Epstein Victim's Family Speaks Out Over Mandelson

Newscast

BBC

Politics, News

4.4 • 6.4K Ratings

🗓️ 14 September 2025

⏱️ 38 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Today, we hear from the family of Virginia Giuffre, who became the most prominent victim of Jeffrey Epstein.

In an interview with Laura, they said that Lord Mandelson should never have been given the position of UK ambassador to the United States.

And Business Secretary Peter Kyle told her it was "highly unlikely" Lord Mandelson would have been appointed if the extent of his relationship with Epstein was known to those in government.

We unpack the interview, the government response, and what it means for Keir Starmer.

We also look ahead to the state visit of Donald Trump, which starts on Tuesday.

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Newscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC. It was presented by Laura Kuenssberg and Paddy O’Connell. It was made by Chris Flynn and Grace Reeve. The social producer was Darren Dutton. The technical producer was James Piper. The weekend series producer is Chris Flynn. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.

Transcript

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0:00.0	BBC Sounds, music, radio, podcasts.
0:04.7	So we are collecting memories of the last state visit of US President Donald Trump.
0:09.1	The last time Donald Trump touched down in our fair country for a royal visit.
0:13.5	Yes, because he was in Scotland.
0:15.0	That's right.
0:15.6	Not the last time that he was here, but it was the last time that he was here for a full boona with the tiaras and the state dinner and the trumpets and the...
0:23.6	Actually, we don't know if there's going to be the golden carriage. We'll have to wait and see this week. But yeah, I remember that. It was a boiling hot summer of 2019. And it was an incredible, sort of from a journalistic point of view because Donald Trump had really embarrassed Theresa May
0:38.8	by giving a disobliging interview
0:41.0	to the Sun newspaper almost exactly
0:44.5	as he was touching down in the country
0:46.5	which caused huge embarrassment.
0:48.2	I have a personal memory also of being at Chequers
0:50.8	for that joint press conference.
0:52.3	You know, the big moment
0:53.1	when the two leaders approached the podium and it was boiling hot and we'd all been sitting sort of kettled in the very
0:59.1	beautiful gardens at Chequers, the Prime Minister's country retreat, waiting for the moment where
1:03.7	the leaders were going to come and address us and then take a few questions. And I realized I had
1:07.7	a wardrobe malfunction. And I'm not going to go into any more detail.
1:11.7	But happily, a cameraman was there with a very obliging and useful role of black gaffer tape to help me with said moment.
1:20.3	So it's being left to our imagination, but basically industrial strength tape secured your wardrobe.
1:25.8	It's all that holds me together.
1:26.9	It's all that holds me together. We are reunited with Henry this weekend. Hurrah! Lovely to have you back with us. It's great to be back. Do you have memories of that time? I've never had a wardrobe malfunction in the presence of a US president. There's still time. Well, exactly. I'm going to be at checkers on Thursday. So let's see.
	...

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