Will the Mandelson files expose Starmer?
The Story
The Times
3.9 • 1.6K Ratings
🗓️ 12 March 2026
⏱️ 30 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Peter Mandelson’s disastrous few months continue apace, after the government released a tranche of documents that tell us a lot about his hiring - and firing - as ambassador to the US. So what’s in the files? And what does it all say about the judgment of the Prime Minister?
This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory
Our listener survey is live - find it here.
Guest: Aubrey Allegretti, chief political correspondent, The Times.
Host: Rosie Wright.
Producers: Harry Stott, Micaela Arneson.
We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.com
Read more: Peter Mandelson files: flawed vetting, ‘risk’ and other revelations
Mandelson files expose Keir Starmer — and it’s just the beginning
Further listening: Mandelson, Epstein and the fight for survival at No 10
Clips: Guardian News, AFP News Agency, Sky News, Diario AS.
Photo: Getty Images.
This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Hello, this is Luke. I would like you to do something for me, please. Ask not what your |
| 0:04.2 | favourite news and current affairs podcast can do for you, but what you can do for your favourite |
| 0:08.2 | news and current affairs podcast. It says here we have our first ever listener audience survey. |
| 0:14.8 | Pause for gasps of wonder. Let us know what you think of this podcast. What makes you listen? |
| 0:20.0 | What makes you turn off, what is |
| 0:21.6 | the ideal length of episode to the nearest second. Can you even tell that Manveen and I coordinate |
| 0:26.0 | our outfits? Fill out the survey please. There is a link in the description of this episode. |
| 0:31.7 | Thank you. |
| 0:34.0 | From The Times and the Sunday Times, this is the story. I'm Rosie Wright. |
| 0:43.0 | Over the past few years, political journalists in the UK have become used to trawling through |
| 0:51.9 | pages and pages of sometimes scandalous government |
| 0:55.2 | correspondence from years gone by. The Epstein files set the precedent. And now there's a new batch of |
| 1:02.3 | documents to be scrutinised. Madam Deputy Speaker, it is important to recognise the strength of feeling |
| 1:08.7 | on all sides of the House, my own included, of the disgust |
| 1:14.5 | and horror at the nature and extent of the relationship that Peter Mandelson maintained with |
| 1:20.3 | Jeffrey Epstein. |
| 1:22.5 | On Wednesday afternoon, the first set of documents relating to the appointment of the ex- Ambassador to the US, Peter Mandelson, were made public. |
| 1:31.1 | The files suggest that concerns were raised about the reputational risk in appointing Mandelson to the role of ambassador, |
| 1:38.1 | and that the Prime Minister pushed ahead regardless. |
| 1:42.3 | It's the latest in what's been a pretty disastrous few months for Peter Madison, |
| 1:46.7 | who was forced to resign from the Labour Party, |
| 1:49.3 | was then fired by the Prime Minister shortly after, |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from The Times, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of The Times and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.