The Mandelson-Epstein Scandal Explodes
Politics Unpacked
Anna Covell
4.1 • 1.4K Ratings
🗓️ 3 February 2026
⏱️ 31 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
After Peter Mandelson tells the Times he can't escape his connections with Jeffrey Epstein, the uproar over allegations he leaked sensitive government emails to the late paedophile financier grows.
Hugo Rifkind unpacks the politics of the day with James Marriott and Libby Purves.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hello, I'm Hugo Rifkin, and now we're going to be unpacking the politics of the day |
| 0:08.7 | from asking what's next for Peter Mandelson to reform UK's most reform announcement yet |
| 0:13.2 | and whether we should blame social media algorithms for our own grubby interests. |
| 0:17.8 | And joining me are two people who'd rather not discuss how their feeds got that way. |
| 0:38.7 | And they are James Marrett. Hello, James. Hello. How are you? You're frowning at me? No, concentration. I was trying to think of something witty to say to introduce myself and a surrounding concentration failed to think of it. So you're worrying if I've been checking your internet history. I settled for hello. And also the woman who none of us would want to see our internet internet history is Libby Purvis. Hello Libby. |
| 0:38.1 | Hello. James's algorithm is all your internet history. I settled for hello. And also the woman who none of us would want to see our internet history is Libby Pervis. |
| 0:38.6 | Hello, Libby. |
| 0:39.7 | Hello. |
| 0:54.4 | How are you? James' algorithm is all sort of beautiful 18th century mouldings and things. That's just what he wants you to think. I bet it's all just cats and people falling over like everybody else's. It probably is. No, okay. The thing actually I do get is do you get this, people cleaning machinery? |
| 0:55.8 | I get a lot of machinery. |
| 0:57.4 | I've said this before. |
| 0:54.4 | It's all redheads and d. probably is. No, okay. The thing actually I do get is, do you get this, people cleaning machinery? |
| 0:55.8 | I get a lot of machinery. |
| 0:57.4 | I said this before. |
| 0:58.4 | It's all redheads and DIY. |
| 0:59.2 | Don't know why. |
| 1:01.1 | Let's crack on. |
| 1:05.1 | Obviously, we need to start by talking about Peterle Madison. |
| 1:09.5 | Police say they're reviewing allegations of misconduct in public office against Mandelson after the file suggested he was |
| 1:11.0 | leaking confidential government discussions to Geoffrey Epstein. After days of allegations about the former |
| 1:16.6 | Labour peer, the evidence against him does seem to be mounting. The government minister in Smith |
| 1:20.3 | told Times Radio that Mandelson's continued membership of the House of Laws was shameful, |
... |
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