The fall and rise (and fall again) of Peter Mandelson

He may have described himself as a ‘fighter not a quitter’, but even Peter Mandelson couldn’t survive new and lurid revelations about his relationship with convicted paedophile, Jeffrey Epstein. <br /><br />The ultimate political animal, Mandelson was no stranger to scandal – having twice been forced to resign from Tony Blair’s Cabinet. But brought back into the Labour fold by Gordon Brown after a successful stint as European Commissioner, the former spin doctor went on to enjoy a career renaissance – which eventually took him to Washington as the UK’s ambassador to the United States. <br /><br />However, Mandelson was summoned home from DC in disgrace, following the publication of a cache of embarrassing emails and other communications between himself and Epstein.  <br /><br />Was his downfall inevitable? And should Sir Keir Starmer have known better than to entrust one of the biggest diplomatic roles in the world to a man with a track record of self-destruction? <br /><br />Niall is joined by former ambassador and National Security Advisor, Lord Ricketts, and Sky News’ former political editor, Adam Boulton. <br /><br />Producer: Emily Hulme <br />Editor: Mike Bovill <br />