Following the entirely predictable fall from grace of Peter Mandelson it is noticeable how many of his former close friends and allies have rushed to comment, first to distance themselves and then to suggest that the whole affair is a minor management problem for the Prime Minister. It is much more than that.

The real problem for Labour members and supporters is that Mandelson was simply one of the rather more visible symptoms of a major systemic flaw in Labour Party governance that stretches back to Blair and Kinnock. Party leaders and their often invisible apparatchiks decided years ago that they were frustrated by the democratic structures at the heart of the Party which gave the membership a firm grip on policy and procedure. Using bland marketing terms like ‘New Labour’ they decided to ride the electoral strength of the working class party whilst delivering a centrist social democrat model of governance regardless of the views of members and voters. Under Blair there was some success with this approach, but this was very largely powered by the country’s disdain for discredited Tory politicians. Vocal left wing critics found themselves progressively squeezed out often using procedural processes of very dubious quality.

Mandelson undoubtedly brought a new level of vicious efficiency to the subversion of party democracy whilst also schmoozing his way around the dinner party circuits of the powerful voices in Labour. Unfortunately his world view seemed to encompass virtually none of the socialist principles that should be at the very heart of the UK Labour Party. Scandal after scandal has shown his true colours, where he creeps around the parties of the mega rich and zero principled tycoons of the world. Partying in his pants with evil manipulators like Epstein was always his thing, and who is really surprised that his trade with these people was to offer a traitorous abuse of the confidences he was granted as a minister, an MP, a Lord. Paying for his place at the table by undermining our democracy and our economy.

Any crocodile tears about him now from Gordon Brown, Wes Streeting, Pat McFadden, Starmer himself or other leading Labour modernisers should be taken with a pinch of salt. The authoritarian centrists dominating Labour have been rumbled, and as Corporal Jones might say they really don’t like it up them. Perversely the release of some Epstein material has given global media prominence to things that many of us knew for years anyway, although some of the revelations about Mandelson’s treacherous leaking take his reputation to a new unplumbed depth of depravity.

I have been a Labour member and supporter for over five decades, and enjoyed a roller coaster relationship with the Party. At times I have been feted and in favour, selected and elected many times. At other times I have been blocked, subverted, briefed against and barred from candidacy. There is no particular rhyme or reason for this rocky ride. On the up times I have found myself on first name terms with ministers and leaders, and in this context I once found myself at dinner with Mr Mandelson. It was an underwhelming experience. He glibly dismissed his selection for Hartlepool as being a matter of ‘just dancing with some old women’ and his failing relationship with veracity was highlighted during his speech by a woman sitting next to him who increasingly loudly repeated ‘he’s lying’. He dealt with this by just lying a bit louder. It is fair to say he lost the room.

The fatal attraction of every recent Labour Prime Minister to their darling “Peter” has been equally damaging to each of them, yet they seem blinded to the inevitable fall from grace that has marked his every role. Now they rush to distance themselves, with the notable exception so far of old ‘demon eyes’ Blair. One to watch there.

So what now? As I type, the news comes through that Morgan McSweeney has ‘resigned’ today, no doubt with a substantial Starmer sized boot imprint on his backside and a fat payoff fee. Not a surprise, backbenchers were determined that one of the two would be going now and the chief of staff is an easier replacement task. The problem as ever is much bigger than the individuals clinging to the greasy pole of power. If Labour is to regain any credibility with voters and supporters it must urgently go back to its proper democratic structures and member control.

First to go must be the central control of candidacies and selections. Trust local members to make the right choices, they are the ones who have to live with the consequences. Ironically Starmer himself called for this until the very moment that the candidate axe was placed in his sweaty hands. Secondly the Party officers must be made accountable to the membership, not the leadership. There has been a culture of fear for any local members tempted to express support for Jeremy Corbyn or other left wingers which must be excised completely. Processes and decisions must be completely transparent to all members.

Funding for MPs from any foreign countries or their agents must be refused and returned in full. There is a growing fear that cabinet ministers and others are making policy decisions based on lobbyist interests, not public interest. Any change in the law to prevent such funding should be a government priority and would also hit Reform and the Tories hard. We need a public funding mechanism to replace these grubby donor investments.

Labour needs to offer an amnesty to the many MPs and members who have been evicted in recent years essentially because they have been the voice of the left. Corbyn, Sultana, Driscoll and others command support and respect and should be inside the Party with their talents harnessed not thwarted by insecure leadership. They may not wish to return, but the offer should be made. It is worth noting that under Corbyn Labour membership peaked to a century high, and also that Labour recorded its highest popular vote (12,877,918) under his leadership in 2017, way higher than the votes Starmer got (9,704,655) in 2024. Our flawed voting system accounts for the different outcomes, that too must be urgently addressed in this parliamentary term.

Genuine socialist policies are popular and needed more than ever now. A Labour government should prioritise the return of utilities like water to public control urgently and take measures quickly to stem the flow of right wing propaganda on social media and the BBC and other news sources. The Party needs some plain speaking working class heroes in the tradition of Prescott and Skinner, and not to casually suppress their current equivalents in the form of Angela Rayner and many others who are still rooted in their communities.

I am a loyal Labour member and plan to stay that way, but I am tired of seeing our Party snatched away from us by a super rich minority elite. The battle now is for the survival of the Labour Party, and it is now crystal clear that currently it is doomed. Change must come from within.

© A Loyal Labour Member
Norwich Eye
8 February 2026