Ministers have been forced into a last-minute concession after Labour MPs threatened to vote down a government amendment to limit disclosures about Peter Mandelson's links with Jeffrey Epstein. Whips agreed to hand power over the disclosures to the Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC), a compromise brokered by Treasury select committee chair Meg Hillier and former deputy prime minister Angela Rayner.
The Conservatives triggered the vote to force the release of documents related to Mandelson's appointment as ambassador to the US. The government's original amendment would have allowed the cabinet secretary to refuse to disclose documents that prejudiced national security or international relations — an exemption many MPs deemed too broad.
Angela Rayner argued the ISC should have oversight given the public disgust and sickening behaviour of Peter Mandelson. The Cabinet Office minister, Nick Thomas-Symonds, said he would consider the changes. The backbench Labour MP Matt Bishop told the Commons he could not accept an internal review by the very structures that failed to prevent Mandelson's appointment.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Mandelson had “betrayed our country” and lied repeatedly about his relationship with Epstein. “I regret appointing him,” Starmer said. “He lied repeatedly to my team … he would never have been anywhere near government.” The government intends to release the vetting process for Mandelson's appointment, which they claim will show he lied about his relationship with the convicted child sex offender.
Police have launched a criminal investigation into whether there was misconduct in a public office after sensitive government documents appeared to have been forwarded from Mandelson to Epstein. One senior Labour figure described the anger among the parliamentary party as a significant threat to Starmer's premiership, comparing it to the “Boris and Chris Pincher” scandal.
