Mandelson documents raise questions about Starmer’s decision-making

Analysis Mandelson documents raise questions about Starmer’s decision-making Pippa Crerar political editor PM knew of US ambassador’s ‘close relationship’ with Jeffrey Epstein and potential conflicts of interest from his lobbying role Four months after Peter Mandelson was sacked as UK ambassador to Washington over his links with Jeffrey Epstein, he sat down for a primetime BBC interview . A less hubristic individual would have long since slunk away into the shadows. But despite all the condemnation and humiliation surrounding his departure, Mandelson seemed intent on maintaining a public profile. “Who knows what’s next?” he told Laura Kuenssberg. “I don’t know what’s next. I’m not going to disappear and hide – that’s not me”. For some inside Downing Street, those words sounded as a warning – or even a threat. Peter Mandelson still knows where the bodies are buried and could cause the government – and Keir Starmer in particular – a whole lot of trouble. A man scorned, and all that. But even were he to take a vow of silence – and he does at least appear to be keeping a lower profile since the police launched their investigation – the prime minister’s decision to appoint Mandelson in the first place is still causing problems that could yet turn into another political storm. The release of the first tranche of Mandelson documents – only agreed after the Conservatives forced the government’s hand – was always going to be a risky moment for Starmer, as it once again turned the spotlight on his decisions. Mandelson doesn’t come out of it well. One of the most eye-catching – but perhaps unsurprising – revelations was that the former ambassador was offered a severance payment of £75,000, after initially asking the Foreign Office to pay him more than £500,000 . There is little from Mandelson himself in the documents beyond his request that he be allowed to arrive back in the UK “with the maximum dignity and minimum media intrusion”. Again, unsurprising for a man so focused on...