Why Didn't Mandelson tell Starmer about potential skeletons in his closet?

Mandelson told Kier.

Kier decided it was worth the risk.

TBF, up until the scandal Mandelson seemed to be doing a good job.

Starmer wanted the best man for the tricky job of achieving Britain’s best interests with the new US administration, and specifically with Trump.

He decided that the career diplomats at the Foreign Office simply didn’t cut it, at the level required. Mandelson offered suave intelligence, connections and an ability to do business for Britain at the most senior levels.

No10 will have decided that the financial and propriety incidents of the past were no longer an issue. They will have been reassured (by Mandelson? By those tasked to conduct vetting?) that the Epstein association was unfortunate but limited and manageable.

The PM probably didn’t even see the full report of any vetting; he will have been given the headlines or conclusions. He already knew that he wanted Mandelson and would have been disinclined to hear from detractors.

Advice from any in the Foreign Office would possibly have been minimised because of the civil service’s annoyance that professional diplomats with safe track records were being sidelined in favour of a starry political operator. They will now feel vindicated.

Starmer will have been briefed by his lieutenants that it was all a load of hot air, that Mandelson’s relationship with Epstein, while unfortunate, was above board and safe, that there was no more information to come out. He’s probably been let down by his senior team?

Well you’re obviously not talking about emails since your post literally said “LETTERS IN THE BIRTHDAY BOOK”- why are you confused about your own post?

Oh bless your naivety

Oh darling, I’m not talking about the emails. Don’t worry, you’ll get there too at some point.

well obviously… that’s literally the catalyst for this entire situation 😂 do you think there is anyone talking about this who hasn’t seen it?!

Have you seen his letter in the birthday book? I’d look at that before speaking about him.

Absolutely this. Men and their shit.

i expect he had an ally in Trump also being a friend of Epstein.
if the letter hadnt been kept he would still be in position?

It’s not an “excuse”- no one is accusing him of trafficking young girls are they? They’re not accusing him of anything apart from having an unsavoury relationship with a convicted criminal.

him being a gay man is relevant because it makes it highly likely their friendship wasn’t related to epsteins ready supply of young vulnerable women for sex

Why didn't the US, you could argue all day long but reality is if you look around where is the political talent. When a party has been in opposition for this long the cabinet was very inexperienced and people like Mandelson was are in short supply. He is very competent despite his pompous demeanour.

I don't think they should have sacked him personally considering over the Atlantic there is trump who had a very close relationship with the same person.

I'm afraid if we keep going through Prime Ministers like this the country is only going to end up in a bigger mess. We need stability and Labour won an election and we should give them their term and judge them at the end.

This whole thing stinks of political meddling

Why didnt the government do its due diligence from the start

The guy has always been a questionable character, but probably the best man for our Washington envoy which is why he was picked.

But look, Trump is a convicted sex offender and tried to stage a coup.....is it any surprise these skeletons came out now when the US is purposely destabilising our political system.

I'm more worried about our democracy

He did.

obviously.

If that were true it would merely support those old assumptions about the inherent weakness of gay people. Back to the 1950s and before then.
What a prattttt.

.

i heard Mandelson 's excuse is that he is gay

I read that he told everything when he was vetted for the job, he admitted that he continued his friendship after the conviction.
That may be one of the reasons he, Mandelson is so angry at the way he has been held up as a villain.

I think being gay is basically giving him a pass on this- how could he be involved in epsteins disgusting lifestyle in that respect?

it might just come down to powerful people networking, finding out they liked each other really.

What I don’t understand is how you can be that close to someone and not also be into all sorts of sleazy. Why is no one asking publicly (or to him!!) what he was getting out of the relationship?

Way back in 2019, Cathy Newman in C4's Dispatches reported on Mandelson's close friendship and business dealings with Epstein . A quick Google is all it takes to find it.

It doesn't say much for Starmer or his team if they weren't aware of Mandelson's activities.

“…..a big future surprise.”
????
Explain please @curious79

I think Starmer already knew. He definitely knew he'd been forced to resign twice before.

They knew. And the Financial Times even asked Keir Starmer about it over a year ago.