Contributions
1,234 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDUS Department of Justice Release of FilesI am not sure that I agree with the hon. Lady that there has been any undue delay in investigation. At the time of his appointment, Peter Mandelson gave the Prime Minister a…02 Feb 2026HANSARDUS Department of Justice Release of FilesOn the first part of the hon. Lady’s question, as the Prime Minister made very clear, when the extent and depth of the relationship between Peter Mandelson and Jeffrey Epstein…02 Feb 2026HANSARDUS Department of Justice Release of FilesTo be clear, the documents produced by the United States Department of Justice were not available to the Government until they were released a number of days ago. As soon as they…02 Feb 2026HANSARDUS Department of Justice Release of FilesAll due process was followed. As the Prime Minister made clear, it was clear that additional measures for political appointments needed to be put into place, which have now been…02 Feb 2026HANSARDUS Department of Justice Release of FilesThe hon. Lady knows that it is not the Government who instigate criminal investigations. It is for the Crown Prosecution Service and the police to take those decisions…02 Feb 2026HANSARDUS Department of Justice Release of FilesThe Prime Minister’s judgment was made clear when, as soon as information that he had been misled by Peter Mandelson became available, he sacked him.02 Feb 2026HANSARDUS Department of Justice Release of FilesThe hon. Member knows that the Government have stated and believe that Peter Mandelson should not be a Member of the House of Lords and should not use his title, but he is right…02 Feb 2026HANSARDUS Department of Justice Release of FilesAs the hon. Lady knows from the discussion in the House today, it is not that we do not wish to take action in respect of Peter Mandelson; it is that we expect action to be taken…02 Feb 2026HANSARDUS Department of Justice Release of FilesMy hon. Friend is absolutely right that releasing Government information in and of itself, let alone for personal or commercial gain, is wrong and a breach of rules that we all…02 Feb 2026HANSARDUS Department of Justice Release of FilesMy hon. Friend is right that the public expect that if we break the law or the rules, there should be consequences. In this House, that is the case, but in the House of Lords, it…02 Feb 2026HANSARDUS Department of Justice Release of FilesI have to refute in the strongest possible terms any accusation that the Government would seek to interfere in, or block, any investigation in relation to Jeffrey Epstein. It is…02 Feb 2026HANSARDUS Department of Justice Release of FilesI was not aware of that issue, so I thank the hon. Gentleman for bringing it to my attention. If there are any British victims affected by the crimes of Jeffrey Epstein, whether…02 Feb 2026HANSARDUS Department of Justice Release of FilesFor the sake of clarity, can I just make it clear that neither I nor the Government are here to defend Peter Mandelson? We are here to defend the integrity of this House and the…02 Feb 2026HANSARDUS Department of Justice Release of FilesMy hon. Friend is exactly right, and that is why the Government have written to the appropriate authorities in the other place today to request that that work is now started.02 Feb 2026HANSARDUS Department of Justice Release of FilesAs I have informed the House today, the Cabinet Secretary is reviewing all documentation relating to Peter Mandelson’s time as a Minister in the last Labour Government to see what…02 Feb 2026HANSARDUS Department of Justice Release of FilesThe information that became available in September that led to the sacking of Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the United States made it clear for the first time, to all of us and…02 Feb 2026HANSARDUS Department of Justice Release of FilesMy hon. Friend is right to raise those concerns. As I confirmed to the shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, the Cabinet Secretary did respond to Gordon Brown’s request to…02 Feb 2026HANSARDUS Department of Justice Release of FilesThe Government stand ready to work with the appropriate authorities in the House of Lords to update its procedures, and as I informed this House, we have written to them today to…02 Feb 2026HANSARDUS Department of Justice Release of FilesThe information that became available over the preceding few days from the US Department of Justice is new information to the Government.02 Feb 2026HANSARDUS Department of Justice Release of FilesIt would not be appropriate for me to entertain that hypothetical question at the Dispatch Box. We obviously hope that that is not the case, but, as I say, I am not here to speak…02 Feb 2026