The SNP has insisted that Labour still has 'serious questions' to answer over the appointment of Lord Peter Mandelson as US ambassador, despite the release of thousands of documents regarding the posting. The party's Westminster leader, Dave Doogan, stated that the appointment of the 'scandal-plagued peer' demonstrated a 'deep rot' at the heart of the Labour Government.
Doogan further commented: 'Even if Starmer is finally removed from office, the links to Mandelson are so widespread across the Labour Party, that the issue will not go away.' He added that Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer 'should have done the decent thing and resigned months ago' over the decision to appoint the former cabinet minister to the high-profile role, which has raised questions about his premiership.
Background of the Appointment
Lord Mandelson was sacked as US ambassador in September last year due to his connections with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The second tranche of documents relating to Starmer's decision to give the prestigious Washington job to the veteran Labour politician, rather than a career diplomat, was released by the Government on Monday afternoon.
The documents revealed that Lord Mandelson stated the Government would 'never regret' appointing him. However, they also showed he apparently 'declined to comply' with a request to hand over his personal phone and allow the Government to publish WhatsApp messages and other information related to his appointment.
Government Transparency
Ahead of the publication, the Prime Minister's official spokesman described the sweeping Government effort to release the documents as an 'unprecedented piece of Government transparency'.
Doogan condemned the situation, saying: 'The sordid revelations in the Peter Mandelson scandal are utterly damning and show a deep rot at the centre of the Labour government, from No 10 down. The Labour Party has serious questions to answer about why it gave Jeffrey Epstein's friend such a powerful role in the UK Government, and allowed the scandal-plagued peer to wield such influence, despite it being a matter of public record that he maintained his close friendship with the convicted paedophile and had repeatedly been forced from office in the past.'
He added: 'Peter Mandelson shared market-sensitive, UK government information with Epstein. He should never have been allowed anywhere near power. It is shameful that Starmer recklessly appointed him – and the fact that he still hasn't taken action to remove Mandelson's peerage, titles and taxpayer-funded golden goodbye pay-off and pension is a disgrace.'
