PM admits he knew of Mandelson’s post-conviction friendship with Jeffrey Epstein as questions mount over vetting and national security

IT took three attempts for Kemi Badenoch to get a straight answer, but when the Prime Minister finally responded, what remained of his authority appeared to drain away.

At Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday (Feb 4), the Conservative leader targeted the vetting process behind Peter Mandelson’s appointment as the UK’s ambassador to Washington. The line of attack was widely anticipated. Equally predictable were Keir Starmer’s attempts to deflect.

Eventually, however, disclosure proved unavoidable. The Prime Minister confirmed that when he appointed Mandelson, he already knew that the former Cabinet minister had maintained a friendship with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein after Epstein’s 2008 conviction for child sex offences.

A packed House of Commons audibly gasped.

Whatever political cover Downing Street hoped to create by suggesting Mandelson had repeatedly misled questioners about the relationship quickly evaporated. The reality was stark. Those responsible for the appointment knew that Mandelson’s association with Epstein had continued after conviction, imprisonment and release — and still judged him suitable for Britain’s most sensitive diplomatic post.

That decision now raises profound questions about the Prime Minister’s judgment and the advice he received from senior officials and security services.

As MP after MP rose to speak, common themes emerged. Conservative members described the appointment as reckless. Labour backbenchers said it demonstrated a callous disregard for Epstein’s victims. Others questioned whether proper security warnings had been heeded at all.

When Mandelson was later removed from the Washington role, the Government claimed the decision followed “new revelations” about his association with Epstein. That explanation was left in tatters by the Prime Minister’s admission that the relationship was already known.

Yet the Epstein connection may not be the most politically damaging element of the affair.

During the 2008 financial crisis, taxpayers rescued Britain’s banking system after years of reckless risk-taking. Public anger led ministers to propose a 50% tax on bankers’ bonuses. Papers from the so-called Epstein files suggest that while serving as Business Secretary in Gordon Brown’s Cabinet, Mandelson briefed Epstein on confidential discussions about that tax.

One email indicates he even advised that a senior US banker should “slightly threaten” then-Chancellor Alistair Darling over the proposal.

Labour MP Emily Thornberry was among those who branded the conduct “treachery”.

Further disclosures suggest Mandelson also shared market-sensitive information about the 2010 General Election, including the progress of coalition negotiations and advance notice that Brown would step down. Even if intended as political gossip, such information could have delivered a significant trading advantage to well-placed investors.

Whether profits were made is beside the point. The mere possibility that privileged Cabinet intelligence reached a convicted sex offender is politically toxic.

Now the Metropolitan Police Service has launched an investigation into whether any criminal offences were committed, placing the Prime Minister in an increasingly awkward position. Detectives have warned against the release of potentially relevant documents, complicating calls for full transparency.

Although the Intelligence and Security Committee will review the material, public confidence may already be too badly shaken.

Mandelson’s long and controversial career in public life appears finished. The unresolved question is whether his downfall will drag the Prime Minister down with him.

With Labour sliding in the polls, internally divided, facing elections in Scotland and Wales and a looming by-election in Manchester, the political crunch may not be far away.

PEMBROKESHIRE’S all-female rowing crew Merched y Mor have completed one of the hardest endurance challenges on the planet after crossing the Atlantic Ocean in just over fifty days.

Denise Leonard, Helen Heaton, Liz Collyer and Heledd Williams arrived at Nelson’s Dockyard in Antigua on Monday (Feb 2) after rowing roughly 3,000 miles from La Gomera in the Canary Islands as part of the World’s Toughest Row.

Their official crossing time was 50 days, 14 hours and 43 minutes.

The team becomes the first all-Wales female crew ever to finish the transatlantic race, joining a small global community of ocean rowers who have successfully crossed the Atlantic under human power alone. Organisers frequently note that fewer people have completed the crossing than have travelled into space.

Life at sea

For seven weeks, the four women lived aboard their boat Cariad, rowing in pairs around the clock in two-hour shifts, day and night.

They battled steep Atlantic swells, equipment issues and relentless fatigue, with waves reported at up to twenty feet. Temperatures swung from chilly nights to intense daytime heat, while flying fish, salt sores and sleep deprivation became part of daily life.

There were no days off. Christmas, New Year and birthdays were marked mid-ocean.

Communication with home was limited to satellite messages and brief calls, making morale and teamwork critical.

The crew said their strategy was simple: break the challenge into small pieces.

“We just took one day at a time and looked after each other,” they said after stepping ashore. “Kindness and teamwork got us through.”

Months of preparation

The race, widely described as the world’s toughest endurance row, demands far more than fitness.

Teams must be fully self-sufficient, carrying their own food, water makers, safety gear and navigation equipment. Crews train for months in open water, learning survival skills, first aid, and how to repair equipment at sea.

For Merched y Mor, much of that preparation happened along the Pembrokeshire coast, building strength and sea confidence in conditions not unlike the Atlantic’s winter swells.

Each member came with a different personal motivation, from setting an example to their children and grandchildren to proving that age and background are no barriers to big ambitions.

Before departure, Denise Leonard said she wanted to show “that if you take a chance and are brave enough to try, extraordinary things are possible.”

Warm welcome in Antigua

Their final approach into Antigua was emotional, with families waiting on the quayside.

After weeks without physical contact, the first hugs brought tears from both crew and supporters.

“It didn’t feel real until we saw them,” the team said. “Those first hugs were just the best.”

Rowing for good causes

The challenge was not just personal.

The crew are raising funds for several charities close to their hearts, including the RNLI, Sea Trust Wales, Action for Children and Popham Kidney Support. Proceeds from sponsorship and the planned sale of their boat will be shared between the causes.

A proud moment for Pembrokeshire

Back home, messages of congratulations poured in from across the county, with supporters tracking the boat’s progress online throughout the crossing.

Their achievement places Pembrokeshire firmly on the international endurance-sport map and offers an inspiring story of resilience, teamwork and determination.

After fifty days alone with the ocean, Merched y Mor have returned not just as finishers, but as record-makers — proof that a small Welsh crew can take on the Atlantic and win.

Peter Mandelson has announced he will retire from the House of Lords with immediate effect, as mounting political and legal pressure grows over claims he shared sensitive government information with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Parliamentary officials confirmed that Peter Mandelson formally notified the Clerk of the Parliaments of his decision, ending his membership of the upper chamber from Tuesday (Feb 4).

The move follows reports that the Metropolitan Police Service is reviewing allegations of possible misconduct in public office connected to emails said to have been forwarded to Epstein while Mandelson was business secretary during the 2008–09 financial crisis.

Downing Street has confirmed that material has been passed to police after an initial Cabinet Office review.

Government fury

Prime Minister Keir Starmer told cabinet colleagues Mandelson had “let his country down”, according to No 10, and officials are now drafting legislation that could strip him of his peerage entirely.

Removing a life peer is rare and would require an Act of Parliament.

If passed, Mandelson would lose the title “Lord” altogether — an extraordinary step that has only been considered in the most serious cases.

Senior ministers have described the alleged passing-on of market-sensitive government discussions as “disgraceful” and a “betrayal of trust”.

What police are examining

Misconduct in public office is a centuries-old common law offence that applies where someone in a position of public trust wilfully abuses that role. It carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.

Investigators will assess whether confidential information — particularly relating to government financial policy during the crash — was shared without justification and whether safeguards were breached.

At this stage, no charges have been brought.

Mandelson has previously apologised for maintaining contact with Epstein after the financier’s conviction, saying he regrets “ever having known him”, but he has disputed some of the latest claims and has not commented directly on the police review.

Political shockwaves

Opposition parties are pushing for further disclosure of documents relating to Mandelson’s vetting and his past roles.

Conservatives are expected to force a Commons vote demanding more information, while Liberal Democrats have called for a public inquiry.

Several MPs have also suggested Mandelson should be removed from the Privy Council.

The developments mark a dramatic fall for one of Labour’s most influential political figures of the past three decades, who only months ago was serving as the UK’s ambassador to Washington.

Now, with police examining evidence and legislation being prepared to remove his title, his public career appears effectively over.

More updates are expected as the investigation continues.