Keir Starmer is under fierce pressure after explosive claims surrounding Peter Mandelson’s appointment and the handling of his security vetting – as reports emerge that Mandelson FAILED the vetting.
Keir Starmer says (implausibly) that the Foreign Office failed to tell cabinet that he had failed.
On Talk today, Ben Habib and former Sun political editor Trevor Kavanagh tear into the Prime Minister’s defence, asking the question at the heart of the scandal: if serious concerns were raised about Mandelson, who knew what — and when? Was Downing Street genuinely kept in the dark, or is this another carefully lawyered denial from a government already accused of saying only what it thinks it can get away with?
They examine reports that officials pushed ahead with Mandelson’s appointment despite failing security vetting, and why Starmer appears to have spent so much political capital backing one of Labour’s most controversial operators.
From Mandelson’s long history of resignations and comebacks to renewed scrutiny of his links to Jeffrey Epstein, the conversation turns to the wider culture of protection, secrecy and entitlement at the top of British politics.
Plus: Ben Habib argues this is bigger than one man — it is a symptom of a rotten Westminster system that rewards insiders, shuts out voters and closes ranks when challenged.
Trevor Kavanagh says the official story simply does not add up, pointing to senior aides, missing phones, wiped messages and the growing belief that the establishment still thinks the rules are for everybody else.
Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM.
Available on YouTube and streaming platforms, along with DAB+ radio and your smart speaker.
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