether in the interests of the country and party he should continue as PM. But simply replacing him with someone who stayed silent at the critical time won’t restore confidence in the party or politics.”The Labour MP for Hayes and Harlington suggested for a caretaker leader to be appointed for a limited time period “to undertake a cleansing of our party and politics before we elect a new leader”.John McDonnell speaking at a rally at The Emmanuel Centre in London in January. Photograph: Leon Neal/Getty ImagesFarage: Mandelson scandal 'the biggest in British politics for over a century'Reform UK leader Nigel Farage says the scandal involving Peter Mandelson and paedophile Jeffrey Epstein is “the biggest scandal in British politics for over one century”.Speaking at an event at the International Convention Centre Wales in Newport, Farage said: It isn’t just some sort of Partygate but a bit bigger. This involves sex, it involves money, it involves the royal family. It involves the leaking of market sensitive, confidential information. I suspect its pretty close, in many ways, to breaching the Official Secrets Act. This is far bigger than the Profumo scandal 60 years ago. This is the biggest scandal in British politics for over one century. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage delivers a speech during a rally at the International Convention Centre Wales in Newport. Photograph: Andrew Matthews/PAFarage also said he believed Morgan McSweeney, the chief of staff for prime minister Keir Starmer, would be “gone pretty quickly”.“I don’t know how long Starmer will last as PM,” he said. “Indeed, I’m very worried about it. I want him to stay forever.”Sacking Downing Street chief of staff Morgan McSweeney would not help the prime minister, according to Keir Starmer’s former director of strategic communications.James Lyons, who left No 10 in September, told Sky News this morning: In every administration there are figures who are lightning rods for criticism. That is definitely one of the many roles that Morgan plays at the moment. But it’s unclear to me how it would help the prime minister if he lost Morgan. At a time like this, when you’re in this kind of spot, you want your most capable and most loyal aides around you. Morgan McSweeney seen walking in Downing Street, London, England, United Kingdom, 16 July 2024. Photograph: Tayfun Salcı/ZUMA Press Wire/ShutterstockMcSweeney is perceived to have been close to Mandelson and a key ally in his successful bid to become the UK’s ambassador to the United States.Meanwhile, Reed blamed the vetting process for failing to flag up the extent of Mandelson’s relationship with Epstein before his appointment to the US ambassadorship.He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: The fault is with a long-established process that was gone through in the same way that it would have been for any other appointment of this kind, and it predates the arrival of this government. Clearly, we need to look at that vetting process. But decisions can only be taken on the basis of the information available at the time, and Mandelson lied and covered up the extent of his relationship. He made out the relationship was over and that it had barely ever existed. We now know that was not the case, but the decision was taken at the time on the basis of Mandelson’s experience as the former EU trade commissioner and UK business secretary. This information, had it have been known, would have ruled him out completely. Earlier this morning, Reed told Sky News that the revelations about Mandelson’s relationship with Epstein had felt like he had “been punched in the stomach”.Keir Starmer believed Peter Mandelson when he made out his relationship with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein “was next to nothing,” Steve Reed went on to say.“You’re only as good as the information you receive,” the cabinet minister told LBC Radio. “Mandelson made out that relationship barely existed, that they hardly knew each other.“There was a vetting process that included the security forces as well, and they flagged up no additional concerns... a liar is going to lie.”Reed said the government wants to publish documents that show “what the prime minister saw when Peter Mandelson lied to him” before his appointment as ambassador to Washington “as quickly as possible”.“We need to look at the documents that will show the extent to which Peter Mandelson was lying,” he said.'Of course' Starmer and McSweeney are safe in their jobs, says ReedThe prime minister and his chief of staff Morgan McSweeney are safe in their jobs, Steve Reed insisted.Asked whether Keir Starmer’s position is secure, the housing secretary told BBC Breakfast: “Of course it is.”On Sky News, he was pressed on whether McSweeney is safe in his role, after being blamed by many Labour MPs for pushing for the appointment of his ally Peter Mandelson as UK ambassador to the US in 2024.Reed answered: “Yes, of course he is.”Mandelson 'conned everybody' including Keir Starmer, says housing secretaryHello and welcome to the UK politics blog.After fierce criticism of in the Commons last night over the Peter Mandelson scandal, the prime minister’s housing secretary has been out defending Keir Starmer in the media this morning.Steve Reed, a Starmer loyalist, insisted that Mandelson “conned everybody” over his ongoing relationship with the convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.He told Sky News: The person at fault here is not the prime minister or his team. It is Peter Mandelson who lied, manipulated and deceived everybody, including the media, actually, because he was on the media an awful lot as well. He conned everybody. What matters is what you do when you find out what’s gone wrong. And the prime minister couldn’t have been more decisive. He sacked Peter Mandelson at 5am in the morning as US ambassador months ago. It comes as Labour MPs warned last night that Starmer’s days are numbered. The government was left on the brink of a defeat in the Commons until a mid-debate amendment brokered by Meg Hillier and Angela Rayner to force the release of documents about Mandelson’s appointment and the depth of his relationship with the convicted child sex offender.MPs said the eventual release of the documents – which may be delayed by a police investigation into Mandelson – could trigger a leadership challenge. “We need all the poison to come out,” one MP said.One former minister said: “We’ve had a lot of bad days recently, but this is the worst yet, I think,” while another MP warned: “Trust is finite. I’m personally not sure I could trust myself to back the prime minister in a confidence vote.”“The most terminal mood is among the super-loyal,” an MP from the 2024 intake noted.