The latest revelations underline why we need to restore Labour democracy.

If the latest revelations about Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor are to be believed unbridled greed seems to have been one of the driving forces of the people around Jeffrey Epstein, along with a raft of other vices. That certainly applies to Peter Mandelson, who, we learn today, asked for £500,000 severance pay after his sacking as Ambassador to the United States.

He didn’t get it. But the judgment of the Prime Minister who appointed him remains under the spotlight, after it emerged that Keir Starmer’s National Security Adviser, Jonathan Powell, raised concerns during the appointment process about Mandelson’s reputation directly with the PM’s then chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, also now sacked. Powell said he had found the appointment to be “unusual” and “weirdly rushed”.

The latest documents confirm that Starmer knew about Mandelson’s continued links with Epstein, even after the latter’s jailing in 2008, but proceeded to appoint the now disgraced peer anyway.

Many MPs are disgusted. Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn MP said: “The government’s sudden faux outrage about Peter Mandelson isn’t fooling anyone.  The Prime Minister knew full well about his connections to Epstein. He has gravely let down Epstein’s victims — and deserves to pay a political price.”

Former Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell MP said: “Questions are now being asked why and by whom the appointment of Mandelson was ‘weirdly rushed’ in No. 10, to quote Jonathan Powell. This must surely lead to an inquiry into the role of the key players in the PM’s office and the links they had with Mandelson.”

Former Shadow Justice Minister Richard Burgon MP asked: “Why was Mandelson appointed despite everything known about him? Because it served a tiny faction in the Labour Party – backed by big business donors – who wanted him at the heart of power as part of their plan to shift the party away from what a real Labour government should be.”

Much media attention has focused on Mandelson’s misuse of public office to support his billionaire friends and undermine the work of the last Labour government. But Keir Starmer’s resurrection of Mandelson brought him not only back into government but also into core decision-making at the heart of the Labour Party. The disgraced peer, now under police investigation, was given secret spreadsheets to vet left-wing candidates in Labour Party selection contests.

This also needs to be the subject of a thorough independent investigation. How must barred Labour candidates feel, knowing they were blocked on the personal say-so of a man now seen by many as a traitor to his country, the friend of a convicted pasdophile, whose last act on leaving office was to haggle over how much severance pay he could screw out of the government?

“The Mandelson scandal is what happens when a small clique at the top of the Labour Party sidelines members and trade union voices to cosy up to the rich and powerful,” said Richard Burgon MP.  “If Labour is to reconnect, it must restore party democracy.”

Come to the Restore Labour Democracy online event, Monday, Mar 16 from 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm, with Andrea Egan, UNISON General Secretary, Paul Holden, Investigative Journalist and author of The Fraud, John McDonnell MP, Richard Burgon MP, Rachel Garnham, Campaign for Labour Party Democracy, Alex Charilaou, Momentum, Gemma Bolton, Labour NEC and more. Register here.