Newslinks for Wednesday 4th February 2026

Mandelson facing full criminal investigation as Kemi piles on political pressure

“Scotland Yard began a full criminal investigation into Peter Mandelson on Tuesday. The move followed more damning revelations about the ex-Labour grandee’s relationship with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. While he was a Cabinet minister, the former spin doctor repeatedly tipped off the tycoon about market-sensitive government plans, emails suggest. On Tuesday, the Government and ex-prime minister Gordon Brown got in touch with the Metropolitan Police, leaving the peer facing an unprecedented probe. It came as the Daily Mail uncovered further sensational details about Lord Mandelson’s dealings with Epstein, with whom he remained close even after the financier had been jailed for child sex offences. One bombshell email seemingly showed the pair discussing confidential negotiations over a £10billion Ministry of Defence contract while Lord Mandelson was business secretary in Gordon Brown’s government. In another exchange, on the day Epstein was released from prison, the pair appeared to joke about celebrating with ‘two strippers’ – with Lord Mandelson branding his paedophile friend a ‘naughty boy’ for making the suggestion. Lord Mandelson has previously suggested his status as a gay man meant he was ‘kept separate from what (Epstein) was doing in the sexual side of his life’. Among the three million pages of so-called Epstein Files released by the US Department of Justice are bank statements that suggest Lord Mandelson and his husband, Reinaldo Avila da Silva, received payments from Epstein totalling tens of thousands of pounds.” – Daily Mail

• Tories to force Starmer to publish Mandelson vetting advice using arcane Commons rule – Daily Express
• Tories seek disclosure of vetting process for Mandelson’s ambassador role – The Guardian
• Starmer to release Mandelson files – Daily Telegraph
• Starmer faces scrutiny over Mandelson’s appointment as police investigate alleged leaks to Epstein – BBC News
• Epstein paid Mandelson’s husband $4k a month – Daily Telegraph
• ‘Bye bye, smelly’: How Mandelson and Epstein seemingly ‘plotted against Gordon Brown during his final months in office’ – Daily Mail
• Gordon Brown lashes out against Starmer as his 30-year grudge against Mandelson boils over – Daily Express

Comment:

• A personal tragedy but a jaw-dropping scandal – Daniel Finkelstein, The Times
• When I met Peter Mandelson, I knew straight away he was rotten – Allison Pearson, Daily Telegraph
• Mandelson scandal shortens odds on Starmer following him out the door – Peter Walker, The Guardian
• Labour owes debt to giant of politics in modern era – Matthew Parris, The Times
• Mandelson may have indelibly tarred Labour as the party of sleaze – Tom Harris, Daily Telegraph
• Westminster could talk of little else… this scandal has left our political class quite numb – Quentin Letts, Daily Mail

Reform drops promise to scrap two-child benefit cap … but Braverman and Jenrick vote to scrap it

“Nigel Farage has dropped his support for abolishing the two-child benefit cap, instead calling for it to be retained to fund support for pubs. The Reform UK leader said he wanted to bring down the “exploding, ballooning welfare budget” and stop many families from claiming benefits for more than two children. The comments put the party at odds with Labour: Rachel Reeves promised in last year’s budget to abolish the cap. Farage said the estimated £3 billion saving from retaining the cap could be used to pay for tax cuts, including reducing VAT by half from 20 per cent for the hospitality sector and a beer duty cut of 10 per cent… Farage said that the two-child benefit cap would be abolished only for households where both parents were British and in full-time work. Reform estimates that covers only about 3,700 of the roughly 500,000 households with more than two children who are likely to benefit from Labour’s reforms, which takes effect in April. Reform sources said that Farage had been consistent in arguing the cap should benefit British citizens. Last May, he said that “lifting the two-child cap is the right thing to do” in part because “we believe for lower-paid workers this actually makes having children just a little bit easier for them”. Reform has gradually been shedding some of its most costly policies, including pledges made at the last general election, in an effort to convince voters and traders its plans are economically credible.” – The Times

• Reform blunder as Suella Braverman and Robert Jenrick vote with Labour on benefits – Daily Express
• Braverman and Jenrick ‘accidentally’ vote for two child cap to be removed in blunder – LBC News
• Nigel Farage pledges tax cuts for pubs funded by reinstating the two-child benefit cap – The Sun
• Labour’s push to lift the two-child benefits cap ‘will hand £25,000 windfalls’ to thousands of Britain’s biggest jobless families – Daily Mail

Comment:

• Our pubs are in peril thanks to reckless policies… here’s my five point plan to help save the great British boozer – Nigel Farage, The Sun

Tories promise to change employment law after bus driver sacked for punching robber

“The Tories have pledged to introduce a new “Good Samaritan” law to protect employees who use reasonable force to protect customers. The party said it would introduce the measures to prevent a repeat of the sacking of bus driver Mark Hehir, 62, after he chased down a thief who robbed a female passenger. Kieran Mullan, a shadow justice minister, said employment law needed to be rewritten to ensure employees who acted within their rights to use “reasonable force” to prevent crime should not be sacked. “The criminal law is clear on our right to use reasonable force to prevent crime and help the victims of crime. This case is not a one-off,” said Mr Mullan. “It is clear we need to ensure the right balance in employment law for employers and employees. Mark has put an amazing spotlight on this issue and we are going to act.” Kemi Badenoch, the Tory leader, who met Mr Hehir on Tuesday, said: “Nobody should ever lose their job for doing the right thing. We obviously don’t want to strangle businesses with more regulations. But heroes like Mark deserve our full support, because crime and disorder are in no one’s interest. So we will be working out solutions to support both employers and employees on the front lines.”” – Daily Telegraph

• Passenger whose necklace was stolen on London bus says ‘hero’ driver ‘didn’t deserve’ sacking – ITV News
• ‘Bus driver who punched thief made me feel safe’ – BBC News
• Victim of theft on bus feels ‘so guilty’ over hero driver’s sacking – The Times

News in brief:

• Kemi Badenoch has a chance to rebuild the Tories – Loic Fremond, UnHerd
• Britain’s shameful tolerance for terrorism – Jonathan Sacerdoti, The Spectator
• Stop preaching about politics – Marcus Walker, The Critic
• No, England’s countryside is not too white – Andrew Tettenborn, CapX
• Peter Mandelson will haunt Labour – George Eaton, The New Statesman