King Charles has delivered his speech at the State Opening of Parliament – outlining a bill to remove disgraced peers following the Mandelson scandal.
As the Prime Minister fights for his job today, in a centuries-old tradition, His Majesty, 77, laid out plans to “change Britain” in a speech written by the current government.
The speech marked the beginning of a new parliamentary session and featured over 35 bills, including one addressing the Lord Mandelson scandal.
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The Removal of Peerages bill was included in the wake of the scandal – which nearly brought down the Prime Minister.
It is intended to create a mechanism for removing the peerages of disgraced peers and applies to current and retired members of the House of Lords.
Currently, disgraced peers can benefit from the status and reputation that comes with their titles even if they are expelled from the House of Lords or resign.
In the King’s Speech today, the bill was said to “serve to protect the integrity of the peerage system and uphold the standards of public life.”
Lord Peter Mandelson, a former ambassador to the US, was fired last September over his Epstein links.
The scandal that followed saw the peer arrested and questioned by police over suspicion of misconduct in a public office. Mandelson has strongly denied any wrongdoing.
Hours before Mandelson was sacked, Number 10 insisted his security vetting for the US Ambassador role was done “in the normal way.”
It later emerged, after officials told MPs vetting was conducted “to the usual standard,” that the body in charge of Mandelson’s vetting had recommended refusing him security clearance for the role.
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Meanwhile, it was revealed that the National Crime Agency probed allegations about Mandelson and Epstein months before he became US ambassador, it has been reported.
Allegations about the disgraced peer’s relationship with the convicted pedophile were reportedly reviewed by Britain’s top police in Spring 2024.
According to reports, a human-rights activist – who had helped to expose Epstein’s sick crimes – approached the NCA with new information.
The crime agency met with the activist and later held a number of follow-up meetings reviewing the allegations about Mandelson and Epstein.
But officials eventually determined the accusations were based on hearsay and a full investigation was never opened, the FT reported.
No10 was then reportedly informed about the allegations after the case was dropped by the NCA in Summer 2024.
And, the first batch of the Mandelson files released by the government showed the Prime Minister was warned Mandelson kept “a particularly close relationship” with paedo Epstein.
The Prime Minister was advised by the Cabinet Office Propriety and Ethics team that appointing him posed a “general reputational risk.”
And a vetting file on the Labour grandee said Epstein’s records showed contact beginning in 2002 and continuing after his 2008 conviction.
Due diligence papers noted newspaper reports that Mandelson stayed at Epstein’s house while the paedo was in jail in June 2009.
Concerns were also raised about Mandelson’s ties to Russia and China but the Labour peer became British ambassador to the US in February 2025.
The Prime Minister has been unable to shake off the controversy around the ex-Labour grandee’s appointment to the US ambassador job.
Sir Olly Robbins – sacked by the PM over the vetting failure– told of “constant pressure” from No10 to approve Lord Mandelson’s security vetting.
He was fired after Sir Keir claimed he had overruled advice from the vetting agencies to deny Lord Mandelson security clearance.
Papers announcing the Removal of Peerages bill read: “The Government was elected on the promise of increasing accountability and ensuring that all serving peers meet the high standards the public expects.”
Deputy Editor & UK News
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