This must surely be the last time Mandelson can get the boot? - Vladimir McTavish
Even assuming that Keir Starmer was telling the truth to Parliament about not being informed of Peter Mandelson’s failed vetting, and it amazingly appears that he was, his anger at the civil service is completely understandable. “It beggars belief” that he was kept in the dark.. Yep, you can say that again. However, it does appear that number 10 were very keen to rush the Mandelson appointment through before anyone could say “Hang on, is this guy not a bit dodgy?”
The one aspect of this story that has not had the coverage its importance deserves is that of number 10 lobbying the Foreign Office to line up a top job for Starmer’s aide Matthew Doyle. He had been the PM’s communications chief, and also had a seat in the House of Lords. However, he was later suspended as a Labour peer, as he had been campaigning on behalf of a “friend’ who had been charged with possessing indecent images of children. The obvious question nobody has asked was what vetting was done on Doyle himself? As I’d never heard of the guy, I did some rudimentary vetting. This took the form of a quick google search. Which revealed photos of him where he bears a stunning resemblance to Rolf Harris. That didn’t raise any red flags? Someone who looks like the re-incarnation of one of the UK’s most prominent celebrity paedophiles?
You can’t make this stuff up. The most stunning thing about Doyle is that he was in charge of communications. The first rule of communication with the public really ought to be don’t go around looking like you’ve styled yourself on Rolf Harris. Doyle told Starmer he was “satisfied” by Mandelson’s explanations of his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. However, the real issue here is who thought that vetting Perter Mandelson would come up with anything other than a negative recommendation.
Anyone who has ever read a newspaper any time over the last thirty-odd years would come up with the conclusion that you shouldn’t touch this guy with a barge pole. This is a guy who has been sacked or resigned from three Labour cabinet positions and been serially involved in any number of financial shenanigans.
It wasn’t just his involvement with Epstein, and his abuse of office that made him a liability. It was his track record going back three decades of hanging out with all the wrong people, including an Indian financier, JP Hinduja for whom he tried to get a UK passport. He then had to resign for buying a house for £375,000 financed by a very suspect loan. His entire career has been punctuated by one resignation to the next.
In all the pictures we have seen in the media this week, of Mandelson out walking his dog, even the dog itself looks distinctly cheesed-off at having to be seen out in public with such a toxic personality. It almost looks to be thinking “if I’d carried out more rigorous vetting, I’d never have chosen him as my owner”.
So where next for Peter Mandelson? This surely must have been his last hurrah. Although his dog is probably hoping he gets lured to some other diplomatic job abroad, so he can be seen out walking with somebody less embarrassing.