There will be “soul-searching” in Labour this weekend after a bruising week for the party, an MSP has said, as she called for “accountability” over the decision hire Peter Mandelson.
The Prime Minister and his chief of staff Morgan McSweeney are under increasing pressure over the appointment and subsequent sacking of Lord Mandelson as US ambassador.
Sir Keir Starmer said this week he knew Lord Mandelson had a relationship with paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein before he was hired, following the news from the Metropolitan Police that it was investigating the former peer over allegations of misconduct in public office, relating to files appearing to show him sharing government information with Epstein during the financial crash.
Speaking on BBC Radio Scotland, Labour MSP Monica Lennon – a leadership contender in 2021 – said just mentioning Lord Mandelson’s name “makes my skin crawl”, accusing him of abusing his position and public trust.
“It’s not what anyone in the Labour Party wants to be talking about right now,” she said.
“The good work the Government is doing has been completely overshadowed by these scandals.”
She added: “I think there will be a lot of soul-searching over the weekend.
“The Prime Minister clearly is distressed by the events and he is pointing fingers at Peter Mandelson, but there are questions for everyone at the top of Government.”
Ms Lennon called for “accountability”, adding: “It can’t just be someone steps down from a role, or there’s an apology, there needs to be accountability.
“I think we’ve seen Parliament this week rise to the occasion and hold the Government to the account.”
“I think Angela Rayner’s intervention was pretty powerful.”
The former deputy prime minister – who some newspapers are reporting is prepping a leadership campaign – led a backbench revolt this week to force the Government to cede control over the release of documents around Lord Mandelson’s appointment to Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee.
The former leadership contender continued: “I can’t speak for colleagues, but I know there is a lot of anger, people are disgusted – this isn’t the change that we wanted.”
The scandal surrounding Lord Mandelson, she said, had become a distraction from the “good work” of the Labour Government, like getting rid of the two-child benefit cap, Ms Lennon said.
