#peter-mandelson

#peter-mandelson

Labour MPs looked over the precipice, once Anas Sarwar made his statement, and they didn't like what they saw. And they thought the right thing to do was to unite behind Keir, to focus on the country, because we didn't want to go down the road of the Tories when they were in power chaotic, disorderly leadership contest.

I have decided to stand down to allow a new No. 10 team to be built, Tim Allan said in a short statement. Starmer has come under criticism for appointing Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the United States despite his known links to Epstein, a convicted late US sex offender. The prime minister said on Monday politics should be a force for good and emphasised the importance of moving forward after the resignations.

Palantir, an $300bn startup that provides military technology to the Israel Defense Forces and AI-powered deportation targeting for Donald Trump's ICE units, has UK government contracts worth more than 500m. Global Counsel, a lobbying company Mandelson co-founded and part-owns, also works for Palantir. The cabinet secretary, Sir Chris Wormald, is being urged to release information about Mandelson's role when the British embassy arranged for Keir Starmer to visit Palantir's showroom in Washington DC in February 2025 shortly after Mandelson became ambassador to the US.

The Conservatives have forced a vote on the release of the documents, and the government has said it will release the vetting process for Mandelson's appointment, which they claim will show he lied about his relationship with the disgraced financier Jeffery Epstein. But the government's amendment would mean the cabinet secretary could refuse to disclose documents that prejudiced national security or international relations an exemption that many MPs have told the Guardian they believe is too broad.