Peter Mandelson sacked me 40 years ago . This is how it feels to see his downfall

thenational.scot · Feb 22, 2026 · Collected from GDELT

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A FORMER journalist who was sacked by Peter Mandelson more than 40 years ago has told of his vindication after the former ambassador’s dramatic fall from grace. John Booth, who was briefly hired as Mandelson’s deputy at the Labour Party press office in 1985 before being dismissed, told the Sunday National that the culture his former boss inaugurated in the party had contributed to its current woes. He described Mandelson as a “conniving liar”, echoing Keir Starmer’s criticism of his pick to be the UK’s man in Washington, despite knowing about his connections to the notorious paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. The revelations about Mandelson's friendship with Epstein not only ended his diplomatic career but threw Starmer's Government into its profoundest crisis to date. Screengrab of a video of John Booth being interviewed (Image: Platform Films/YouTube) He is the subject of an ongoing police inquiry over allegations of misconduct in public office after emails released in the Epstein Files appeared to show him leaking confidential information to the convicted paedophile during the financial crisis. Mandelson has denied wrongdoing. “I couldn’t predict what was going to happen 40 years later with Epstein and everything else but I could see a pattern that was unhealthy for the future of the party then, and we’re now living with it,” said the 79-year-old Yorkshireman who now lives in Kirkcaldy, Fife. “He would persuade a lot of ambitious young people, both in the lobby and also in the party, that the way to do politics was the way he did it, and that to me was not a constructive, positive way forward. It was exclusive, it had the nature of factional chicanery right from the beginning and of course, we’ve now seen the result of that, which is having a Cabinet of people lacking in stature and calibre. Many of them are used to lying almost as a routine. “Over the years, that’s just alienated more and more people from the Labour Party. It’s not the only reason, but a lot of people have been alienated from them, and the result is they’re now struggling to get people on the ground at the by-election that’s coming up next Thursday.” Of his feelings after seeing Mandelson's fall from grace, Booth said: “As my nan used to say, worse things happen at sea.” He added: “When I suffered the consequences of Mandelson’s ire, it was very disappointing because I was in my 30s and I thought, well, I’d like to make a contribution to politics in Britain, that was the whole plan. Lord Peter Mandelson carrying his dog whilst leaving his home in north west London (Image: Maja Smiejkowska) “Obviously, once I’d fallen foul of Mandelson – which was supported by Neil Kinnock – that brought things to an end. But you can’t wake up with that kind of grievance for the rest of your life. You’ve got to get on with other things. “There’s a bit of satisfaction, but obviously you have to come to terms with the fact that 40 years ago, any ambition I might have had, either in journalism or in politics, was blighted, and that is quite hard to live with.” Booth has continued his writing and campaign work in the intervening years, helping to found the Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign, which has led the charge to defend miners who were assaulted and lied about by the police during the Miners’ Strike. Mandelson’s representative did not respond to a request for comment.