𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Keir Starmer admitted he was “wrong” to appoint Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the US, in his first interview since the former Labour politician was arrested. The Prime Minister has insisted there is little he can say because a police inquiry is continuing. But he was put on the spot by ITV Tyne Tees political correspondent Tom Sheldrick during an interview – and admitted “that was my mistake”.

Sir Keir first of all insisted: “Well there is now a criminal investigation. That investigation needs to run its course.” And he attempted to change the subject, saying he was focusing on reforms to special needs education and the cost of living. But Mr Sheldrick turned the conversation back to Lord Mandelson, asking why Sir Keir gave him the top ambassador job even though Mandelson remained friends with US financier Jeffrey Epstein after Epstein had been convicted of sex offences. Sir Keir admitted: “We got that wrong, That was my mistake and I have apologised for it.”

Lord Mandelson, the former ambassador to Washington DC, was arrested on Monday on suspicion of misconduct in public office.

The peer, who has been accused of passing sensitive information on to paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein during his time as business secretary, has been bailed until May.

Sir Lindsay Hoyle, the House of Commons Speaker, received an apology on Wednesday from the Met for “inadvertently revealing information during an investigation into allegations of misconduct in public office”.

The Speaker told the Commons that he had passed information along to the force about Lord Mandelson “in good faith” and said it was “regrettable this rapidly ended in the media”.

Sir Lindsay shared information with the Met that he learned while visiting the British Virgin Islands during Parliament’s recess, which led to Lord Mandelson’s arrest.

The Times reported the Met undertook the arrest for fear Lord Mandelson could be a flight risk, something his lawyers described as “baseless”.

Elsewhere, a minister criticised Kemi Badenoch’s decision to describe Labour as a “paedo defenders party” during Prime Minister’s Questions this week.

The opposition leader’s jibe followed reporting by The Times that female Labour MPs had told Sir Keir earlier this month that voters had “screamed” the phrase at them in the street over the Peter Mandelson scandal.

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Communities minister Alison McGovern was asked her opinion on Mrs Badenoch’s use of the phrase by broadcaster LBC.

She replied: “Yesterday in the House of Commons, when she used that language, I think there were lots of people on all sides of the House of Commons that felt that that’s not good.

“I would say we’ve seen this across all parties, where we need to remember that we as politicians are responsible for the words we say, and that we can debate issues in a very serious, robust and forthright way, without using the language that’s going to be inflammatory and make the whole situation of the challenges we are facing in communities much worse.”

But shadow defence secretary James Cartlidge robustly defended his boss.

He told the Press Association: “This was said by a Labour MP. This phrase was quoted by the Times from a Labour MP, and Kemi Badenoch simply relayed that back to the House, and she’s not doing it crassly, these are incredibly serious issues.”