498. Alastair Reacts to Starmer-Mandelson Turmoil

Summary

The Rest Is Politics – Episode 498: “Alastair Reacts to Starmer-Mandelson Turmoil” (February 8, 2026)

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Episode Overview

In this special solo episode, Alastair Campbell holds court in the absence of co-host Rory Stewart, offering a candid, emotionally charged monologue in response to the escalating political scandal involving Peter Mandelson, Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and the fallout from the latest Jeffrey Epstein files. Drawing on personal reflections, political insight, and a sense of deep disquiet, Campbell explores what this turmoil means for Labour, the wider political system, and the country's future.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Emotional Reaction to the Epstein Scandal (01:15 – 03:30)

• Personal Impact: Campbell admits to “sleepless nights,” feeling “angry, depressed, confused” and overwhelmed by the gravity of the Epstein scandal and its reach.

• Moral Outrage: He expresses anger at the content of the scandal and its implications for powerful men’s attitudes toward women:

  “Angry at the content and the context of Jeffrey Epstein, which is so disgusting on so many levels. And frankly, it gets to the point where you can't even read any more of it.” (01:48)

• Media Perspective: Cites Marina Hyde’s remark that the Mandelson connection isn’t even “the biggest scandal of the scandal.” (02:24)

• Sexism in the Scandal: Campbell highlights a Guardian article on the “logistics, food, drink and sex” view of women—“just how horrible and disgusting some of this is.” (03:09)

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2. The Fallout for Labour and Politicians (03:30 – 05:15)

• Guilt by Association: Campbell is frustrated that all politicians are tarred by the same brush due to Mandelson’s ties to Epstein.

  “Because of the Peter Mandelson association… it’s as if anyone who knows him somehow enabled Epstein.” (03:40)

• Defending New Labour: He distances himself from blanket condemnation:

  “We’re not all the same. I am very, very proud of the New Labour project... I still believe politics and politicians can and should be a force for good.” (04:00)

• Labour in Crisis: Campbell likens the current government to “the last one,” beset by blunders and a “wasted” early mandate. (04:13)

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3. Mandelson & Epstein: Betrayal and Bewilderment (05:15 – 08:00)

• Personal Connections: Disbelief at Mandelson’s closeness with Epstein, even during critical national moments:

  “I still don't—cannot for the life of me—get my head around how close Peter Mandelson and Epstein seem to have been.” (05:44) “I cannot fathom some of the exchanges with Epstein, like when on the day Epstein was released, they were joking about strippers and young girls…” (07:00)

• Reflection on Mandelson’s Character: Acknowledges Mandelson as “tricky,” “manipulative,” but “charming and clever.”

• Concern for Mandelson’s Fate: Torn between personal worry and public accountability.

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4. Starmer’s Appointment & Accountability (08:00 – 10:15)

• On Mandelson’s US Ambassadorship: Campbell confesses he was uneasy about Mandelson’s appointment, understanding the “risk-reward” calculation but doubting its wisdom:

  “I always had a worry it wouldn’t end well. I never imagined it'd be like this…” (08:39)

• Vettings and Apologies: Suggests Starmer should acknowledge a “bad judgment” in the appointment, rather than deflecting blame onto vetting failures:

  “I just wonder whether it wouldn't have made more sense for Keir Starmer simply to have said...it's now transpired. It was a bad judgment, and I apologize.” (09:32)

• Media Hypocrisy: Anger at figures like Farage and Gove for switching from praise to condemnation with zero self-reflection:

  “I can't stand hypocrisy. And I note that these people are never challenged over those previous positions.” (10:03)

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5. Media, Reform Rhetoric, and Political Danger (10:15 – 12:10)

• Media Volume: Critique of the “one volume, very, very loud and… anti-Labour” media environment.

• Gordon Brown’s Call for Political Reform: While sympathetic, Campbell fears further damage to trust in all politicians.

  “Just as the expenses scandal harmed the reputation of all MPs, not just the cheats, so too this plays into the reform framing of politics.” (11:07)

• Rise of Populism: Dire warnings about the real possibility of Nigel Farage gaining power, likening it to Trump-era corruption:

  “If Labour don't get their act together... then Farage is being gifted power, which I believe would be a complete and total disaster for this country…” (12:00)

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6. International Parallels & Tech Influence (12:10 – 12:55)

• US Populist Equivalents: Criticism of US media for ignoring comparable scandals by the Trump/Bannon/Musk set.

  Text from Tommy Vita: “If Jeffrey Epstein forces out Starmer and Trump survives, I will explode.” (12:18)

• Tech Elites and Politics: Concern over right-wing populism as a means for tech billionaires to amass power at democracy’s expense.

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7. Labour’s Leadership and the Political Void (12:55 – 14:05)

• Staff Accountability: Campbell questions Morgan McSweeney’s future as Chief of Staff, given the apparent strategic failures (13:00)
• Prime Ministerial Burdens: Warns that those calling for Starmer’s ousting underestimate how tough the role is; less than inspired by alternative candidates:

  “I'm far from convinced by the names currently in the frame. And that, I'm afraid, leads me to the most depressing thought of all…” (13:40)

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8. A Bleak Political Prognosis (14:05 – 14:18)

• Systemic Malaise: Fears that the quality of politicians, corrosive media, and social media chaos further undermine effective governance:

  “We're becoming almost ungovernable—that neither the parties nor the public are really prepared to face up to the big things that need to happen to turn this country around…” (14:10)

• Personal Despair: Campbell reveals rare uncertainty about “a course out of really difficult situations.” The sense of shock and inability to see a clear path forward underline the personal and political gravity of the crisis.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the scale of the scandal:

  “It's not even the biggest scandal of the scandal.” – Quoting Marina Hyde (02:24)

• On the Epstein files:

  “You might have seen that in some of the interviews with Labour cabinet ministers in recent days…” (10:16)

• On the risk to democracy:“

  “It's a gift to Vladimir Putin and a gift to the Tech Bros… right wing populism is seen basically as a route to a world in which they… have all the power.” (12:39)

• On Labour’s internal state:

  “If you're the chief strategy and the strategy is not working, or you're the Chief of Staff and the operation doesn't seem to be working, that is a big, big problem.” (13:07)

• On personal inability to find solutions:

  “I'm normally quite good at thinking ahead. I can usually see a course out of really difficult situations. And right now… this Sunday evening, I feel that is very, very far from being easy.” (14:13)

• Closing reflection:

  “I hope it made some sense to some of you. I hope it helped explain why this has been so shattering for so many people…” (14:16)

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Important Timestamps

• 01:15 – Campbell introduces and begins emotional monologue
• 02:24 – Highlights Marina Hyde’s quote on the scandal
• 05:44 – Expresses disbelief at Mandelson’s closeness to Epstein
• 08:39 – Reluctance and worry about Mandelson’s appointment
• 09:32 – Suggests Starmer should own up to a “bad judgment”
• 12:00 – Anxiety about the rise of Farage and dangers of populism
• 13:07 – Questions Labour’s internal staff and strategy
• 14:10 – Reflects on the ungovernability of the political system
• 14:16 – Monologue conclusion

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Tone & Style

Throughout, Campbell’s tone is raw, confessional, and intensely personal—marked by frustration, incredulity, and genuine political despair. He paints a vivid picture of institutional malaise, the perils of populism, and the struggle for integrity in British politics.

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Summary: This episode offers a rare, unfiltered window into Alastair Campbell’s psyche as he processes the Mandelson-Epstein-Starmer crisis. With intricate insider context, sharp political analysis, and heartfelt candor, Campbell conveys the scope of the scandal’s impact—on Labour, on British democracy, and himself. This is a must-listen for anyone seeking not just the facts, but the lived reality behind Westminster’s latest shockwaves.

Transcript

[Alistair Campbell]

Thanks for listening to the Rest Is Politics. To support the podcast, listen without the adverts and get early access to episodes and live show tickets, go to therestispolitics.com that's therestispolitics.com this episode is brought to.

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[Alistair Campbell]

Hello, and welcome to Arrest His Politics Live with me, Alistair Campbell, and it's me, Alistair Campbell, today without Rory Stewart, because Rory's got other things to do. We'll be talking about all of this stuff sometime through the week, but I kind of felt I get a lot of this off my chest. Members Rest His Parties members will know that I wrote a note this week saying I'd been having sleepless nights, and I still am. And my sleepless nights, they usually happen when I'm anxious or angry or depressed or confused. And there's so much out of this Epstein scandal to make me feel all of the above. And it is, on so many levels, almost impossible to process, both personally and politically. So let's start with angry. Angry at the content and the context of Jeffrey Epstein, which is so disgusting on so many levels. And frankly, it gets to the point where you can't even read any more of it. I've heard some MPs, some Tories, some Labour, Nigel Farage, few journalists as well, who've called the Peter Mandelson situation the biggest scandal of the century. And I saw a brilliant response to that from the journalist Marina Hyde, who also, as you know, presents the Rest Is Entertainment. She said, it's not even the biggest scandal of the scandal. And so I think we have to understand that it is still, when we think about it, this is about abuse. It's about Trafficking. It's about the attitudes to women of so many rich and powerful men. And she's right about that. And she's right that it's still not at the center of this debate. We'll put in the newsletter a terrific piece I read in the Guardian yesterday by a media gentleman who just chronicled through the files the way that Epstein and co talk about women and how they see the role of women. And essentially that can be summed up as logistics, food, drink and sex. And it was a brilliant piece and it underlined just how horrible and disgusting some of this is. I also get angry that we all get tarred with the same brush that. And of course now because of the Peter Mandelson association, so clearly established with Epstein, it's as if anyone who knows him somehow enabled Epstein. And that of course, totally plays into they're all the same, they're all in it themselves, Nobody has any principles, et cetera. And we're not all the same. I am very, very proud of the New Labour project and many of the things we did. And despite everything, I still believe that politics and politicians can and should be a force for good. But this government right now is looking like the last one in terms of seeming like it just lurches from one bad moment to the next. And that makes me angry. It makes me angry because of the size of the majority the country gave them, the scale of the things that need fixing, and the way that so much of the first two years seems to have been a bit wasted now it's a week since we started to take stock of all this when the Department of Justice dumped this latest huge tranche of Epstein files. And I still don't cannot for the life of me get my head around how close Peter Mandelson and Epstein seem to have been. I particularly can't get my head around the fact that as I was part of the team trying to advise Gordon Brown after the 2020, the 2010 election and the inconclusive result, and he was in talks with Nick Clegg to see if we'd get some sort of lib lab agreement, that Peter was talking to Epstein and even boasting that he persuaded Gordon to go, I can't get my head around him sending confidential notes about big economic decisions during the economic crash. Now, I've known Peter for more than 40 years. We've had many, many good times together and we've had a few bad. We've sometimes gone a long, long time without speaking. For example, after his second resignation, for which I think he still blames me. I've always known that. He's a tricky character, quite manipulative, can be secretive, but also he's very charming and clever. But I cannot fathom some of the exchanges with Epstein, like when on the day Epstein was released, they were joking about strippers in Young Girls, and I was just thinking, was there nothing in Peter to say, Jeffrey, have you learnt nothing about going to jail yet? Also, and here is maybe the first part of confusion and a bit of anxiety, precisely because I have known him for so long, I do have concern about where this might all end for him. And I don't get how people can go from boasting of being a close friend one day to lock him up and throw away the key, literally the next. Now, as Rory knows, I was angry or certainly concerned at the appointment of Peter as ambassador to the us. I did understand the attraction. He's a big figure, a lot of experience. I'm sure Keir was attracted to the kind of association with new labor at a time he was trying to bring the party together. He knows the trade and the global economy pretty well. And Keir also, I think, felt that he needed more than a conventional diplomat to handle the Trump administration. But as risk reward decisions go, I always had a worry it wouldn't end well. I never imagined it'd be like this, but I always had that worry and I did so. I did say so to the people who made that decision. In fact, you may recall Rory outed me briefly on a previous podcast a while back because he'd heard me talking to one of them about David Miliband, and I still think that would have been a better call. And maybe there's a bit of me angry with myself because I could have made a bigger thing about it, I could have talked about it on here, but I hope listeners and viewers will understand. I am conscious sometimes of having to balance this public facing, podcasting part of my life with the fact that I do often have privileged access to people who expect at least some element of confidentiality when I'm acting either as an activist trying to get something, or I'm being asked for advice, as does happen. All that being said, I can't say that I'm terribly impressed with the scale of the dumping and the distancing. And I just wonder whether it wouldn't have made more sense for Keir Starmer simply to have said that when he appointed Peter Mandelson, he made a judgment in the round at the time based on the pluses and the minuses. Which were fully assessed, weighed up, and it's now transpired. It was a bad judgment and I apologize. I think that pushing it all out onto the vetting and being lied to is what has made this to some extent, even more a question of his judgment and also the competence of his operation. With inevitable changes now underway. I'm also angry that so many in the media, plus people like Nigel Farage and Michael Gove, who said it was such a smart appointment at the time, now say it was so obviously a bad judgment call, because I can't stand hypocrisy. And I note that these people are never challenged over those previous positions. And of course our media, particularly today, they tend in the mainline to do one volume, very, very loud and in the main, very, very anti labour, which now means anyone who's ever had anything to do with Peter Mandelson is somehow presented as tainted for having failed to know what he was up to and with whom. And you might have seen that in some of the interviews with Labour cabinet ministers in recent days. I also completely understand and get the call from Gordon Brown to clean up politics. And at least he has really deep reasons to feel disappointed and betrayed. And he also has an agenda about how to address all this, similar to some of the points that Rory was making on the main episode this week. But I also think there's a real risk that when you do it in the way that he did, that just as the expenses scandal harmed the reputation of all MPs, not just the cheats, so too this plays into the reform framing of politics. They're all the same, everyone's corrupt, the system stinks, nobody can be trusted. So let's trust the man who sold us Brexit on a pack of lies and is now getting money galore from home, abroad and crypto and boasting about it. And let's stick him Nigel Farage in Downing Street. And one thing that really riles me up and that's the way that the right wing here and in the United States seem to be getting a free pass on all of this. I got a text from Tommy Vita, who worked for Barack Obama when he was president, and he said if Jeffrey Epstein forces out Starmer and Trump survives, I will explode. There are so many scandals in these files, yet the Trump, Bannon, Musk, Lutnick crowd, they get off so lightly. And I'm also angry about the way that Epstein and his pals like Peter Thiel boasting about Brexit being just the beginning of their libertarian sovereign individual revolution. And I do wonder when I see that, did Peter not know that that was part of Epstein's game too? Now, as for the anxiety, it's about what happens next, what it means for politics and what it means for the country. And if Labour don't get their act together, I'm pretty fast. Then Farage is being gifted power, which I believe would be a complete and total disaster for this country, that it would lead for Britain to the kind of things that we're currently seeing debasing politics in Trump's America. The victory of slogan over substance, open, brazen corruption, the deliberate stoking of division and hate, the use of industrial scale, misinformation and lying and so forth. Threats to a free media, threats to the rule of law and seemingly electoral law broken again by reform just this week. It also be another gift to Vladimir Putin and it'd be another gift to the Tech Bros. To whom, as the files show, this right wing populism is seen basically as a route to a world in which they, the Tech Bros rather than the democratically elected politicians, have all the power. So I totally get the calls for Keir Starmer to go. A lot of MPs are angry and so many in the public are frustrated and disappointed. I'm frustrated, I'm disappointed. I felt for some time that Morgan McSweeney's position as chief of Staff was vulnerable because whatever many talents he has that helped Keir become leader and then Prime Minister, if you're the chief strategy and the strategy is not working, or you're the Chief of Staff and the operation doesn't seem to be working, that is a big, big problem. And it does seem, as he said in his statement, that he was a big driver of this particular appointment. But I think it's important people understand Prime Minister is a totally different level. So those people urging change, they've got to have at least some idea of what happens next, how and why it would be better. And I think sometimes people really, really underestimate what you need for the job of Prime Minister. I've worked alongside very closely alongside Tony Blair, who I thought did the job really well. I've worked closely alongside Gordon, who took over at a very, very difficult time and led the country through the global financial crisis in the way that he did. And maybe Keir underestimated just how hard the job is too. But I'm far from convinced by the names currently in the frame. And that, I'm afraid, leads me to, to the most depressing thought of all, that because of the nature of our politics, the quality, if you like, of our politicians and the political gene pool, the nihilism of much of the mainstream media, the anarchy of social media with dissonance, hypocrisy, short termism, naivety, industrialized rage and willful ignorance off the scale that were becoming almost ungovernable, that neither the parties nor the public are really prepared to face up to the big things that need to happen to turn this country around, given the sheer scale of the real problems that we're currently facing. So that's the confusion to add to the anxiety and the anger and the depression. And I'm normally quite good at thinking ahead. I can usually see a course out of really difficult situations. And right now, today, this Sunday evening, I feel that is very, very far from being easy. And that's why I can't sleep. And I know from talking to plenty of other Labour people that I'm not alone. There you go. Monologue over. I hope it made some sense to some of you. I hope it helped explain why this has been so shattering for so many people. Why I think actually right around the country people are trying to process what this all means. And it's certainly given, I hope lots for me and Rory to talk about when we do our next main episode. But for now, that's it. Bye. Bye.

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[Alistair Campbell]

Hi there.

[Dominic Sambrook]

Everybody, it's Dominic Sambrook here from the.

[Gordon Carrera]

Rest is history and Gordon Carrera from the Rest is classified now.

[Dominic Sambrook]

Over the last month or so, the regime in the Islamic Republic of Iran has been pushed to the edge, having seen the largest protest for a generation of ripping across the country. Tens of thousands of people have been killed by the Ayatollah's forces since the uprising began and a lot of people outside Iran are asking, is this the beginning of the next Iranian revolution?

[Gordon Carrera]

And Goal Hanger is covering every element of this. On the Rest Is Classified. David and I have looked at the role of intelligence agencies in this conflict. With the Internet blackouts and so much unknown, we've been looking at whether spies are best placed to judge whether whether the regime is truly at risk of falling.

[Dominic Sambrook]

Now on the Rest Is History, we have been looking at the origins of the Iranian regime at the 1979 Iranian Revolution, which saw the fall of the last shah and his replacement by the rule of the ayatollahs. Now, given that the last shah's son is being touted abroad as the man who might, just might, save Iran, you can't understand what is happening now with without understanding what happened back then at the end of the 1970s.

[Gordon Carrera]

But it's not just our own two podcasts that are covering Iran. If you want to know whether Donald Trump's military buildup in the region means it's likely he's going to wade in and force regime change, here Alistair Campbell and Rory Stewart cover the latest developments in the Rest Is Politics.

[Dominic Sambrook]

And our dear friends at the Rest is Money have been looking at the economic collapse, the corruption and the impact of the sanctions of that have been eating away its social cohesion in Iran over recent years and have pushed so many people onto the streets and on.

[Gordon Carrera]

Empire, they've been looking at the similarities and differences between 1979 and today. How is it that a country that less than 50 years ago forced the Shah out of power is now seeing crowds chanting Long live the Shah?

[Dominic Sambrook]

So whatever happens next to the people of Iran and to all those brave souls who've turned it on the streets to protest, stay tuned to Goal Hanger for all the context and the answers and the analysis that you need, find the Rest Is History. The Rest is Classified Empire. The Rest is politics and the rest is money. Wherever you get your podcasts.