What’s in the Mandelson files?

What’s in the Mandelson files?

From The News Meeting by The Observer

March 12, 2026 · 34 min · Episode 698

About this episode

The episode discusses the implications of new files related to Peter Mandelson and Jeffrey Epstein, and their potential impact on Keir Starmer's political future.

How did a British man end up being charged for allegedly filming Iranian missiles in Dubai? A tranche of new files raise questions about what the Labour government knew about Peter Mandelson’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein before appointing him UK ambassador to the US. What could the files mean for Keir Starmer’s future as Prime Minister? And why is the Edinburgh International Festival facing backlash? To battle out who can pitch the story that should lead the news, Giles Whittell is joined by The Observer’s Arts and Media Editor Vanessa Thorpe, News Reporter Jon Ungoed-Thomas and Assistant Sports Editor Jess Hayden. **We want to hear what you think! Email us at: newsmeeting@observer.co.uk   Follow us on Social Media:  @ObserverUK on X  @theobserveruk on Instagram and TikTok @theobserveruk.bsky.social‬ on bluesky  Host: Giles Whittell  Producer: Amalie Sortland Executive Producer: Casey Magloire To find out more about The Observer: Subscribe to TheObserver+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free content Head to our website observer.co.uk   Download the Observer app – for a listening experience curated by our journalists Hosted on Acast…

People in this episode

Host: Giles Whittell

Guests: Vanessa Thorpe, Jon Ungoed-Thomas, Jess Hayden

Topics covered

  • Mandelson files
  • Epstein
  • Keir Starmer
  • Iranian missiles
  • Edinburgh International Festival
  • Labour government
  • politics

Keywords

  • Mandelson
  • Epstein
  • Starmer
  • Iranian missiles
  • Dubai
  • politics
  • Edinburgh Festival

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: The Observer, Labour government

Places: Dubai

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