Mandelson, Epstein, and the Lure of the Rich
Donald Macintyre, who wrote a biography of Peter Mandelson, lays out the latter's links with Epstein, the challenge for Keir Starmer going forward, and the need to tackle corruption.
A note from our Editor-in-Chief:
The huge story in the UK over the last week was the arrest of former Labour Party grandee and former British ambassador to Trump’s Washington, Peter Mandelson. But what does it all mean for the Labour Party and Prime Minister Keir Starmer? And why did Mandelson end up so close to Jeffrey Epstein? Who better to lay it out for us than Donald Macintyre, the acclaimed British journalist who wrote a biography of Mandelson back in 1999? Zeteo is privileged to have Macintyre writing for us, so do please become a paid subscriber to support our independent journalism.
-Mehdi
If nothing else, the arrest last Monday of Peter Mandelson, long one of the most powerful figures in British politics, is a reminder that the UK authorities have acted more decisively than those in the US against at least two public figures who were entangled with the global financier, pedophile, and procurer Jeffrey Epstein. It’s true that police investigations of both the former Prince Andrew and Mandelson, Britain’s former ambassador to the US, do not concern Epstein’s disgusting exploitation of young girls. Rather, they are into the allegations of the two men’s transmission and exploitation of inside information when they were caught in Epstein’s web while also acting as public servants, in Mandelson's case as a key member of Gordon Brown's Cabinet between 2008 and 2010, including as Brown's de facto deputy.
That said, Mandelson’s fall has proved a seismic event for the Labour government.