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  "path": "/politics/keir-starmer-forged-career-jailing-serious-criminals-failed-delve-deeper-into-mandelsons-vetting-credibility-damaged",
  "publishedAt": "2026-02-05T15:37:48.000Z",
  "site": "https://www.gbnews.com",
  "tags": [
    "Membership",
    "Nigel Farage 'doesn't know how long PM will last' and brands Mandelson scandal 'biggest in century'",
    "Keir Starmer turns guns on Reform UK in address while leadership teeters on knife-edge",
    "Bank of England cuts UK growth outlook to 0.9 per cent with Rachel Reeves under pressure",
    "The GB News Editorial Charter"
  ],
  "textContent": "\n\n\nIt was meant to be a speech about something called \"pride of place\" - the Government's version of the Tories' \"levelling up\" programme - which tips public money into deprived areas that need it.\n\nBut even Sir Keir Starmer knew that the headlines from it would be about something else altogether.\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n\"Tomorrow's front pages are unlikely to be about the Pride in Place programme,\" he said.\n\nNo, they certainly won't be, Prime Minister. Instead they will be all about why you appointed Lord Mandelson to be UK ambassador in Washington when you knew about at least some his links to the convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nTRENDING\n\nStories\n\nVideos\n\nYour Say\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nThe PM tried to addressed this issue at the start of his 20 minute speech in Hastings, insisting that he was not aware of the \"depth and darkness\" of the two men's relationship, as detailed in the Epstein files.\n\nHe spat out the word \"Mandelson\" whenever he mentioned him (the contrast with a year ago when Mr Starmer praised him as \"Peter\" at glitzy reception at the British embassy in Washington was stark).\n\nThe gist was that Mandelson had misled Mr Starmer in his answers about his links to Epstein before his appointment.\n\nAnd the PM was sorry, very very sorry. I counted five mentions of \"sorry\", and three of \"apology\" in this speech and answers to the press afterwards.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nAddressing Epstein's victims, he said: \"I am sorry. Sorry for what was done to you. Sorry that so many people with power failed you. Sorry for having believed Mandelson’s lies and appointed him. And sorry that even now, you are forced to watch this story unfold in public once again.\"\n\nThe central argument from Mr Starmer is that he took Mandelson's insistence that he did not have a deep friendship with Epstein at face value (Mandelson has not responded to these claims that he lied over his links to Epstein).\n\nBut why did Sir Keir not delve further when he appointed Mandelson in late 2024?\n\nThe PM had forged his career as the country's chief prosecutor, jailing serious criminals for wrongdoing.\n\n### LATEST DEVELOPMENTS\n\n\n\n\n  * ****Nigel Farage 'doesn't know how long PM will last' and brands Mandelson scandal 'biggest in century'\n  * Keir Starmer turns guns on Reform UK in address while leadership teeters on knife-edge\n  * Bank of England cuts UK growth outlook to 0.9 per cent with Rachel Reeves under pressure\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nIs this conversion to incurious Keir as PM credible?\n\nThe atmosphere in the room was the PM took questions from a pre-selected list of journalists (No10 declined to take one from GB News) was tense as his Communities Secretary Steve Reed and No10 director of communications Tim Allan looked on.\n\nMr Starmer again said sorry to Epstein's victims for allowing Mandelson back into public life.\n\n\"I believed what he said to me. I apologise. I regret that,\" the PM said.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nA Guardian reporter read out a litany of criticism from MPs about Starmer's defence for promoting Mandelson, asking whether his \"authority is fatally undermined\".\n\nMr Starmer replied that he could \"understand the anger of Labour MPs\", and he shared it \"but we are changing this country for the better\".\n\nThere was a burst of applause as he said he would carry on delivering for the country.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nBut the question for Sir Keir is whether saying sorry will be enough to get him out of his biggest crisis since he became Prime Minister 18 short months ago.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n**Our Standards:The GB News Editorial Charter **",
  "title": "Keir Starmer forged his career jailing serious criminals but failed to delve deeper into Mandelson's vetting - is his credibility damaged?"
}