THESE files reveal Peter Mandelson to be a money-hungry politician more concerned with making a buck than the reputation of his country.
They also raise serious questions about the judgment of Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.
Why did he make Mandelson US ambassador when his links to convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein were well known?
These files leave the PM with nowhere to hide. It is all there in black and white.
He was warned of the risks and he chose to ignore them.
First was the Foreign Office due diligence report in December 2024 warning of the “reputational risk” of Mandelson’s relationship with Epstein.
The Labour peer remained friendly with Epstein after the paedo’s 2008 conviction and even stayed in Epstein’s home while he was in jail, it stated.
Then there were the warnings of Jonathan Powell, the PM’s National Security Adviser.
He was concerned Mandelson’s appointment was “weirdly rushed”, the documents say.
He raised his concerns with the PM’s chief of staff Morgan McSweeney and was told “issues had been addressed”.
What were the issues? And were his concerns properly considered or brushed aside?
The files also reveal Mandelson asked for a £547,000 pay-off after being sacked as US ambassador. In the end he still walked off with £75,000.
He also emailed the Foreign Office for help returning to the UK with the “maximum dignity and minimum media intrusion”, adding: “I remain a crown/civil servant and expect to be treated as such.”
Mandelson was more worried about making money and his own ego than any damage he wreaked on our country — and the Special Relationship.
But the files also show Starmer and his team blindly ignored the many warnings that came their way.
We will learn more about this sorry saga. But one thing is already clear — Mandelson’s political downfall is total.
The question now is whether he ends up bringing Starmer’s whole regime down with him.
