Closing summary
That’s all from us on the UK politics blog, thanks for following along.
Here are the main news lines from today:
Gordon Brown came out in defence of Keir Starmer, describing him as a “man of integrity” but acknowledged that he was in a “serious” situation as speculation continues over whether he will remain as prime minister. He suggested Starmer may have been “too slow to do the right things” and “made the wrong decision” in appointing Peter Mandelson to a senior diplomatic role, but he urged Labour MPs to stand by him.
The Metropolitan police said the searches on two properties linked to Mandelson have concluded and that its investigation will “take some time”. Police executed search warrants at two houses in London and Wiltshire yesterday as part of an ongoing investigation into misconduct in public office offences. In a statement this morning, the Met police said the investigation is “complex” and will require “a significant amount of further evidence gathering and analysis”.
The Green party leader Zack Polanski has called for Starmer to resign, saying the Mandelson scandal “erodes trust in politics”. Speaking at a campaign event in Gorton and Denton, where a byelection is due to take place later this month, Polanski said the prime minister “needs to go” after showing a “catastrophic level of misjudgment” by making Mandelson the ambassador to the US last year.
The Liberal Democrats have urged the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to immediately investigate Mandelson, saying his apparent decision to leak market-sensitive information to Jeffrey Epstein may have led to insider trading. Daisy Cooper, the MP for St Albans and the Lib Dems’ deputy leader, wrote to the FCA saying the sharing of confidential information with a private financier “could easily have provided an unfair and lucrative advantage in the financial markets, either by Epstein himself or by his associates”.
The Liberal Democrat peer Chris Rennard was suspended from the party amid a new investigation into sexual harassment allegations. The party said it had received advice that a 2013 inquiry into the claims made by four women against Lord Rennard was “flawed in several respects”. Rennard previously said he was sorry if he had “inadvertently encroached” upon anyone’s “personal space”.
The PA news agency has reported that a top corporate and finance lawyer visited a house linked to Mandelson near Regent’s Park in London today.
Adrian Darbishire KC was at the property for about 90 minutes, and while he declined to comment, including whether he is representing Mandelson, he did confirm his identity.
PA reported that he was seen at the property yesterday while it was being searched by police officers.
