Mandygate: The megaton bomb that shook Westminster

Mandygate: The megaton bomb that shook Westminster

From Media Confidential by Prospect Magazine

April 23, 2026 · 28 min · Season 3 · Episode 63

About this episode

Alan and Lionel discuss Peter Mandelson's failed security vetting and its implications, alongside media coverage and upcoming events involving King Charles and the White House.

This week on Media Confidential , Alan and Lionel discuss the top story of the week—Peter Mandelson’s failed security vetting before he was appointed as ambassador to the United States. As Keir Starmer goes toe-to-toe with the Foreign Office, the hosts discuss the excellent coverage of Guardian journalists Pippa Crerar, Paul Lewis and Henry Dyer. They also speculate on King Charles’s upcoming state visit to the US and an inevitably fraught White House correspondents’ dinner, where the president will be making an appearance. Plus, Alan and Lionel discuss the Atlantic , which faces a $250m defamation suit from the head of the FBI, Kash Patel. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

People in this episode

Hosts: Alan, Lionel

Topics covered

  • politics
  • security vetting
  • media coverage
  • defamation
  • state visit
  • correspondents' dinner

Keywords

  • Peter Mandelson
  • Keir Starmer
  • Guardian
  • defamation
  • Kash Patel
  • King Charles
  • White House

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Guardian, Atlantic, White House

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