"It's Giving Partygate" - Peter Mandelson Failed Security Check but Still Appointed

Politics Uncensored

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Friday, 17 April 2026 - 49 minutes

Peter Mandelson was appointed as Ambassador to the US, despite failing his security check. The decision was overruled by the Foreign Office to ensure he could take up his post as ambassador to the US, an investigation by the Guardian revealed.Ali and Zoe discuss this breaking story, the "partygate" vibes and if this is the end for Keir Starmer.Via the Guardian: According to multiple sources, Mandelson was initially denied clearance in late January 2025 after a developed vetting process, a highly confidential background check by security officials.Keir Starmer had by then announced he would be making Mandelson the UK’s chief diplomat in Washington, posing a dilemma for officials at the Foreign Office, who decided to use a rarely used authority to override the recommendation from security officials.The decision, which rests with the Cabinet Office, has not yet been taken. Any attempt to withhold the documents from the intelligence and security committee could amount to a breach of a parliamentary motion to release “all papers relating to Mandelson’s appointment”.Starmer will also be pressed over whether he misled the public in remarks about the security vetting process, which he said had given Mandelson “clearance for the role”.--Then with local elections coming up in the UK, parties are doubling down on their stance on affordable housing and particularly the issue of Leasehold. The Labour Party pledged in their 2024 manifesto that they would abolish the so-called ‘feudal’ agreements, but so far progress has been slow. Ali and Zoe are joined by founder Free Leaseholders, a grassroots campaign for the abolition of leasehold, Harry Scoffin, to discuss.Key Facts and Figures Total Leasehold Homes: Approximately 5 million leasehold homes exist in England, representing 20% of the housing stock.Composition: 70% of leasehold properties are flats, and 30% are houses.Transaction Volume: In 2023, 24% of all residential property transactions in England and Wales were leasehold.Ground Rent Statistics: As of 2023/24, 77% of leaseholders paid ground rent, with a median of £120 per year; however, 23% paid zero ground rent.The 2-Year Rule: The requirement to own a property for two years before extending a lease or buying the freehold has been abolished In the build up to the 2024 general election all major UK political parties pledged some form of leasehold reform, with Labour and the Liberal Democrats committing to abolition, and the Conservatives promising further reform.With the local elections coming up on the 7th May, Green Party leader Zack Polanski also claimed the government had U-turned on its promise to scrap the "feudal" leasehold system "because it's more interested in pleasing property developers than freeing five million people from the financial burden of service charges".Guest Bio:Free Leaseholders is a grassroots group of leaseholders fighting for so-called ‘true’ homeownership. The group claims that 5.3 million homes in England and Wales are under leasehold. This means that you pay for the right to occupy the property you live in but you don’t truly own the flat itself or the ‘bricks and mortar’.Occupiers are therefore subject to ground rents, service charges, and the threat of forfeitureFree Leaseholders say that the law dates back to 1066 and it no longer exists in most of the world They’re campaigning because governments have been pledging for decades to abolish it but each time they’ve given into pressure from powerful lobbies that benefit from leasehold.--To wrap up the show Zoe and Ali give an update on the War in Iran, where local and US officials are still hashing out a plan for a ceasefire. Indirect talks are said to be “ongoing and productive” but fundamental differences still remain. US Secretary of ‘War’ Pete Hegseth says the US will maintain the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz for as long as it takes.Pakistan’s Army chief is in Iran as part of ongoing mediation efforts to renew negotiations as the deadline for the fragile US-Iran ceasefire looms. Iranian officials say that fundamental disagreements remain between the warring parties, specifically over Iran’s nuclear programme.The White House says discussions around a possible second round of peace talks between the US and Iran are "ongoing" and "productive" - but no time or place have been confirmed. The two-week ceasefire is due to end on 22 April.Hosts: Ali Milani and Zoe GrunewaldGuest: Harry ScoffinProducers: Monica Lillis and Hugh Smiley

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