Did Keir Starmer really not know Peter Mandelson had failed security vetting — or is Downing Street’s defence simply impossible to believe?
In this episode of The Julia Hartley Brewer Podcast, Julia is joined by commentator Dan Hodges and former Conservative leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith to dissect the growing row over Peter Mandelson’s appointment, the claims that officials knew for weeks, and the extraordinary questions now hanging over the Prime Minister’s judgment.
If Mandelson was considered too high-risk for the usual clearance process, how was he allowed into one of the most sensitive jobs in British diplomacy? And if concerns about his links to Russia, China and Jeffrey Epstein were already widely known, why was he appointed at all?
Dan Hodges lays out why he believes it is “inconceivable” that nobody in Downing Street was aware of the failed vetting outcome, while Sir Iain Duncan Smith argues the real issue is not whether Starmer was formally told, but whether he already knew enough to stop the appointment himself.
Julia also examines the wider fallout: accusations of a cover-up, claims of a national security failure, and fresh scrutiny over whether the Prime Minister misled Parliament when insisting due process had been followed.
As pressure mounts on Number 10, this is the inside analysis of the Mandelson scandal, Keir Starmer’s credibility, and the political storm now threatening to engulf Labour.
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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