Sam McBride: Peter Mandelson’s disgrace is deserved, but history will take a more nuanced view of his Northern Ireland role
Former minister helped to preserve the Good Friday Agreement through a difficult period
Peter Mandelson was sacked as the UK’s ambassador to the US over links to Jeffrey Epstein. Photo: PAIn Yes, Prime Minister, the timeless TV satire of British politics, prime minister Jim Hacker defined his job as “the only member of the Government who can’t be sent to Northern Ireland next week”.The line got laughs because it reflected perfectly then, as now, how the post of Northern Ireland Secretary is seen in British politics: the lowest of the low. In one sense, the reasons are obvious: Northern Ireland represents less than 3pc of the UK population and the Northern Ireland Office has scant political power and few officials; it now has about 150 staff, compared with 50,000 for the home secretary.
