Julia Hartley-Brewer is joined by Trevor Kavanagh to dissect the latest “Mandelson files” and what they suggest about the Prime Minister’s judgment, the ambassadorial appointment process, and whether Parliament was misled by Keir Starmer during his extended defence of his appointment and then sacking in September 2025.
They question the £75,000 pay-out given to Lord Peter Mandelson, which the government has defended by pointing out it is much lower than the £547,000 he requested.
The government were also worried about an expensive tribunal.
Then Labour peer Lord Foulkes pushes back in a combative exchange over integrity, accountability and the fallout from Mandelson’s departure — including the controversial £75,000 settlement.
Remarkably, Lord Foulkes struggles to answer whether he thinks Donald Trump is better than the Ayatollahs in Iran, and also seems to struggle to say if Donald Trump is better than Vladimir Putin.
Eventually he says Putin is more dangerous and Trump is better than the Ayatollahs.
Finally, defence analyst Philip Ingram responds to the arguments on Iran, UK involvement, basing and how diplomacy and force intersect in real-world conflict.
Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM.
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