Anyone with basic political nous might have seen this scandal coming - why couldn't the PM?

When Starmer picked his US ambassador, Mandelson's friendship with Epstein and his reputation for scandal were well known

- Pippa Crerar

When Keir Starmer sat down with his new foreign secretary, Yvette Cooper, in his No 10 study yesterday morning, the writing was already on the wall for Peter Mandelson.

The prime minister had spent the evening before reading through the new emails between his ambassador to Washington and the convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Just hours earlier, he had told the Commons he had full confidence in Mandelson.

Yet on reading how the Labour veteran had urged Epstein after he was charged to "fight for early release", adding that his friends would "stay with you and love you", it was clear that he had no option but to sack him.

It means that in less than a week Starmer has lost two of his key people. While Mandelson was central to building his relationship with Donald Trump, Angela Rayner - who stepped down as deputy prime minister last week - helped the government connect with the British people.

And while Mandelson has gone, questions remain about what Starmer knew and when.