A senior US congressman has claimed that the British government and the monarchy could be brought down by an ongoing scandal, according to GB News.
Ro Khanna, a California Democrat, issued the warning ahead of convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell’s closed-door testimony to a US House committee on Monday. He stated that Lord Mandelson “may bring down the whole Government, from what I hear”.
Mr Khanna elaborated on the allegations, stating: “[Mandelson] engaged in terrible behaviour. The allegations are very serious – that he was working for Gordon Brown and then feeding information about UK possibly buying Euros and having Epstein trade on that.”
Royal Family under pressure
The American lawmaker also directed attention to the Royal Family, claiming: “I think this is the most vulnerable the British monarchy has ever been.” He suggested that “they ought to ask the King and Queen questions” and that “maybe this will be the end of the monarchy”.
This comes after the Palace said King Charles had “made his profound concern clear” over his brother Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s links to the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. The King even pledged his support to Thames Valley Police if it approached the Crown in any probe into his brother.
Political fallout in Westminster
The controversy surrounding Lord Mandelson has triggered significant political turmoil. Police are still investigating the Labour grandee over allegations of misconduct in public office. It is understood that his position is that he has not acted in any way criminally, and that he was not motivated by financial gain.
The chaos forced Prime Minister Keir Starmer to face what was described as the most serious threat to his leadership on Monday. Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar demanded his resignation over the Mandelson affair, describing Sir Keir as a “friend” and a “decent man” but said there had been “too many mistakes”.
“The distraction needs to end and the leadership in Downing Street has to change,” Mr Sarwar told journalists in Glasgow.
This intervention was reported to put Labour’s 37 Scottish MPs on a collision course with Westminster, forcing them to choose between their regional leader and the Prime Minister. One, Brian Leishman, had preempted his local leader by labelling the PM’s position “untenable” on Sunday night.
However, Cabinet colleagues rallied behind Sir Keir. Scottish Secretary Douglas Alexander joined others in backing the Prime Minister, as ministers were led by Deputy PM David Lammy in offering support. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said Mr Sarwar was “wrong”, while chief whip Jonathan Reynolds cautioned: “Resorting to infighting now does not serve the country.”
Resignations and release of documents
Within Downing Street, No10 Chief of staff Morgan McSweeney and communications director Tim Allan both resigned over Lord Mandelson’s appointment as US ambassador.
The Prime Minister addressed staff on Monday morning, urging them to “go forward from here” and demonstrate that politics can be a “force for good”. He said: “The thing that makes me most angry is the undermining of the belief that politics can be a force for good and can change lives.”
The Government now faces releasing tens of thousands of emails, messages and documents connected to Lord Mandelson’s vetting. Sir Keir Starmer maintains he was misled by the Labour grandee about his relationship with Epstein.
Meanwhile, Ghislaine Maxwell, who fielded questions from a US House committee on Monday, gave no answer to every single one.
