- Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden has urged Lord Peter Mandelson to return a taxpayer-funded payoff or donate it to charity, following new revelations about his relationship with convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
- The controversy intensified after documents suggested Lord Mandelson leaked market-sensitive information to Epstein while serving as a government minister, in addition to his ties to Epstein being the initial reason for his dismissal as US ambassador.
- The escalating scandal has led to calls for Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to resign, with Fire Brigades Union general secretary Steve Wright stating that “everybody’s thinking it”.
- Mr McFadden, a close ally of the Prime Minister, firmly rejected these demands, cautioning that a change in leadership would cause “chaos and uncertainty” and stating that Sir Keir “has acted in good faith throughout this”.
- Mr McFadden, who served as Lord Mandelson’s deputy, expressed 'bewilderment, anger' and betrayal upon seeing the correspondence, denying prior knowledge of Mandelson’s friendship with Epstein or the alleged leaking of information.
IN FULL
Mandelson urged to hand back payoff after sacking over Epstein link
