Kmflett's Blog

1986 and 1987. When Tony Benn called out Peter Mandelson

The Guardian (2^nd February 2026) has a powerful Editorial on Peter Mandelson and alleged misconduct in public office

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/feb/02/the-guardian-view-on-the-mandelson-epstein-emails-unavoidable-questions-of-misconduct-in-public-office?CMP=share_btn_url

Tony Benn got there 40 years ago

Tony Benn encountered Mandelson at meetings of the Labour NEC and Shadow Cabinet before the 1987 Election. Neil Kinnock had appointed Mandelson as Communications Director in 1985 and Benn first noted his influence the following year

Benn wrote in his Diary:

Sunday 23^rd February 1986. There was a small piece in the Guardian that Peter Mandelson had rung up the BBC to try to get me taken off the panel for Question Time which I am doing on Thursday.

Later Benn encountered Mandelson in person

Monday 16th February 1987. Today we had a meeting of the NEC and the Shadow Cabinet, the first since Neil Kinnock became leader, Kinnock introduced the meeting and spoke for about twenty minutes.. We went on to Peter Mandelson who said a few words. I find Mandelson a threatening figure for the future of the Party. He came in from the media eighteen months ago and has taken over

Benn proved a shrewder judge of political character than Tony Blair and Keir Starmer