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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Cleo Watson and Helen MacNamara

How do dodgy political appointments like Mandelson actually happen?

Jeffrey Epstein Peter Mandelson Sir Keir Starmer the House of Lords

The headaches for Keir Starmer just keep coming. As the fallout from Peter Mandelson’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein continues, two more Labour peers who were recently appointed to the House of Lords have been embroiled in their own scandals.

How do unwise political appointments, of all shapes and sizes, happen? In this In The Room clip, former deputy cabinet secretary Helen MacNamara and ex-No 10 adviser Cleo Watson discuss the (not always perfect) process behind vetting.

New episodes of In The Room drop every Friday. You can listen on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, or watch on YouTube.

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