MP 'angry and disappointed' by Mandelson scandal

An Oxfordshire MP has said he is "angry and disappointed" that the relationship between Peter Mandelson and Jeffrey Epstein has damaged the Labour Party.

Speaking on BBC Radio Oxford's Sophie Law Breakfast Show, Sean Woodcock said Lord Mandelson "clearly shouldn't have been appointed as ambassador" to the United States in 2024.

The Labour MP for Banbury gave the prime minister his backing, saying the scandal had detracted from positive news around the NHS and the economy.

Last week police launched a criminal investigation into claims Lord Mandelson passed sensitive government information to the convicted sex offender.

Lord Mandelson has not responded to requests for comment but the BBC understands his position is that he has not acted in any way criminally and that he was not motivated by financial gain.

In the wide ranging interview, Woodcock also answered questions posed by listeners on topics ranging from maternity care to potholes.

During the live 'hotseat' interview, many of those calling in raised concerns about the state of the county's roads.

While Woodcock isn't responsible for highways maintenance, he said "core spending was increasing" for local authorities to deal with the problem of potholes.

He said he was not "pointing the finger" at Oxfordshire County Council and wanted to work with them, but said the "quality of the fixes" was not good enough.

On maternity services, Woodcock said he "would love consultant led services" to return to the Horton General Hospital in the town - almost a decade on from their removal.

But he added that there were complex staffing issues that made the decision more complicated.

He also welcome a national review into maternity services and said he was keen to hear the outcome of Baroness Amos' report into care provided by Oxford University Hospitals NHS foundation Trust.

Woodcock also backed more housing development across his constituency.

The issue was at the top of his inbox, he said, with regular messages from people struggling to find affordable housing in the area.

He described Banbury and the surrounding towns and villages as "highly desirable" but said additional services, like GPs and schools, needed to be delivered at the same time.

The town was a "great place to live", with recent developments in the town's centre making him feel "really positive for the future", he said.

"I'm really proud of the town" he added.

You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X, or Instagram.