'Prince of Darkness' long haunted Labour

TONY BLAIR once declared that his mission to refashion his party would be complete when Labour “had learnt to love Peter Mandelson”.

- Leo McKinstry

It was always an improbable goal but has now become mission impossible, after the sickening new revelations about Mandelson's closeness to the convicted paedophile and financier Jeffrey Epstein.

Yet Labour's hysterical fury at this news stinks of hypocrisy. For it was the party that gave Mandelson a leading role in public life, continually promoting him even as the evidence mounted of his decadence and disloyalty.

Mandelson is now being investigated by the police about the alleged leak of highly sensitive information to Epstein, but he only had privileged access to this material because Labour leaders wanted him at the heart of government.

British Parliamentary history is littered with scandals involving unsavoury connections, sexual misconduct or the misuse of financial information.

In 1936, for instance, Jimmy Thomas had to resign as Colonial Secretary after he was caught leaking Budget secrets to a business associate, while in 1972, the Home Secretary Reggie Maudling had to quit over his ties to corrupt architect John Poulson.