Chris Mason: Jaws drop in Westminster at Mandelson revelations

This time last week, there was a drip, drip of revelations about the then-deputy prime minister and calls for her resignation.

Fast forward seven days, and there is a drip, drip of revelations about the UK's ambassador to the United States and calls for his resignation.

A cabinet minister's jaw drops when I tell them about the story.

For those who have kicked around at Westminster for a while, there is something familiar about it too.

Peter Mandelson twice lost his job in the cabinet two decades ago over his dealings with rich men.

Firstly, in 1998, he resigned as Trade and Industry Secretary after a row about borrowing a third of a million pounds from a ministerial colleague.

In 2001 he resigned as Northern Ireland Secretary after a row about a passport application from an Indian billionaire.

Now he is deeply embroiled in a row involving a third rich man, the convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

Lord Mandelson's friendship with the late Epstein has long been publicly known, so the key political questions are actually for the prime minister, in choosing to appoint him.

Downing Street is not currently providing straight answers when we ask whether these most recent revelations are a surprise to them and whether they know what may be still to come.

They insist "due process" was followed before Lord Mandelson's appointment.

It would appear that either Downing Street was insufficiently curious or sceptical about the extent of Lord Mandelson's friendship with Epstein before giving him the job, or calculated that he would be so good in the role it would be worth soaking up any embarrassment the connection might cause them.

Or perhaps they hoped the embarrassing stuff would never come out.

The ambassador's on camera interview with the Sun included one moment which really stood out - his acknowledgement there would be more revelations to come.

I have since been told that on Monday, before his interview with The Sun, Bloomberg approached Lord Mandelson to offer him the chance to comment on over 100 emails they say they had obtained, between him and Epstein, sent between 2005 and 2010.

The one that stands out is the one also reported by the Sun. It was sent by Mandelson to Epstein in 2008, as the financier prepared to be jailed for soliciting prostitution from someone aged under 18.

"Fight for early release," Lord Mandelson is quoted as writing, adding "your friends stay with you and love you".

Lord Mandelson doesn't deny these emails.

In a statement to the BBC he said: "I relied on assurances of his innocence that turned out later to be horrendously false."

We have asked him to respond to Bloomberg's revelations.

At Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch asked Sir Keir about Lord Mandelson and whether it was "tenable" for him to remain as ambassador.

Among Labour MPs, there is exasperation.

"I am angry about Keir defending Mandelson today. Mandelson has to go, and it really questions Keir's judgement in my eyes," one texts.

Bell Ribeiro-Addy, who is running for the deputy leadership of Labour, has publicly called for Lord Mandelson to resign, as has the former shadow cabinet minister Andy McDonald.

The Conservatives have tabled a slew of parliamentary questions to try to tease out further details about what was known by who and when.

Downing Street insists it has full confidence in Lord Mandelson.

But this isn't going away.