Farage: Mandelson-Epstein 'Biggest British political scandal in a century'

Nigel Farage, the leader of Reform UK, has said the scandal involving Lord Peter Mandelson and paedophile Jeffrey Epstein is “the biggest scandal in British politics for over one century”.

Speaking at an event at the International Convention Centre Wales in Newport, Mr Farage said: “It isn’t just some sort of Partygate but a bit bigger.

“This involves sex, it involves money, it involves the royal family. It involves the leaking of market sensitive, confidential information.

“I suspect its pretty close, in many ways, to breaching the Official Secrets Act. This is far bigger than the Profumo scandal 60 years ago. This is the biggest scandal in British politics for over one century.”

Mr Farage said he believed Morgan McSweeney, the chief of staff for Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, would be “gone pretty quickly”.

“I don’t know how long Starmer will last as PM,” he joked.

“Indeed, I’m very worried about it. I want him to stay forever.”

Meanwhile, Steve Reed blamed the vetting process for failing to flag up the extent of Lord Peter Mandelson’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein before his appointment to the US ambassadorship.

The Cabinet minister told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “The fault is with a long-established process that was gone through in the same way that it would have been for any other appointment of this kind, and it predates the arrival of this Government.

“Clearly, we need to look at that vetting process.

“But decisions can only be taken on the basis of the information available at the time, and Mandelson lied and covered up the extent of his relationship.

“He made out the relationship was over and that it had barely ever existed.

“We now know that was not the case, but the decision was taken at the time on the basis of Mandelson’s experience as the former EU trade commissioner and UK business secretary.

“This information, had it have been known, would have ruled him out completely.”