To wonder how on Earth Mandelson can carry on and how the Prime Minister can back him?

[TowersofGable]

Seriously, have you read the messages?

Anyone with any ounce of integrity would have resigned immediately. Instead we get the ghastly spectacle of him hanging on to see if it all blows over.

I think he’ll hang on until after Trump’s visit, given the sensitivity there. Then he’ll go. It’s not
coincidence tnat this story has emerged now.

He'll be gone by Friday afternoon. Exactly like Rayner was last week. No way back from this.

I have personally met Mandelson and he’s an odious POS. I cannot wait for his downfall. I will certainly be celebrating.

You can’t leave it there! Tell us more.

Yes, he’s got to go. I read one of the emails about Epstein turning it into an opportunity and nearly puked in my own mouth. Just revolting. Keir will capitulate, a few days later than he should have, as always.

It might hang on by threads until after the State visit but that’s a political headache whichever way it goes.

How did all this come out? I think I saw it was published in The Sun, but how did they get hold of the messages and photos?

He’s surely got to go… at this rate Starmer will have no one left!

So did I, up until I discovered he’d been accepting glasses, clothes for his wife and £100k in other gifts. He lost any shred of credibility he had as non-corrupt when all that came out. Just because he isn’t as successful at grifting as Boris doesn’t make it any less sleazy.

He has lasted more than 49 days Liz Lettuce

True.

Most definitely

I don’t see how he can remain in post. His integrity is too questionable.

I was quite shocked when Mandelson was given the Ambassador post to the USA, as it's so high profile while his career has had some difficulties.

Mandelson's judgement and assessment of people and situations must be flawed for him to be so heavily involved with Epstein. According to the BBC Mandelson contributed ten pages of photos and comments to the infamous Epstein Birthday Book, so they weren't mere casual acquaintances.

Yet being able to judge and assess people and situations accurately, without being led astray by anyone attempting to manipulate or deceive you, is a key skill for an Ambassador, the safety of your country could depend on it. Mandelson definitely has to go!

Thanks for the update. I was aware of the news story but not the substance.

People do get accused of things and then found to be entirely innocent, and that must be a terrible time, and made worse by friends dropping you like a hot potato. So I would never judge someone who supported a friend and reserved their own judgement until all the facts were known.

But if he carried on the friendship after the allegations were proven then that's definitely cause for his resignation. Poor error of judgement at the very least. Possibly an indication of his own attitudes.

Grim!

He'll have to go, Starmer would do well just to get on with it.

I think the idea with his position as Ambassador was that he had so much dirt on Trump (and others) and already had those contacts, so it put us in a strong position. It's all careful diplomacy.

But I agree, he does now need to go. And god, how depressing it is to see how the world is run - rich, powerful men schmoozing each other in quite sickening ways, taking what they want and using people for whatever they can get.

I don't think Starmer is anything like this. He seems like a quiet, intelligent, decent man, but with no sense of the wider public view (or being very badly advised).

Neah... I'm in the minority who thinks Mandelsohn doesn't have to resign. Not that I really care.... Epstein would have said he only claimed guilty in 2008 to get rid of an expensive problem, not that he actually did anything bad. And I don't believe in guilt by association.

Epstein must have been super charming and persuasive. And Maxwell ( May she rot in jail forever). A huge number of famous people were their friends and had very warm feelings towards them. Did their buckets of money make them charming or were they personally truly very charismatic and amiable? Maybe I could stomach watching a video of some interviews around 2005 to try to understand what made so many people hugely like them...

My theory is that very persuasive people are themselves very persuadable. they immediately engage with other persuasive people. Mandelsohn is a smooth operator, persuasive, so was Epstein, so was Maxwell...

Both, I think.

He was appointed as ambassador BECAUSE of this, his willingness to befriend perverts is well know! If Stamer sacks him Trump will be livid as it exposes him further. Blair knew what Epstein was up to and did nothing, everyone knew!

I suspect you are right. He was pals with the whole Epstein/Trump gang and understands Trump better than most.

He can’t. And Starmer only has himself to blame for this fiasco. Everyone knows Mandelson’s record. For decades he has been a fawning sycophantic groupie to criminal billionaires. He was forced to resign from government twice because of his corrupt links to them. And now he will be forced out for a third time, which says as much about Starmer’s lack of judgement as it does about Mandelson’s lack of integrity.

So, Starmer has recalled Mandelson now, in a desperate move to save face for himself, as it was only hours ago that Starmer was apparently fully supporting his Ambassador to the USA.
When the PM says he is fully supporting you, every politician must know that they are about to have the rug pulled from under their feet!

By not waiting for Mandelson to resign, Starmer must be hoping his action will make him look more decisive and in control than he did when Angela resigned, but it's too late for that.
Angela last week, Mandy this week, who is it going to be next week in this car crash of a government?

Starmer left it too late to manage to salvage any kind of credibility in this latest shambles.

What an odious bastard Mandelson is, sick of him and his ilk being allowed to have any kind of power or influence. Bastards, the lot of them.

I don’t know why he ever backed him.

Why not just say, he’s doing a good job over there but the revelations are of serious concern, and we’ll be considering them further?

Another example of crap political instincts (as was his appointment in the first place).

Revolting too that he (Mandelson) is reported to have wanted to stay on.