The recent Epstein Files revealed a lot of disturbing new information. This included fresh revelations about the close relationship between Jeffrey Epstein and Palantir boss Peter Thiel. Combined with other factors, this has got many people questioning why our current Labour government has given Palantir so many contracts. It’s especially alarming, because Plantir is deeply enmeshed with the US and Israeli spy networks.

It’s not just the government who have given Palantir an easy ride, either, as journalist Carole Cadwalladr pointed out:

Pls read whole piece. Neither Mandelson or Mosley were asked about Mandelson’s role in fixing Starmer’s visit to Palantir & subsequent £240m deal. It finally made headlines on Weds when a q was asked in Parliament.

But honestly, BBC also has qs to answer https://t.co/SgtsuwNDMd pic.twitter.com/GDX9apoYkk

— Carole Cadwalladr (@carolecadwalla) February 8, 2026

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Palantir and Mandelson

Louis Mosley is the head of Palantir in the UK & Europe. He’s also the grandson of the notorious British fascist, Oswald Mosely.

Louis Mosley spoke favourably of “the return of Donald Trump” in February 2025. In the same speech, he spoke of the need for “free speech”. Mosley also said:

In the US, we are seeing innovation and reform that will change lives in that country for the better.

There’s no reason we cannot have the same in Britain – and elsewhere across Europe.

Since Mosley said this, the Trump administration has launched a crackdown on free speech and civil liberties which are unprecedented in American history. ICE are instrumental to Trump’s plan, with Palantir serving as a key partner to the enforcement agency.

As Cadwalladr rightly points out, the BBC had no business treating Mosely as if he’s just some pundit. He and his company have skin in the game. And if British politics goes the way they want it to, these people stand to make billions.

On 4 February, Ed Sykes wrote for the Canary:

Palantir has latched onto the US imperial project and is now a prominent part of it. By extension, this means entering junior partners in the UK and Israel too. And apparent intelligence assets like Epstein helped to ensure companies like Palantir become part of this system of racist brutality and dominance.

The other factor to consider is the link between Peter Mandelson (another Epstein associate) and Palantir:

Mandelson’s links with US tech firm Palantir must be fully exposed, campaigners warn.

Palantir is owned by Peter Thiel who wants democracy abolished, and whose money and influence propelled Vance into the White House. Thiel was in close contact with Epstein after the latter’s… pic.twitter.com/ESMsZPZe5i

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— Nick Reeves #RejoinEU #NAFO #FBPE (@nickreeves9876) February 4, 2026

With Palantir and Mandelson both back in the news, it’s worth revisiting this — the Epstein/Mandelson/Thiel connection, and how Mandelson’s lobbying company introduced Starmer to the Palantir team https://t.co/Zxcgmb7dKr pic.twitter.com/YDpuLiQZxP

— Peter Jukes (@peterjukes) January 30, 2026

The seedy connections between Labour and Palantir go much deeper too:

In 2022, Woodcock was hired by Palantir.

Epstein met Palantir head Peter Thiel through former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak. Then, last April, Peter Mandelson arranged for Starmer to visit their HQ in Washington.

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Now, the firm are sponsoring Labour Party conference events. pic.twitter.com/Wn5A2c3lzq

— Jody McIntyre (@jodymcintyre_) February 3, 2026

Thiel and Epstein

As noted, the latest Epstein Files have exposed how close Palantir founder Peter Thiel was with the dead paedophile:

BREAKING: Jeffrey Epstein & Palantir’s Peter Thiel were discussing a Plan that would destabilize Iraq, Iran, Libya, Syria, Palestine, Lebanon, and Egypt.

“The more of a mess, with just lots of bad guys on different sides, the less we will do.” pic.twitter.com/ZCoMjV2CGP

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— Sulaiman Ahmed (@ShaykhSulaiman) February 1, 2026

Do we really want someone who wishes to destabilise the world to be in charge of our NHS data? We don’t know if Thiel knows this, but we did the whole ‘destabilise the Middle East’ thing already, and it led to death, mayhem, and blowback.

Epstein and Thiel also discussed destabilising Europe, which is a little closer to home:

Peter Thiel claimed he had a distant, impersonal business relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.

But documents show Epstein was a limited partner in his fund – and was treated as more than that.

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The well over $100 million he made from Thiel’s business was his single largest asset. pic.twitter.com/gnFxVSmAua

— ClearingTheFog (@clearing_fog) February 7, 2026

There’s also this:

And Peter Thiel is the one who made @JDVance a senator and installed him as Trump’s Vice President, just FYI. https://t.co/Aj2GS7wPEa

— Andrew—#IAmTheResistance (@AmoneyResists) February 2, 2026

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And Thiel isn’t the only billionaire who was in bed with the degenerate Epstein:

BREAKING: New Image that Epstein sent himself confirms that in 2015, Epstein went to dinner with Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk and Peter Thiel.

Why the hell was he invited to dinner with these three men, being that he basically plead guilty to being a p-do in 2008?

Why wasn’t he… pic.twitter.com/Iq19aD23PN

— Brian Krassenstein (@krassenstein) February 7, 2026

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Get them out

Zack Polanski is among those calling for the government to cut ties with Palantir:

Mandelson’s malign influence runs right through the heart of this Govt.

Not least in the govt’s NHS data deal with Palantir – a spy-tech firm co-founded by a man who thinks the NHS should be ‘ripped up.’

I’ve written to @wesstreeting urging him to ditch this dangerous deal. https://t.co/O3ODX7D5W4 pic.twitter.com/r8DppettCC

— Zack Polanski (@ZackPolanski) February 5, 2026

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As is Labour’s Ian Byrne:

The entire issuing of Government contracts to Palentir in light of their links to Mandelson & Epstein should be reviewed.
I raised the suitability of Palantir as an NHS provider to the Tory Govt in 2023 after constituents in West Derby contacted me with serious concerns. pic.twitter.com/vXCjb46v1c

— lan Byrne MP (@IanByrneMP) February 6, 2026

At this point, it’s unclear what the argument is for maintaining a relationship with Palantir.

Featured image via Gage Skidmore (Flickr) / Alexander Svensson (Wikimedia)

This isn’t about gotcha politics, and it’s not about partisan sniping.

This is about how Keir Starmer’s decisions reveal a deeper rot and a willingness to protect establishment insiders at the expense of core progressive values like justice and solidarity for the survivors of sexual abuse.

This isn’t just a scandal

The Mandelson-Epstein scandal isn’t just a personal failing. It is a damning indictment of Keir Starmer’s leadership and the hollowed-out soul of the Labour Party under his watch. I write about it most weeks. The Canary writes about it every day. Labour is finished.

Complicit Starmer, who campaigned on tackling violence against women and girls, chose to elevate Peter Mandelson to a prestigious diplomatic role. This was a political choice, much like wholeheartedly supporting Israel’s genocide of Gaza, or the continuation of perpetual austerity.

Why? Because the umpteen-time-disgraced Mandelson is part of the Labour old guard, a crooked fixer with elite connections that Starmer deemed more valuable than ethical red lines that simply cannot be crossed.

Labour under Starmer loves to tout its commitment to protecting women and combating sexual exploitation. Yet here he is, defending — until he couldn’t — a figure entangled with one of the most notorious elitist exploiters of our time.

Keir Starmer was fully aware of Mandelson’s ties with the vile, convicted predator when he appointed him as UK Ambassador to the US in late 2024. This really wasn’t some obscure detail. It was flagged in official security vetting, including reports of Mandelson staying at Epstein’s properties while the financier was in prison and maintaining contact after his 2008 conviction for soliciting prostitution from a minor.

Keir Starmer: ignoring the screams of victims and survivors

If Starmer truly believed in accountability, he wouldn’t have needed emails leaking Mandelson’s “litany of deceit” to act, would he?

Starmer’s appointment of Mandelson was a middle finger to every single survivor of child sexual abuse. He knows it. We know it. We went here with Jimmy Savile. Cover-ups, stonewalling, and the immunity of the elite until the rot bursts open.

You see, Keir Starmer values those grubby, child-raping, establishment ties more than the screams of Epstein’s victims and survivors — mostly poor, working-class girls trafficked like commodities.

Politicians of Starmer’s type frequently talk about “learning the lessons”, yet here is Starmer, making a deliberate choice to shield the powerful capitalist abusers from accountability.

Starmer plowed ahead, gambling that Mandelson’s establishment clout outweighed the moral abyss. He took a gamble on cronyism, and lost in the most dramatic fashion imaginable.

Starmer chose Mandelson’s “vital” US schmoozing over basic human decency. This scandal strips away the Prime Minister’s fraudulent progressive mask, revealing nothing more than a loyal fucking Blairite puppet who prioritises billionaire child rapist networks over the exploited masses.

Surely, this has to be curtains for the permacrisis Labour leader? If not now, when?

If not now, when?

Scandals of this nature have toppled governments before (think Profumo), and survival depends on party unity and public apathy. In all truths, Labour MPs are furious and public trust has completely eroded.

Keir Starmer might just cling on if Labour miraculously closes ranks, but Starmer’s internal challengers can smell blood. Of course, Starmer shouldn’t cling on because his judgment is fatally flawed, and clinging on to power would only deepen the party’s moral bankruptcy.

If you listen very carefully you can hear the echoes of a party fracturing along class lines. If these Labour MPs that claim to feel “physically sickened” and “widespread revulsion” had any spine left, they would lead a no-confidence push, not just a file release. Utter cowards.

I forced myself to watch Keir Starmer’s humiliating, grovelling apology speech on Thursday. Like many of you, I try not to listen to much of what he has to say because it always feels like he is doing the bidding for someone else.

The speech itself was an absolute disaster — a transparent, spineless exercise in damage control. Who do you think Starmer was grovelling to? The victims, or the media and the moderates?

I didn’t see any genuine contrition. It was a scripted plea from a failed, shit PR consultant, desperately bidding to cling on to power amid a scandal that highlights how Keir Starmer’s collapsing government is infested with the same network of elites that protected dangerous predators like Jeffrey Epstein.

Starmer blamed Mandelson for “lies” and “deceit”, claiming ignorance of the full extent of the Epstein connection, despite it being publicly known for some time.

Who is this fucking disgusting charlatan trying to kid?

Keir Starmer has to go

This is the same Keir Rodney Starmer who rose through the establishment ranks as Director of Public Prosecutions. If he couldn’t vet a high-profile creepy-crony like Mandelson properly, what does that say about his already-questionable competence?

What have we been saying about his competence and his judgement for the last seven years? It’s not even just Keir Starmer’s incompetence and bad judgment, it’s a damning symptom of how far Labour has drifted from its anti-establishment origins.

The victims of Jeffrey Epstein deserve so much better than a Labour Prime Minister who looked the other way.

This disgraceful scandal shouldn’t just end Starmer’s career, it should bury him politically, shatter his joke of a legacy, and force a socialist reckoning in Labour to oppose the forces of hate before it further becomes another tool of the billionaire class.

Nothing less than a full purge of the centrist tumour that is terminally infecting Labour will suffice, once they have finished deleting their pro-Mandelson tweets.

It’s time to go, Mr Starmer, you’re not just a dead man walking, you’re a corpse in a suit, and we have had enough.

Featured image via the Canary

Morgan McSweeney – the long-term enemy of the Canary – has resigned from government in disgrace. And to quote Canary head of content Maryam Jameela who just messaged me in Signal:

bye bye dickhead

The man behind The Fraud Morgan McSweeney – off

As journalist Paul Holden covered in The Fraud, the Labour Together schemer Morgan McSweeney was the man who spent the last decade manoeuvring to:

• Bring down Jeremy Corbyn.
• Position the Labour right as the leaders of the Labour Party.
• Return to government.

McSweeney managed all three, but he hit step 3 more quickly than anticipated. This is why Labour ended up in power with the political vacuum that is Keir Starmer. It’s also why they achieved a majority government with fuck all plan as to what to do next.

Regardless of the finer details, this Labour government is McSweeney’s vision brought to life. This means he’s lived to see how much the public despise his worldview, with voters leaving the party in droves:

Contrary to popular belief, Labour is not struggling in the polls because they’re losing votes to Reform. Even if they recovered all the votes lost to Reform they’d still be on just 21%, down double digits since GE2024.

Instead, the bulk of votes lost have been to the LEFT.

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— Stats for Lefties 🍉🏳️‍⚧️ (@LeftieStats) January 26, 2026

As noted, Morgan McSweeney is a longtime enemy of the Canary. He is the man who said the Labour right need to:

Kill the Canary – before the Canary kills us

While we can’t say we dealt McSweeney the killer blow, we can say this: we’re the last bird standing, cunt.

Enjoy your public disgrace.

And speaking of disgrace, the reason this is all happening is because of McSweeney’s mentor – Peter Mandelson. As we’ve reported, Mandelson wasn’t just paling around with the convicted paedophile; he was also slipping him state secrets while in government.

McSweeney was instrumental in returning Mandelson to power, and it’s destroyed them.

Maybe they should have killed Mandelson before he killed their careers?

Starmer next?

There is a problem, of course, and it’s this.

Now that Morgan McSweeney has gone, it could be a while before Starmer steps down.

That isn’t because the PM has anything left to offer; it’s because now that McSweeney’s gone, there’s no one in Number 10 to tell Starmer what to do.

Featured image via Morgan McSweeney

This week, Labour politicians found themselves tasked with defending the Peter Mandelson Affair. As we’ve been pointing out for some time, Keir Starmer knew Mandelson was a wrong ‘un when he made him the ambassador to the US, but journalists turned a blind eye. Now, the famously slow British media have woken up, and questions are being asked.

One particular question provoked a less-than-reassuring response from DWP boss Pat McFadden:

If your husband/wife asks if you’ve had an affair and you hadn’t, you’d say no, right? You wouldn’t say “I don’t believe so” pic.twitter.com/RDUutdKwr9

— Saul Staniforth (@SaulStaniforth) February 8, 2026

The Pat McFadden connection

Before we get to McFadden’s worrying response, we should explain the context.

As noted, everyone knew that Mandelson maintained a relationship with Epstein after the paedophile was convicted. What we didn’t know until the latest Epstein Files was that Mandelson was forwarding his paedo mate British secrets. He also worked with JP Morgan to bully the UK government into giving the bank a more favourable deal:

Mandelson was seemingly involved in insider trading, while helping Epstein, and by extension Jamie Dimon, intimidate his colleague, Alistair Darling, over a tax on bankers bonuses.

We’ve genuinely never seen anything like this in British politics before (on this scale).… https://t.co/nyDCgycEtj

— Aaron Bastani (@AaronBastani) February 2, 2026

Absolutely treasonous behaviour.

And there’s a McFadden connection too. As Jody McIntyre wrote for the Canary on 6 February:

We now know that as Business Secretary, Peter Mandelson passed classified government information to likely Israeli intelligence asset Jeffrey Epstein, even messaging the notorious paedophile on the day former Prime Minister Gordon Brown “finally got him to go.” But Mandelson had two deputies at the time, assisting him in his work: David Lammy and Pat McFadden.

Additionally:

In 2008, he was made Mandelson’s right-hand man. Indeed, in a fawning article printed by the Guardian in September 2023, Mandelson waxes lyrical on his former assistant, saying: “Pat has seen it all. He is a walking encyclopedia of political and policy knowledge, and experience in government.” But had McFadden “seen” Mandelson’s communications with Epstein?

During the 2024 general election campaign, McSweeney and McFadden’s desks were “right in the middle of the room” at Labour HQ. His wife, Marianna McFadden, was already McSweeney’s no. 2. Mandelson said that McFadden and McSweeney would complement each other, opining that “Pat is cautious…[whereas] Morgan is a hard-driven street fighter.” High praise all round from the Epstein-informant.

For more on Starmer’s chief of staff Morgan McSweeney and how he used dodgy tactics to maneuver Starmer into power, read The Fraud by Paul Holden.

If you’re not a Mandelson, just say no

In the clip at the top, the BBC‘s Laura Kuenssberg asks DWP boss Pat McFadden the following:

Did you ever forward emails about government business outside of government – to a private email or to someone else?

McFadden responds:

I don’t believe so.

Sorry, come again?

You don’t “believe” so?

As in you can’t just say ‘no‘?

Fucking hell.

If you didn’t watch the video, his face is ashen when he says this — his voice barely more than a whisper.

McFadden also said he could see why Starmer made the decision to appoint Mandelson — basically because he thought he’d get along with Trump. What goes unsaid, as always, is that Trump and Mandelson were both close friends with Epstein at one time or another:

Pat McFadden defending the decision to appoint Peter Mandelson as ambassador.

He has to, of course, because if he doesn’t he’s hanging the PM out to dry, and its clear the Labour right aren’t ready to discard Starmer just yet. pic.twitter.com/L7ER9qeEpV

— Saul Staniforth (@SaulStaniforth) February 8, 2026

They know it’s over

A tetchy McFadden also began to lose his temper when Kuenssberg pressed him:

McFadden is right, the media is just as culpable when it comes to Mandelson & that includes Kuenssberg (e.g. he was on #bbclaurak twice in 2024 & LK didn’t ask him about Epstein either time)

This is a warning by McFadden, of course. Press me too much & I’ll cover you in sh*t too pic.twitter.com/Nxk33SXWN2

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— Saul Staniforth (@SaulStaniforth) February 8, 2026

It’s almost as if he knows the jig is up, and he can’t contain his resentment.

Oh, and shout out to Saul Staniforth who clipped the above. You can (and should) follow him on X.

Featured image via BBC

Morgan McSweeney has resigned from his position as Keir Starmer’s chief of staff (Alamy)

3 min read36 min

His resignation comes after a growing consensus within the Parliamentary Labour Party this week that Starmer should remove McSweeney as his chief of staff, with many MPs blaming him for Mandelson’s appointment.

On Sunday, former Cabinet Secretary under the previous Labour administration Lord Blunkett said that McSweeney should not remain in the role.

McSweeney’s resignation follows the loss of two other aides last year – his director of political strategy Paul Ovenden and his communications head Steph Driver.

The Prime Minister said on Wednesday that he still had confidence in McSweeney, who is seen as having played a pivotal role in Labour’s win in 2024, claiming he was “an essential part” of the team.

Starmer also made the admission at PMQs on Wednesday that he knew about the ongoing friendship between Peter Mandelson and paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein when the former was appointed as US ambassador. Mandelson was sacked from his position as US ambassador in September after more details about the nature of his relationship with Epstein emerged.

Speaking on Wednesday, Starmer accused Mandelson of betraying the country and lying to Downing Street about his relationship with Epstein, after newly-published documents this week suggested Mandelson had shared confidential information with the paedophile while business secretary under the last Labour administration.

In a letter on Sunday, McSweeney said: “After careful reflection, I have decided to resign from the government.

“The decision to appoint Peter Mandelson was wrong. He has damaged our party, our country and trust in politics itself.”

McSweeney said he had advised the Prime Minister to make that appointment and took “full responsibility for that advice”.

“In public life responsibility must be owned when it matters most, not just when it is most convenient. In the circumstances, the only honourable course is to step aside.”

He continued: “This has not been an easy decision. Much has been written and said about me over the years but my motivations have always been simple: I have worked every day to elect and support a government that puts the lives of ordinary people first and leads us to a better future for our great country. Only a Labour government will do that. I leave with pride in all we have achieved mixed with regret at the circumstances of my departure. But I have always believed there are moments when you must accept your responsibility and step aside for the bigger cause.

“As I leave I have two further reflections:

“Firstly, and most importantly, we must remember the women and girls whose lives were ruined by Jeffrey Epstein and whose voices went unheard for far too long.

“Secondly, while I did not oversee the due diligence and vetting process, I believe that process must now be fundamentally overhauled. This cannot simply be a gesture but a safeguard for the future.

“I remain fully supportive of the Prime Minister. He is working every day to rebuild trust, restore standards and serve the country. I will continue to back that mission in whatever way I can. It has been the honour of my life to serve.”

Morgan McSweeney has resigned as Keir Starmer’s chief of staff as the Peter Mandelson scandal engulfs the government.

The key No.10 aide said he was carrying the can for advising the prime minister to make the disgraced former peer the UK’s ambassador to Washington.

He was sacked after just seven months over his links to convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, and now faces a criminal investigation into allegations he passed government information to the financier when he was business secretary.

In a statement, McSweeney said: “The decision to appoint Peter Mandelson was wrong. He has damaged our party, our country and trust in politics itself.

“When asked, I advised the prime minister to make that appointment and I take full responsibility for that advice.

“In public life responsibility must be owned when it matters most, not just when it is most convenient. In the circumstances, the only honourable course is to step aside.”

As we reported yesterday, the police are investigating Reform UK. Their alleged crime is sending out a letter to the residents of Gorton & Denton which wasn’t marked with the party’s logo. A spokesperson for the party blamed a printing error, but people aren’t buying it.

Now, a Tory councillor has pointed out there’s a very simple way for Reform to quickly salvage their reputation:

Publish the print-ready proofs. https://t.co/603ATAWoqg

— Cllr. Matt Cowley (@matcow7) February 7, 2026

Reform — Lettergate

Reform UK blamed the absent logo on a printing error, with the printers themselves taking responsibility.

As people have highlighted, this exact same thing has happened to Reform before:

Reform have not made a “mistake” in Gorton and Denton as they did EXACTLY the same thing in Caerphilly last year. pic.twitter.com/IHISoAM9x0

— Socialist Opera Singer (@OperaSocialist) February 7, 2026

People also had a hard time believing the ‘printing error’ line:

The Reform UK @GoodwinMJ campaign and printer is blaming a “trimming error” for the imprint not being on the letter.

Bearing in mind the letter is A4, what exactly was trimmed.

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And why would you print on A4 and trim it? The images show it clearly wasn’t trimmed.

The lie is… pic.twitter.com/EJ7q8O118h

— Reform Party UK Exposed 🇬🇧 (@reformexposed) February 6, 2026

If Reform UK are telling the truth, then the ‘proof’ file that the party sent to the printers should contain their branding. They should also have an email or file receipt which proves they sent it when they said they did.

As people have pointed out, though, a printing error wouldn’t necessarily excuse Reform in a legal sense:

This defence doesn’t wash.

Under election law, responsibility for imprints sits with the promoter/agent, not the printer. Campaigns have a non-delegable duty to ensure material as distributed is lawful.

“Printer error” is mitigation at best not a defence especially where party… https://t.co/vH3BwIM5Is

— Liz Webster (@LizWebsterSBF) February 7, 2026

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This wasn’t the only scandalous happening, either. As activist Nicholas Wilson pointed out, the BBC completely ignored Reform’s bother with the bizzies:

It’s not just concerning that BBC haven’t reported Reform election crime – it’s sinister.

— Mr Ethical 🚩 (@nw_nicholas) February 7, 2026

The BBC would later give the story some attention, albeit significantly less than other outlets:

Is that it? No article, and just a short bulletin with no images of the letter itself which was designed to obviously mislead people? https://t.co/UcWxp1h1U2

— Curtis Daly (@CurtisDaly_) February 7, 2026

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Far right tactics

As it turns out, this ‘granny letter’ tactic originated with the far-right British National Party (BNP):

Straight from the horse’s mouth. The “granny letter” is an old BNP tactic. Eddy Butler was the BNP’s (self – declared) “election supremo”. pic.twitter.com/LQ2ovFXcpv

— Matthew Collins (@MattHopeNotHate) February 7, 2026

Here’s what Butler said in full:

I found this story interesting for two reasons.

Firstly Reform seem to be employing the ‘Granny Letter’ tactic that I pioneered in the BNP way over 20 years ago. A leaflet designed to look like a personal handwritten letter to the voters. I always regarded it as one of the most effective pieces of propaganda in our toolbox, complete with little blue envelopes of the type your Granny would use to send a Postal Order to you on your birthday.

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Secondly, they made the schoolboy error of failing to include the ‘printed and promoted by’ imprint on the letter. I remember in the run up to the 2009 European election the BNP printed hundreds of thousands of warm up leaflets with no imprint. They were light blue I recall. There was a squabble between the designer, Mark Collett (who he?) and [Nick] Griffin over who was responsible. Mark Collett had to be censured as he had openly said to someone a disparaging remark, about letting the stupid branches pay for his mistake. And as happens in politics this remark became widely known. The leaflets had to be binned although I think some were used with an address stuck across the bottom.

Accountability

Will Reform face any actual consequences for breaking the law if they’re found guilty?

Probably not.

And we can’t see the country becoming more fair should they take power.

It really is one set of laws for us and fuck all for them.

Featured image via postdlf

What is the “ifs and buts” rule of decluttering?

This framework disrupts the conditional thinking that keeps clutter in your home

There are benefits to the ‘ifs and buts’ rule – but also potential downsides

Things are looking worse and worse for Keir Starmer. This is especially bad, because things were already about as terrible as it’s possible to get for a sitting PM.

Lammy told Starmer

In the latest instance of the badness intensifying, the deputy PM David Lammy has apparently said he told Starmer not to appoint Mandelson. And of course, what we actually mean is “friends of the Deputy Prime Minister” told the Telegraph.

There’s just one problem with all this:

That’s odd because here is David Lammy describing Peter Mandelson as a “man of considerable expertise” and the “right man” to be the US ambassador.

Looks like he is trying to save his own skin. https://t.co/V1vIlscNws pic.twitter.com/Ve8AoJLdMX

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— Chris Rose (@ArchRose90) February 7, 2026

Whispers

Here’s what the Telegraph reported:

David Lammy turned on the Prime Minister as allies revealed he had warned against appointing Lord Mandelson as the ambassador to the US.

In a blow to Sir Keir Starmer, friends of the Deputy Prime Minister confirmed on Saturday night that he had not been in favour of bringing the “Prince of Darkness? back into government over his links to Jeffrey Epstein.

Mr Lammy is the first Cabinet minister to break openly with the embattled Prime Minister, whose future hangs in the balance over the Mandelson scandal.

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If it was us, we wouldn’t simply have ‘warned’ Starmer; we would have refused to serve in the same government as the ‘Prince of Darkness’. They don’t call him that for nothing, and finally the media is past pretending.

This is what slippery Lammy said in the video above (emphasis added):

Peter Mandelson is a man of considerable expertise. He’s the right man for this moment to be out ambassador. He’s been a business secretary, a Northern Ireland secretary, of course he’s worked in the European Commission, and he brings all of that to bear working as our ambassador, and of course he’s looking forwards to presenting his credentials to Donald Trump.

If Lammy is telling the truth, and he did warn Starmer, then he was lying when he said Mandelson was the “right man for this moment”.

Either way, he’s a liar.

And you can’t trust a liar.

Starmfall

The Telegraph article also reports that Starmer is “devastated” and considering an exit. It further suggests Wes Streeting may have scuppered his own chances of replacing Starmer because of his links to Mandelson (links we’ve reported on). The problem for Labour is that most of the big players in the current government are connected to Mandelson, because he’s been the puppet master behind Starmer’s operation.

In other words, there’s no obvious way out of this mess for Labour.

Featured image via BERR