The Labour Party under Andy Burnham

[contrex]

A 2 bed flat for around £2.5k/month in west London. That's the biggest expense really. From there you could cycle to work (negligible cost) or pay £172 for a Zone 1-2 travel pass.

Some for as little as £1400-£1600 in Orpington and Bromley, where I used to commute to Victoria from. Monthly season £241.60 (Orpington), £212.80 (Bromley South).

 

[styles]

Some for as little as £1400-£1600 in Orpington and Bromley, where I used to commute to Victoria from. Monthly season £241.60 (Orpington), £212.80 (Bromley South).

Yeah there's definitely ways of doing it even cheaper for sure! I wanted to bike to work and my partner wanted to walk to work, so I priced based on my personal experience.

After two travelcards that would save about another £500/month.

 

[317 forever]

I see that Andy Burnham, has a message for the Labour candidate. Will he be singing, It should have been me?

He will, if it was his favourite song in the charts from exactly 50 years ago

 

[brad465]

Mandelson has so much baggage, if he flew with Ryanair he'd declare bankruptcy:

Lord Mandelson resigns from Labour Party over Epstein links

The former cabinet minister says he does not want to "cause further embarrassment" by his links to the late convicted paedophile.

www.bbc.co.uk

Lord Mandelson says he has resigned his membership of the Labour Party as he does not want to "cause further embarrassment" by his links to the late convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
The former cabinet minister was sacked as US ambassador last year because of his past connections to Epstein, appeared in the latest release of files by the US Department of Justice on Friday.
Documents suggest Epstein made $75,000 (£55,000) in payments to Lord Mandelson in three separate $25,000 transactions in 2003 and 2004.
In his letter to Labour's general secretary, Lord Mandelson said: "I have been further linked this weekend to the understandable furore surrounding Jeffrey Epstein and I feel regretful and sorry about this."
He added: "Allegations which I believe to be false that he made financial payments to me 20 years ago, and of which I have no record or recollection, need investigating by me.
"While doing this I do not wish to cause further embarrassment to the Labour Party and I am therefore stepping down from membership of the party.
"I want to take this opportunity to repeat my apology to the women and girls whose voices should have been heard long before now.
"I have dedicated my life to the values and success of the Labour Party and in taking my decision, I believe I am acting in its best interests."
Earlier on Sunday, Lord Mandelson said he had no record or recollection of receiving the three payments from Epstein and did not know whether the documents were authentic.
He reiterated his regret for "ever having known Epstein" and for continuing his association following the disgraced financier's conviction, apologising "unequivocally to the women and girls who suffered".
Lord Mandelson was sent to Washington by Sir Keir Starmer in December 2024 as the UK's ambassador, but was sacked the following September after further revelations emerged about his friendship with Epstein.
Emails revealed he had been in contact with Epstein after the US financier's 2008 conviction, sending a string of supportive messages.
Images of the former UK ambassador to the US in his underwear have also been uncovered in the latest tranche of Epstein files.
In a redacted picture, he is seen standing next to a female, whose face is not visible.
Lord Mandelson has said he "cannot place the location or the woman and I cannot think what the circumstances were".
It is not known when or where the images of Lord Mandelson and the female were taken.
Being named or pictured in the files is not an indication of wrongdoing.

 

[martin butler]

Did no one see this coming? When his association with a high profile convicted person came to light, he should have been not allowed to hold any position, as it would open up the state to allegations of wrongdoing,

For a former public prosecutor, Starmer seems to not have much common sense, in his appointments of personnel, assuming it's him making the decisions, It does not give much confidence in his leadership

 

[Harpo]

Starmer seems to not have much common sense…………It does not give much confidence in his leadership

There’s confidence in Starmer??

 

[gabrielhj07]

He certainly leads a more eventful life than most, to have forgotten all that!

 

[MP33]

I have been asked to provide the link to the message from Andy Burnham. Unfortunately, it has gone from the BBC site. What he said. Must not have been important.

 

[styles]

He certainly leads a more eventful life than most, to have forgotten all that!

Oh now be fair - it's quite easy to forget small payments like £75k. Nobody has the time to mentally remember all this petty payments. I mean, just last week HMRC asked me for their £40k overpayment back and I couldn't even recall what they were on about.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Completely ridiculous policy.

And £125k may sound like a lot but our rent in London was just under £20k a year. This was for a 2 bed flat with both of us earning roughly the median London salary initially. If we'd stayed in London we would've stayed in the same flat probably, and be liable for this during year 7. The 1% SDLT bill would've been about £150.

It wouldn't have forced us to move out or anything clearly, but it surely isn't economical to administer this charge. Most people will move more frequently than we did in London or buy somewhere at some point. The number of people caught by this will be very small, probably goes underreported and unpaid because HMRC don't track our tenancies, and the cost of someone processing this payment when the whole system is considered is probably more than £150.

This won't be deliberate policy. This will be "oops, we didn't think of that" - I certainly didn't, I kind of assumed stamp duty applied only to sales, not rentals, though I suppose leasehold sort of is a form of rental. With the strong focus on renters' rights expect this to be fixed before anyone actually incurs it. It's not a sensible piece of fiscal drag.

 

[JamesT]

This won't be deliberate policy. This will be "oops, we didn't think of that" - I certainly didn't, I kind of assumed stamp duty applied only to sales, not rentals, though I suppose leasehold sort of is a form of rental. With the strong focus on renters' rights expect this to be fixed before anyone actually incurs it. It's not a sensible piece of fiscal drag.

The question will be how they can fix it without losing the revenue from commercial tenants, who have been used to paying this for some time as their leases are normally of the periodic type. It's just abnormal for residential properties up till now.

 

[contrex]

He certainly leads a more eventful life than most, to have forgotten all that!

When he said he had had nothing to do with young girls, I was completely ready to believe him, but this latest photo of him in Y-fronts, with a girl, has made me wonder. When my wife saw it she made a comment that I think I'd better not repeat, save to say that it was admiring.

 

[Broucek]

Mandelson has always wanted a millionaire's lifestyle on a public sector salary! (Not a unique fault amongst politicians, but he KEEPS doing it!)

Interestingly, as far as I can see, he's never landed any high paying private sector gigs. Perhaps the due diligence ruled him out of consideration...

 

[Bletchleyite]

The question will be how they can fix it without losing the revenue from commercial tenants, who have been used to paying this for some time as their leases are normally of the periodic type. It's just abnormal for residential properties up till now.

A primary residence exemption would be fairly easy to add.

Plenty of periodic residential tenancies already anyway - I was on one for 10 years about 15 years ago! With rents much lower I didn't get anywhere near 125K.

 

[ainsworth74]

Mandelson has so much baggage, if he flew with Ryanair he'd declare bankruptcy:

Lord Mandelson resigns from Labour Party over Epstein links

The former cabinet minister says he does not want to "cause further embarrassment" by his links to the late convicted paedophile.

www.bbc.co.uk

And he will be suspended from the Lords as well so his conduct can be properly investigated? Soon? Hopefully?

 

[Broucek]

This won't be deliberate policy. This will be "oops, we didn't think of that"....

And this KEEPS happening. It makes me wonder about the calilbre of advice ministers are receiving.

I understand that it took the public sector unions to highlight the massive unintended consequences of taxing part of the pension lump sum. And yet anyone with pensions knowledge could have highlighted those risks very quickly.

There are other examples but this post was getting too long. "What might be the unintended consequences of this new policy?" should be 101 stuff for people who do policy for a living.

 

[contrex]

It's coming out today from the newly released documents that in December 2009, after the Chancellor, Alistair Darling, unveiled a one-off 50% tax on bankers’ bonuses. The ex Dome Secretary, Mandy, advised Jamie Dimon, chair of JP Morgan Chase (bankers) on how to threaten the Government into softening the tax. Those exchanges were channelled through Jeffrey Epstein. After Labour lost power in 2010 email exchanges with Epstein (and a phone call on Christmas Day) appear to show Mandy angling for work and/or a job with JPM.

I kind of feel that the worst Zack Polanski would be accused of is blagging 50p off a kale and celeriac smoothie. And it would turn out to be false.

 

[Gloster]

I have frequently said over the years, back to long before this group was even possible, that Mandelson knows where the bodies are buried. In addition to having a hold, somehow, on the party, he is a superb facilitator and machinator, brilliant at getting what he wants. In one way that is a good recommendation for being an ambassador, as long as he puts his country first, or at least sees it as to his advantage to do so.

I and, no doubt, others had hoped the Starmer would have distanced himself from Mandelson and others in the old guard, not given him a plum appointment. I have a feeling that this may be the tipping point for Starmer: even if he was unaware of what Mandelson was up to, legal and innocent or not, the fallout from the continuing investigations may prove too much. Starmer is likely to try to keep his nose to the grindstone as PM (he is not the type to brazen it out: much too dramatic) but the building pressure may force him to quit. And so to another leadership election: come on in, the blood’s lovely.

 

[Egg Centric]

Allegations which I believe to be false that he made financial payments to me 20 years ago, and of which I have no record or recollection, need investigating by me

"how am I supposed to remember if my various acts of corruption included this one, it was 20 years ago man"

 

[brad465]

The latest released photo of Mandelson is proper cringe:

Mandelson being investigated by police over claims he leaked emails to Epstein

The Metropolitan Police has launched a criminal investigation following allegations that Mandelson passed market-sensitive information to the late sex offender.

www.bbc.co.uk

Mandelson pictured in his underwear in Epstein files
​

Images of Peter Mandelson have also been uncovered in the latest tranche of Epstein files.

In a redacted picture, he is seen standing next to a female, whose face is not visible.

He has said he "cannot place the location or the woman and I cannot think what the circumstances were".

It is not known when or where the images of Mandelson and the female were taken.

Being named or pictured in the files is not an indication of wrongdoing.

(Image of Mandelson in his underpants with a woman whose identity has been redacted)

 

[styles]

The latest released photo of Mandelson is proper cringe:

Mandelson being investigated by police over claims he leaked emails to Epstein

The Metropolitan Police has launched a criminal investigation following allegations that Mandelson passed market-sensitive information to the late sex offender.

www.bbc.co.uk

I don't know why but it almost seems worse that they're Y fronts. I know that's not the main issue of course!

He seems to not recall a lot of things lately.....

 

[contrex]

I don't know why but it almost seems worse that they're Y fronts.

It definitely seems worse to me, although my wife says they 'flatter' him.

 

[Egg Centric]

It definitely seems worse to me, although my wife says they 'flatter' him.

How does she know?

 

[contrex]

How does she know?

I'm not going there!

 

[Broucek]

"how am I supposed to remember if my various acts of corruption included this one, it was 20 years ago man"

Yeah, I always forget it when people give me a generous gift.....

To be fair, it probably happens to him rather more often!

 

[Harpo]

So, Mandelson’s activities in forwarding internal government emails to external parties while he was still a minister went undetected. Flows of cash in the other direction went undetected. Only a stateside blood-letting over a decade later has revealed anything untoward.

This paints a worrying picture of our intelligence services.

 

[SargeNpton]

So, Mandelson’s activities in forwarding internal government emails to external parties while he was still a minister went undetected. Flows of cash in the other direction went undetected. Only a stateside blood-letting over a decade later has revealed anything untoward.

This paints a worrying picture of our intelligence services.

A man who twice resigned from the cabinet due to scandals over undeclared loans and influence in a passport application and, whilst EU Trade Commissioner, was seen on yachts belonging to Italian and Russian businessmen, is somehow deemed to be suitable as a British Ambassador? All this being in the public domain - as was his long-standing friendship with Epstein.

It didn't really need any additional info from the intelligence services to see that he should never again have been allowed any sort of government post. Starmer has only himself to blame for the appointment.

 

[Razorblades]

I kind of feel that the worst Zack Polanski would be accused of is blagging 50p off a kale and celeriac smoothie. And it would turn out to be false.

Well it's been alleged that he's had a career as a hypnotits, which sounds a bit charlatan to say the least:

Polanski apologises over claim he can increase women’s breast sizes with his mind

Several Labour MPs have criticised the new Green Party leader over the claims, with one describing them as ‘grim’

www.independent.co.uk

(Independent news article from September 2025 entitled:

Zack Polanski apologises over claim he can increase women’s breast sizes with his mind)​

 

[contrex]

Well it's been alleged that he's had a career as a hypnotits, which sounds a bit charlatan to say the least:

Polanski apologises over claim he can increase women’s breast sizes with his mind

Several Labour MPs have criticised the new Green Party leader over the claims, with one describing them as ‘grim’

www.independent.co.uk

(Independent news article from September 2025 entitled:

Zack Polanski apologises over claim he can increase women’s breast sizes with his mind)​

I thought he was tricked into 'agreeing' to that idea by a Sun journalist. In 2013, she requested a hypnotherapy session from him to increase her breast size and body image self-confidence for an article in the paper. Polanski featured in the published article, in which the journalist claimed that her breast size had increased. Polanski has apologised for his involvement, saying that the idea came from the client, that he did not charge for the session, that the therapy was meant to help with bodily self-image rather than physical enlargement, and that the article did not accurately reflect the situation.

I know in whose veracity I place more confidence. And who I like more (and it is not the Sun).

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 2 Feb 2026 ==

How does she know?

She meant his Y-fronts were clearly not empty.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 2 Feb 2026 ==

So, Mandelson’s activities in forwarding internal government emails to external parties while he was still a minister went undetected. Flows of cash in the other direction went undetected. Only a stateside blood-letting over a decade later has revealed anything untoward.

This paints a worrying picture of our intelligence services.

And/or who governs them.

 

[Falcon1200]

Many people, including me, but not the Prime Minister, thought bringing Mandelson back was utter madness, and we have been proved right.

Keir Starmer is IMHO the worst and most ineffectual PM we have ever had, and I include Liz Truss in that assessment; She at least did not last long.