Chris Mason
Political editor, reporting from Hastings

Image source, Reuters

The prime minister spoke this morning with his back against the wall and scrapping for his political future.

We had been invited to the Horntye Park Sports Complex in Hastings in East Sussex for what was meant to be an address about reviving high streets and local communities.

Instead, it was a speech that felt more like reviving, resuscitating Sir Keir Starmer’s flailing premiership.

Overlooking a cricket field swamped in the drizzly grey of February gloom, the original topic the prime minister had come here to talk about had to wait — at his instigation, the whole top section was devoted to Lord Mandelson. Or "Mandelson" as the prime minister now calls him, spitting his name out with derision each time.

This was a plea to be believed that he – Sir Keir – is a man of integrity, even if he fouled up over his decision to hand Lord Mandelson a ticket to Washington. And that he understands and can confront the political pincer movement on Labour from Reform UK and the Green Party.

The thing is, plenty within Labour are doomladen and asking themselves with renewed anguish if the prime minister is their brightest prospect for a very competitive future. And many are concluding the answer is no.

That does not necessarily mean he faces imminent peril. But he’s never looked more vulnerable.

Elliot Burrin
Live reporter

Image source, PA Media

Prime Minister Keir Starmer remains under pressure this evening over his decision to appoint Peter Mandelson as US ambassador in 2024 - despite his connections to the late financier Jeffery Epstein.

Lib Dem leader Ed Davey and the Conservatives' Kemi Badenoch have pushed for MPs to have votes of confidence in the PM, with Badenoch saying "it’s a question of when, not if he goes".

Reform leader Nigel Farage called it "the biggest scandal for 100 years", and said Starmer's apology was "weak".Green Party leader Zack Polanski, meanwhile, told BBC's Newsnight yesterday that it was “the right thing” for Starmer to step down.

And there is also pressure inside Labour.

Salford MP Rebecca Long-Bailey has called it a "catastrophic misjudgement" for the PM to appoint Mandelson, while Rachael Maskell told the BBC that it's "inevitable" that Starmer has to step down.

But Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar and Housing Secretary Steve Reed have backed Starmer, while Karl Turner MP says it's Starmer's advisers who should go - claiming they "hoodwinked" the PM.

Our live coverage is ending soon - you can read our full story here, while analysis from our chief political correspondent Henry Zeffman is here.

Our final post of the day, up next, is from political editor Chris Mason - who listened to the prime minister's speech in East Sussex earlier today.

Keir Starmer's former political director Luke Sullivan says he thinks the PM is "fighting for his premiership".

Sullivan tells Newscast: "I don't think you can understate how serious the situation and the peril is that the prime minister finds himself in."

Responding to the PM's apology for believing Peter Mandelson's "lies", Sullivan says: "I suspect he will end up going quite considerably further in that."

In 2023, the Financial Times reported emails suggesting Mandelson had stayed at Epstein's Manhattan mansion in 2009, while the financier was in jail.

Sullivan says the FT report not only said what Mandelson's ongoing relationship with Epstein was, but it also "raised questions of Peter Mandelson's truthfulness".

"It was in there in black and white. And I think at the heart of that, that is going to be a question that is very difficult to answer," Sullivan adds.

• You can listen to the latest Newscast here

Nick Eardley
Political correspondent

Parliament's Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) has set out its understanding on how documents relating to Lord Mandelson will be published.

The committee says the government should decide which documents are made public – and which are not.

They say this will be done by the cabinet secretary, with an expectation the documents are laid before Parliament "very shortly".

The "limited number" of documents which are not made public will then be sent to the committee.

The committee says those documents should be unredacted. It also says the government must make clear which parts of the document are considered prejudicial for national security or international relations.

The ISC will then make its own judgement on whether exemptions should apply. It adds it reserves the right to decide how to deal with that material.

Publication of Mandelson documents could be difficult moment for PMpublished at 16:49 GMT 5 February

16:49 GMT 5 February

Jack Fenwick
Political correspondent

Things are undoubtedly bad for the prime minister today. Perhaps as bad as they've ever been for him.

We've had difficult weeks before, but the level of anger right now among Labour MPs is pretty palpable.

We heard Rachael Maskell saying the prime minister has got to go, others like John McDonnell said he should consider his position.

Privately, lots of Labour MPs are starting to say that they think things are becoming difficult for the prime minister.

That's not to say that they think this is all going to come to a head immediately, but there are difficult moments coming.

One of those moments will be when they publish the documents around Mandelson's vetting process. We already knew when Mandelson was appointed that he'd maintained a friendship with Jeffrey Epstein after his first conviction of soliciting prostitution from a minor.

But Starmer and other ministers say Mandelson lied about the extent of his relationship with Epstein.

The publication of those documents has the potential to cause some more headaches for the government.

Labour MP Karl Turner says Keir Starmer was given bad advice in appointing Peter Mandelson as US ambassador.

Speaking to BBC News, Turner says people in the Labour Party are angry and "terribly disappointed that the prime minister was hoodwinked".

"I think that's the reality of what happened. The PM was persuaded to appoint Mandelson against his better judgement," Turner says.

Turner supports Starmer, adding that it would be a terrible idea to for the party to change leader, but he says the PM's chief of staff Morgan McSweeney needs to go.

"The colleagues I've spoken to are not telling me that they want rid of the PM, they're saying they want rid of the PM's advisers, because we think the advice that has been given over the last weeks, and months, has been really shoddy."

Could this be the beginning of the end for Starmer?published at 16:00 GMT 5 February

16:00 GMT 5 February

Henry Zeffman
Chief political correspondent

Image source, PA Med

This is a very serious moment for Sir Keir Starmer.

Everything the prime minister has said and done today has reflected the fact that he and his team understand the gravity of his situation.

He has delivered an apology specifically to the victims of Jeffrey Epstein for having "believed Mandelson's lies" and appointed him to the UK's top diplomatic posting.

Arguably more telling was the moment when, under intense questioning from journalists, he conceded that he understood the "anger and frustration of Labour MPs".

It is Labour MPs who will determine the prime minister's fate and they are more furious than they have ever been during his leadership right now.

A former minister says its "unlikely" that anybody moves to challenge Starmer before May, but that the situation is "moving very fast".

While a current minister says: "He's done. It's just a question of when."

Another Labour MP told BBC Radio 5 Live's Matt Chorley: "It's been terminal for months but the patient has now stopped responding to treatment."

Others Matt spoke to were more supportive of the PM, with Rugby MP John Slinger saying: "Calm heads need to prevail. The PM has done the right thing here."

• Read more analysis from our chief political correspondent Henry Zeffman.

Downing Street says discussions have begun with Parliament's Intelligence and Security Committee on the process of releasing documents related to Peter Mandelson’s appointment as US ambassador.

The PM's official spokesman says when they have agreed on a process, the government will update the House of Commons.

"The government will take steps to ensure that document release does not compromise the [Metropolitan Police] investigation," the spokesperson adds.

Image source, Getty Images

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar is backing the prime minister to keep his job – although insisting that Keir Starmer should have never pushed for Peter Mandelson to be made US ambassador to Washington.

Sarwar previously described Mandelson as an "old friend", but now describes the former minister as "a shame to our nation".

Meanwhile, Scottish First Minister John Swinney says that the latest revelations surrounding Mandelson and his links with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, has left the reputation of Starmer's government "in tatters".

Image source, PA Media

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage says that the PM's apology over Mandelson is "very weak" and "not quite believable".

He says that evidence "indicates" that Keir Starmer "knew that not only had Peter Mandelson maintained a relationship" with Jeffrey Epstein after the financier's prison sentence, "he knew that actually he'd stayed with him".

"And the prime minister trying to pretend all the way through he doesn’t really know Peter Mandelson, he didn’t really understand what [his] relationship was. So it's a very weak, late apology, not believable and not helping his position one little bit."

He adds that it's a "really, really, really big scandal" and it is "difficult to see" how the government will get out of it.

Image source, reuters

The prime minister has full confidence in his chief of staff Morgan McSweeney, Downing Street has said.

There have been calls by backbenchers for the sacking of McSweeney, and Tory leader Kemi Badenoch has said he has "a lot to answer for".

It's widely thought McSweeney lobbied for Peter Mandelson to become US ambassador.

The PM's official spokesman said "it's full confidence", when asked if Keir Starmer agreed with calls for his right-hand man to be sacked.

Image source, Getty Images

Whilst it is "good" that Starmer has apologised for appointing Peter Mandelson, the prime minister has "a lot of work" to do to rebuild public confidence, a Labour MP tells the BBC.

Ian Byrne says that he believes – like "many other" MPs – that Mandelson should "never" have been appointed by Starmer.

"This political disaster should have been avoided," he tells Radio 4's World at One, adding that Mandelson's appointment was "too much of a risk" given existing "public knowledge" of his relationship to Epstein.

"[Starmer] has got a hell of a lot of work to do to rebuild that confidence," says Byrne.

A Labour network says that the "corrosive political culture" that led to the appointment of Peter Mandelson "must be torn out by its roots".

In a press release, Mainstream's interim council adds that "a failure of this magnitude does not happen by accident", and argues that everyone involved in the process "must be held accountable".

"It requires a system that elevates factional loyalty over integrity, that values connections over character and that treats rigorous vetting as an inconvenience," it adds.

"True accountability means a total overhaul of personnel, of process and of the rotten priorities that brought us here. We will not settle for less."

Image source, Lucy North/PA Wire

Let's briefly turn back to Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch's earlier speech.

She suggested that Keir Starmer's chief of staff Morgan McSweeney, along with the prime minister himself, has "a lot to answer for" regarding Peter Mandelson's appointment.

"Both of them have a lot to answer for and both of them are hiding," she says.

We reported earlier that McSweeney - a key player in Starmer's government - has been very close to Mandelson.

When asked about McSweeney earlier, Badenoch answered that "someone should go" to "take responsibility" for a matter "so serious".

She added: "They are trying to put it all on Peter Mandelson but it's not all on Peter Mandelson – it is also on Downing Street."

Simon Jack
Business editor

The prime minister this afternoon said that while he knew that Peter Mandelson maintained a relationship with Jeffrey Epstein after he was convicted of soliciting sex with a minor, he had no idea of the "depth" of the relationship.

Publicly available references to the depth of the relationship were available from 2023. In 2019 US banking giant JP Morgan conducted an internal investigation into the bank's relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.

While the report was never publicly released, details and findings from the report were published in media reports and in court filings.

In June 2023, a case in a New York court between the US Virgin Islands (where Epstein was a resident) and JP Morgan Chase included documents from the JP Morgan report. The extracts used in court included the following exhibit:

"Jeffrey Epstein appears to maintain a particularly close relationship with Prince Andrew the Duke of York and Lord Peter Mandelson, a senior member of the British government."

JP Morgan Chase settled the case with the US Virgin Islands in September 2023 for $75 million without admitting any liability.

Allies of the prime minister insist that details including leaks of sensitive government business and payments to Lord Mandelson and his partner have only recently emerged and were not known by government officials at the time.

The prime minister is facing criticism from members of his own party who are angry over the Peter Mandelson scandal.

On Wednesday, former deputy prime minister Angela Rayner demanded that the government change its plans on releasing information on Mandelson’s appointment to US ambassador.

Here's what we've heard from some other disgruntled Labour MPs:

When asked if Starmer should resign, MP for Brent West Barry Gardiner said he thinks Starmer "needs to think very hard about what is in the country's best interest".

Rachael Maskell, who represents York Central, said she thinks it's "inevitable that the prime minister is going to have to step down".

Meanwhile, Rebecca Long-Bailey, who challenged Starmer in the 2020 Labour leadership race, described how appointing Mandelson was a “catastrophic misjudgement” and that Starmer had “huge questions” to answer.

Dearbail Jordan
Senior business and economics reporter

Image source, Reuters

Andrew Bailey was at the Bank of England during the financial crisis and he played a key role in helping to stabilise the UK banking sector.

He is asked for his reaction to emails allegedly sent by Peter Mandelson, then the business secretary, to Jeffrey Epstein during the crisis containing financial information.

He is “shocked,” he says but adds that in all of this the most important thing is the victims.

He also asks “how is it that we live in a society that this happened and was allowed to happen”?

Image source, PA Media

Responding to the ongoing scandal surrounding the prime minister's appointment of Peter Mandelson, Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey said: "Keir Starmer should say ‘put up or shut up’.

"Let’s have a confidence vote now to see whether Labour MPs have any confidence in the prime minister, so the government can get past this one way or the other and start focusing on the change our country needs."

Davey said the British people can’t afford "this Labour soap opera" as they need the government to focus on the cost-of-living crisis, the NHS and the economy.

His comments follow those from Conservative Leader Kemi Badenoch, who has also called for Labour MPs to hold a vote of no confidence in the prime minister.

Emily Johnson
BBC News, Yorkshire

A Labour MP is calling for the prime minister to step down over the Lord Mandelson scandal.

Rachael Maskell, who represents York Central, says she could hear “the real shock of everybody across the chamber” at the fact that Starmer knew of the association between Mandelson and Jeffrey Epstein for “months”.

“We only need to read the country to realise that his position has now become untenable,” she tells BBC Radio York.

“I think we're all quite shocked and appalled at what has been unveiled yesterday but we need to now move forward as a party to ensure that we can gain that support back.

“I don't believe we can with the prime minister in place, so I think that it is inevitable that the Prime Minister is going to have to step down,” says Maskell.

Image source, PA

The prime minister mentioned the Mandelson scandal just seconds into his speech in East Sussex. Here's a recap of what we heard:

• Starmer apologised for believing Mandelson's lies and for appointing him as US ambassador

• He said when Mandelson was quizzed about his relationship with Epstein, the answers he gave were "intentionally intended to create the impression" that he "barely knew" him
• Asked whether he would fight back if his party tried to remove him as leader, Starmer said he is focused on changing the country for the better
• The PM said he wants to release the Mandelson files “as quickly as possible”

• This feels like a prime minister scrapping for his future with his back against the wall, writes our politican editor Chris Mason