\n<\/p>\n
Angela Rayner<\/strong>, the former deputy PM, has urged the government to agree to the Tory proposal (see 1.15pm) for the intelligence and security committee to decide what Mandelson files are released, and what are held back.<\/p>\n In intervention while Thomas-Symonds was speaking, she said that she had table a humble address on PPE in 2022.<\/p>\n She said:<\/p>\n Given the public disgust and the sickening behaviour of Peter Mandelson and the importance of transparency \u2026 should we not have the ISC not have the same role now [as in relation to a previous humble address] in keeping public confidence in the process?<\/p>\n <\/span>Angela Rayner speaking in the debate<\/span> Photograph: HoCShare<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Key events<\/p>\n <\/span>Show key events only<\/p>\n Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n In his response to Angela Rayner, Thomas-Symonds<\/strong> said the cabinet secretary, a man of \u201cunimpeachable integrity\u201d, would decide what material should be released assuming the motion is passed with the government\u2019s amendment. And he says Cabinet Office lawyers would be involved.<\/p>\n But he added:<\/p>\n I am hearing what the house is saying and I will take that point away.<\/p>\n Share<\/p>\n Angela Rayner<\/strong>, the former deputy PM, has urged the government to agree to the Tory proposal (see 1.15pm) for the intelligence and security committee to decide what Mandelson files are released, and what are held back.<\/p>\n In intervention while Thomas-Symonds was speaking, she said that she had table a humble address on PPE in 2022.<\/p>\n She said:<\/p>\n Given the public disgust and the sickening behaviour of Peter Mandelson and the importance of transparency \u2026 should we not have the ISC not have the same role now [as in relation to a previous humble address] in keeping public confidence in the process?<\/p>\n <\/span>Angela Rayner speaking in the debate<\/span> Photograph: HoCShare<\/p>\n Nick Thomas-Symonds,<\/strong> the Cabinet Office minister, is replying to Burghart on behalf of the government.<\/p>\n He started by saying the \u201cdepth and extent\u201d of Peter Mandelson\u2019s ongoing relationship with Jeffrey Epstein after Epstein\u2019s first conviction was not known when Mandelson was appointed ambassador<\/p>\n Share<\/p>\n Burghart<\/strong> ended his speech by asking about a secret visit that Keir Starmer made to the Palantir HQ in Washington when he visited the city while Mandelson was ambassador. He said Palantir was a client of Global Counsel, the firm set up by Mandelson. He says Palantir subsequently won a big government contract. He says that should be investigated.<\/p>\n Share<\/p>\n Burghart<\/strong> said that, if the government has concerns about releasing some of the material in the Mandelson files, it should agree to letting the intelligence and security committee deciding what is made public.<\/p>\n Share<\/p>\n Burghart<\/strong> referred to claims that Jeffrey Epstein may have been a Russian asset. He said these were issues that must now now be investigated and investigated very seriously\u201d.<\/p>\n Share<\/p>\n Burghart<\/strong> said a report in the New Statesman today says a due diligence report on Peter Mandelson before he was appointed ambassador highlighted various conflicts of interest.<\/p>\n He is referring to this story by Ailbhe Rea<\/strong>. She says:<\/p>\n The report on Mandelson warned of potential conflicts of interest surrounding Global Counsel, the lobbying company Mandelson co-founded, in which he had a 28 per cent stake (worth about \u00a38.5m). It highlighted the company\u2019s clients, in particular Russian and Chinese links, according to someone familiar with the report\u2019s contents \u2026<\/p>\n And then there was a section on Epstein. Sources familiar with the report confirm that it clearly stated that Mandelson\u2019s relationship with the paedophile continued after his conviction for soliciting a minor for prostitution. It contained links to photographs of Mandelson with the paedophile, and drew particular attention to evidence that Mandelson had stayed at Epstein\u2019s apartment while he was in prison. It was sent directly to the prime minister.<\/p>\n The cabinet secretary, Chris Wormald, was asked about the report in November and told MPs that it contained \u201ca summary of reputational risks\u201d associated with appointing Mandelson, including his \u201cprior relationship with Jeffrey Epstein\u201d.<\/p>\n Yet \u201cMorgan [McSweeney, the PM\u2019s chief of staff] was relaxed\u201d when he saw the report, according to one person who observed him at the time, because the chief of staff said that Labour had already broached a conversation with Mandelson about these issues years before. (A No 10 source disputes this characterisation, emphasising that the prime minister and McSweeney followed up on details raised by the report.)<\/p>\n Share<\/p>\n MPs are now debating the Tory motion on Peter Mandelson.<\/p>\n Alex Burghart<\/strong>, the shadow Cabinet Office minister, started by saying that Keir Starmer knew full well about Peter Mandelson\u2019s ongoing relationship with Jeffrey Epstein after Epstein\u2019s first child sex conviction. He says, not only had the FT published it; journalists had even told Starmer about it, he says.<\/p>\n Share<\/p>\n I have beefed up some of the earlier posts with direct quotes from the Starmer\/Badenoch exchanges. You may need to refresh the page to get the updates to appear.<\/p>\n Share<\/p>\n That felt like a preview of the debate that is just starting now. And it may even turn out to be spikier, which is being opened by Alex Burghart, the shadow Cabinet Office minister. Keir Starmer is on the defensive, he knows it, and he came armed with at least two nuggets of news intended to blunt the Tory attack: an announcement about Peter Mandelson adding the privy counsel to the list of organisations that has know kicked him out, and a reference to the police warning Downing Street about the risk of prejudicial material being disclosed. The latter was a not-so-subtle hint to MPs about the danger of passing the Tory motion about the release of Mandelson files without the Labour amendment exempting some documents.<\/p>\n But none of this was enough to blunt the force of Badenoch\u2019s main point \u2013 which was that appointing Mandelson as an ambassador when he knew that Mandelson had remained friends with Jeffrey Epstein after his first child sex conviction was a colossal mistake.<\/p>\n And of course Starmer knew. It had been in the Financial Times.<\/p>\n <\/span>FT Mandelson story from 2023<\/span> Photograph: FT<\/p>\n Given that Starmer himself now realises what a terrible error appointing Mandelson was, it is not surprising that Badenoch\u2019s arguments about this carried the day.<\/p>\n Share<\/p>\n David Davis<\/strong>, the former Tory cabinet minster, says today\u2019s debate on Peter Mandelson will not covere his relationship with Oleg Deripaska. He says this was just as bad as the relationship with Jeffrey Epstein because Deripaska is also an alleged paedophile, murderer, gangster, specialist in bribery and corruption, and Putin favourite. He says that, as EU trade commissioner, Mandelson took decisions that favoured Deripaska\u2019s companies.<\/p>\n Lindsay Hoyle<\/strong>, the speaker, says Davis is an experienced MP and will be able to find other ways of raising this.<\/p>\n Share<\/p>\n Suella Braverman<\/strong>, the former Tory home secretary who defected to Reform UK, gets the final question. She asks about a rape gang survivor. Her first rapist was convicted. But she was then abused by a police officer who remains on active service, she says. She asks if the PM will meet the survivor to hear her story.<\/p>\n Starmer says he is \u201cdeeply concerned\u201d about what Braverman has said, and he will arrange a meeting.<\/p>\n Share<\/p>\n Christine Jardine<\/strong> (Lib Dem) asks if helpline will be set up to support women triggered by the Jeffrey Epstein stories.<\/p>\n Starmer<\/strong> says the govenment is continuing its work on tackling violence against women and girls.<\/p>\n Share<\/p>\n Layla Moran<\/strong> (Lib Dem) says her residents in Oxford West and Abingdon are sick of being let down by Thames Water. Will he admit that Thames Water should be \u201cput out of its misery\u201d and turned into a company for public benefit.<\/p>\n Starmer<\/strong> says if necessary the government will go further in taking control over the company.<\/p>\n Share<\/p>\n Neil Hudson<\/strong> (Con) asks about migrants being housed in the Bell hotel in his Epping constituency.<\/p>\n Starmer<\/strong> says the government is committed to ending the use of all asylum hotels.<\/p>\n Share<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Angela Rayner backs Tory calls for intelligence and security committee to decide what Mandelson files released Angela Rayner, the former deputy PM, has urged the government to agree to the Tory proposal (see 1.15pm) for the intelligence and security committee to decide what Mandelson files are released, and what are held back. In intervention while<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":43710,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[51],"tags":[4739,1348,680,3052,12424,3093,1443,132,3695,124,3621,958,1242,2268],"class_list":{"0":"post-43709","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-health","8":"tag-angela","9":"tag-backs","10":"tag-calls","11":"tag-committee","12":"tag-decide","13":"tag-files","14":"tag-intelligence","15":"tag-live","16":"tag-mandelson","17":"tag-politics","18":"tag-rayner","19":"tag-released","20":"tag-security","21":"tag-tory"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43709","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=43709"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43709\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/43710"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=43709"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=43709"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=43709"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Thomas-Symonds says government will consider call for ISC to take over document vetting role<\/h2>\n
Angela Rayner backs Tory calls for intelligence and security committee to decide what Mandelson files released<\/h2>\n
Cabinet Office minister Nick Thomas-Symonds responds to Tories in Mandelson debate<\/h2>\n
Shadow minister Alex Burghart suggests intelligence and security committee should get to decide what Mandelson material released<\/h2>\n
Tories says claims Epstein was Russian asset ‘must be investigated’<\/h2>\n
MPs debate Tory motion calling for release of files relating to Mandelson’s appointment as ambassador<\/h2>\n
PMQs – snap verdict<\/h2>\n