Reform UK’s Zia Yusuf has said a Labour minister begged for mercy during an interview over the sacking of Sir Keir Starmer’s former ambassor to the US, Peter Mandelson. The peer was relieved of his duties after his communications with billionaire paedophile Jeffrey Epstein were made public. Critics are piling pressure on the Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, demanding to know what he knew about Mandelson’s relationship with Epstein and when. Peter Kyle, Labour business and trade secretary, told GB News this morning: “[What] we saw on Tuesday were excerpts of emails, that were out of context and we wanted to get the full context to make the decision.”
“He was best pals with a convicted paedophile,” host Camilla Tominey interrupted. Referring to the minister’s insistence in July that Nigel Farage and Reform UK were on the side of child abusers due to their criticism of new online safety rules, she added: “Peter Kyle, you’re the one that’s equated Nigel Farage with Jimmy Savile, over his opposition to the Online Safety Bill.
“But you’re perfectly happy for the Prime Minister to have supported someone who described a convicted paedohpile as his best pal?”
“I implore you not to put that on me, in terms of I am perfectly happy,” Mr Kyle retorted.
“I think of the victims in this crime, and when there is somebody who does something that is supporting, in the way that was revealed on Wednesday, when we saw the full emails, that I wanted action taken.
“And I, of course, expected it, and the Prime Minister did act.”
Reform’s head of policy, Zia Yusuf, pounced on Mr Kyle saying “I implore you not to put that on me”, adding: “Starmer’s defenders have given up on arguments, now they just go on TV and beg for mercy.”
The sister-in-law of the late Virginia Giuffre, one of the victims of Jeffrey Epstein, Amanda Roberts, said today: “Why does it take us to have to pull out the skeletons for people to be held accountable?”
Asked if Lord Mandelson should have been given the role in February, Mr Roberts said: “Absolutely not. He should not have been given the position in the first place.”
She added: “Our governments have allowed these people to hold their status and their title without shame, and so part of me is like, we should have done something sooner.
“He should have never been given that title.”