Police search Mandelson’s homes in Epstein probe as pressure mounts on Starmer
Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailGet our free View from Westminster emailPolice searched two homes linked to Peter Mandelson on Friday after the peer was alleged to have leaked government information to Jeffrey Epstein. The Metropolitan Police said officers from its central specialist crime team carried out two warrants in Camden, north London, and Wiltshire in connection with an ongoing investigation into misconduct in public office offences. The force said the alleged offences involved a 72-year-old man and confirmed that he had not been arrested.It comes after emails released last week by the US Department of Justice suggested that Lord Mandelson leaked confidential government documents to the US financier and convicted sex offender. Emails from 2009 appear to show Lord Mandelson pass on an assessment by Gordon Brown's adviser of potential policy measures, including an "asset sales plan".He also appeared to discuss a tax on bankers' bonuses and confirm an imminent bailout package for the euro the day before it was announced in 2010.The revelations triggered a police investigation and piled pressure on Sir Keir Starmer to release all vetting documents related to the peer’s appointment as the UK’s ambassador to the US.open image in galleryPolice entered Mandelson’s home near Regent’s Park in north London (Reuters)On Friday it was revealed that senior government figures will be forced to hand over their messages with Lord Mandelson ahead of the release of vetting files, which the independent Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) said would be published “very shortly”.Writing to committee chair Lord Beamish in a letter published on Friday, Sir Keir said: "I have asked the cabinet secretary to work with you and your committee to agree the detail of how material that may be prejudicial to the UK's National Security and International Relations is shared and reviewed, having regard to the requirements of the Metropolitan Police investigation."Above all else, the government wishes to engage constructively with the ISC, and to ensure that parliament's instruction is met with the urgency and transparency it deserves. I have asked the cabinet secretary to follow up."Lord Mandelson was dealt another blow on Friday as the lobbying firm he co-founded, Global Counsel, said it had cut all ties with the disgraced former US ambassador and announced that its head Benjamin Wegg-Prosser would step down.Co-founder and chief executive Mr Wegg-Prosser said he was leaving the organisation as it was “time to draw a line” between the firm and the “actions” of Lord Mandelson. Sir Keir’s leadership has been thrown into turmoil following the release of the emails as he was forced to admit he knew Lord Mandelson had a relationship with Epstein.open image in galleryKeir Starmer has said Peter Mandelson lied repeatedly about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein (PA Wire)On Wednesday, members of his own party forced him into a humiliating climbdown over the release of the vetting documents relating to the peer’s appointment. Initially, the prime minister had attempted to restrict the publication of the documents, arguing that some details would need to be redacted on national security grounds. But following accusations from Labour MPs that he was engaging in a cover-up, Sir Keir relented.He told Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday that Lord Mandelson had “betrayed our country, our parliament and my party”."He lied repeatedly to my team when asked about his relationship with Epstein before and during his tenure as ambassador,” he continued. “I regret appointing him. If I knew then what I know now, he would never have been anywhere near government."But the scandal has left him under relentless pressure from across the political spectrum of his party, with some insisting nothing but a “root and branch” overhaul at the centre of Downing Street will do.On Thursday, Harriet Harman, former deputy leader of the Labour Party, warned Sir Keir that he must take action over the scandal or risk losing his job. Baroness Harman told Sky News: “I think it is so serious for Keir Starmer. I don’t think it’s inevitable that it will bring him down.open image in galleryMet officers search a car outside Mandelson’s home in London on Friday (Getty)“But it will bring him down, unless he takes the action that is really necessary for him to take, and that’s this: firstly, he’s got to stop blaming Mandelson, and saying ‘He lied to me.’ Because actually, he should never have been considering him in the first place.”Ian Byrne, who sits on the left-wing of the Labour party, said Sir Keir “needs a miracle” if he is to stay as leader amid furore over his handling of Lord Mandelson’s links to Epstein.He told Sky News the prime minister has “got to reflect on his position. You know, he's an intelligent man”."And he needs a miracle. He needs something to turn it around.”Others have pointed the finger at his chief of staff Morgan McSweeney, insisting he pushed for the appointment of his ally Lord Mandelson as US ambassador.open image in galleryPeter Mandelson did not comment publicly on the furore on Friday (PA Archive)Labour backbencher Karl Turner added: “If McSweeney is still in 10 Downing Street, the PM is up against it.”Meanwhile, Gordon Brown has expressed regret over giving Lord Peter Mandelson a cabinet job following allegations he leaked sensitive government information to Jeffrey Epstein.Writing in The Guardian on Friday, the former prime minister said he takes responsibility for Lord Mandelson’s appointment in 2008, but added he did not know the disgraced Lord’s connections to Epstein.Hayley Sewart, deputy assistant commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, said: “I can confirm that officers from the Met’s Central Specialist Crime team are in the process of carrying out search warrants at two addresses, one in the Wiltshire area, and another in the Camden area.“The searches are related to an ongoing investigation into misconduct in public office offences, involving a 72-year-old man. He has not been arrested and enquiries are ongoing.”
