The Times Hired Peter Mandelson ‘Despite Repeated Warnings’ Over Epstein

In October 2023, with Keir Starmer looking odds-on to become the next prime minister, the Times announced a new podcast host: Peter Mandelson.

Explaining the decision in a Times column this week, fellow podcast contributor Danny Finkelstein wrote: “​​We had the idea of asking one of the most successful political strategists of the past 40 years if he might join in. And we were delighted when he said yes.”

The decision looks a bit embarrassing now, but Finkelstein admitted his surprise at the scale of the revelations. “You can’t have been Peter’s political adversary for most of your professional life without realising he is flawed,” he wrote. “Yet even armed with this knowledge, this week’s revelations are shocking. And their content absolutely outrageous.”

What this narrative fails to acknowledge, however, is that concerns about Mandelson’s relationship with deceased paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein had already begun to emerge in public by the time he was hired – and these concerns were raised internally at the Times.

A former employee who was there at the time told Novara Media that in the build up to the 2024 general election, the high-ups at the Times were “reeling” because the paper “had no good Labour contacts”.

“They were looking to court Labour, but didn’t want any woke nonsense so, despite repeated warnings, hired Mandy,” the former employee said.

“His links to Epstein were brought up internally at Times Radio. A lot of younger staff took the piss out of it quite openly.”

Not only did Mandelson appear on a podcast, but was also invited to speak to Times staff. A photo obtained by Novara Media shows Mandelson addressing a town hall-style meeting of Times employees in January 2024.

“I recall him joking about how nobody at the Times listened to his podcast,” the former staffer said. “I do not recall him being quizzed about his time on pedo island.”

“I thought we were anti-nonce. And yet here was this Labour politician – not even one of our own – with links to an extremely prominent child sex-offender, talking to us in our office.”

On Wednesday, a Times editorial asked, “Why was Peter Mandelson ever trusted?” and questioned how it was possible that the prime minister made “such an egregious error” in appointing a man “whose past screamed risk?”

The same questions could be asked of those at the Times who failed to take Mandelson’s past into account.

The Times has been approached for comment.