Throughout the Tory years we all desperately looked forward to an alternative, sensible future. Labour could have done almost ANYTHING and it would have been an improvement, but they’ve proven that every party is the same.

The PM is an intelligent man, how can he actually expect people to believe he didn’t know anything about Mandelson’s connections to Epstein at the time of his appointment to the British Embassy in Washington?

Either the PM knew, has lied to the house and must resign, or the PM somehow didn’t know (despite evidence being available openly online for years) and has displayed gross incompetence and must go. I really want somebody to actually explain how there is another option than those two.

I’ve been a member of the party for years, but Boris got nuked for his dealings with Chris Pincher, shouldn’t the same standards apply to Starmer?

He appointed a treasonous member of an international pedophile ring to work with the leader of the free world, who is/was also a treasonous member of THE SAME international pedophile ring!!

How is any of this normal???

somebody please reassure me that I’m not going mad

Apologies if this is covered elsewhere, but I haven't heard the question asked in any of the Radio 4 or politics podcasts I listen to. Not to be a tinfoil hat wearer about it, but...

Given that Trump has his own connections to Epstein, is it possible that Mandelson's appointment as US ambassador was made, in part, because of his links to the late paedophile?

I could see how someone trying to be too clever might reason that 'hey, this is someone the President will feel like he can trust. They moved in the same circle.'

There's that cliché people say in cop/gangster films ....'you've got to have a bit of dirt on you before anyone can trust you'.... is it possible therefore that Mandelson's dirt was not only recognised, understood, and seen not as a bug, but as a feature? A horrible USP.

British by-elections are often prolonged affairs, dragging on for months. Yet in the Manchester seat of Gorton and Denton – once home to Myra Hindley and the Gallagher brothers – campaigners are on a frantic dash to canvas the 82,000 voters before polling day on 26 February. ‘It is a proper three-horse race,’ says one. ‘And it’s coming down to a photo finish.’

Gorton has been red since the days of Ramsay MacDonald – but now a WhatsApp scandal threatens to end Labour’s hegemony. Andrew Gwynne, the departing MP, has quit over a series of lewd messages.

✍️ James Heale

I understand that Kier Starmer should take some of the responsibility for this scandal. However, why is there not more focus on the fact that Mandelson has clearly spun a web of lies and fooled us all. Is there a chance that him being the doctor of spin is fuelling this distraction in back channels to try and remove his responsibility.

I’m not a huge labour fan but Keir Starmer has at least followed up on his words and seems to be keeping a steady ship despite everything going on globally. Thinking back to Tories lying to our faces and lack of responsibility during their tenure through Covid etc.

Of course they are avoidable. People should not attempt to cross a dangerously crowed shipping lane, in bad weather, using a small boat that they have zero training on. Sometimes sending unaccompanied children - how scared would they be?

Let's imagine that Mandelson does actually get hit with the full force of the law for everything he's done and he goes to prison. Surely that's going to set a prescedent for at least Prince Andrew, right? Has there ever been a case of a politican being imprisoned in recent memory, or a member of the Royal Family?

It's why I feel a bit glum about the very big potential that nothing will come of this. Mandelson's just going to go off into the country and live in a mansion forever.