Key events
Richard Adams
Meanwhile, Nick Clegg, the politician who enabled the current system of university tuition fees and student loans in England, has now described it as “a mess”.
The former Lib Dem leader, a key member of the coalition government that tripled tuition fees to £9,000 a year, is blaming later changes including freezing the graduate repayment threshold, which Clegg said has made the system “deeply unfair” and that graduates “quite rightly feel very sore”.
Clegg’s comments relate to Plan 2 loans for tuition fees and maintenance issued to undergraduates between 2012 and 2023. The earnings thresholds at which graduates start repaying those loans will be frozen at £29,385 between 2027 and 2030. Current students receive Plan 5 loans, which have a lower repayment threshold of £25,000 and are written off after 40 years rather than 30 under Plan 2.
Clegg told the BBC the government’s priority should be to restore a link between inflation and the graduate earnings threshold, so that the threshold rises over time. He also wants an independent body to oversee the terms of student loans.
Peter Mandelson was spotted leaving his home in London this morning as the government prepares to release documents relating to his appointment as ambassador to the US in 2024.
What are the Mandelson documents set to be released today?
As a reminder, here is what we know about the Mandelson documents set to be released today:
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The documents relate to Peter Mandelson’s appointment as ambassador to the US in December 2024, at a time when his links with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein were publicly known.
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Prime minister Keir Starmer sacked Mandelson from his Washington role last September after a trove of emails revealed the depth of his ties with Epstein.
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Last month’s release of files relating to the investigation of Epstein by the US justice department showed that Mandelson maintained his relationship with Epstein after Epstein served a sentence for soliciting prostitution from a minor in 2008.
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Starmer admitted he knew of Mandelson’s friendship with Epstein but said Mandelson had “lied repeatedly” to No 10 about the extent of that relationship.
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MPs ordered the government to release tens of thousands of documents relating to Mandelson’s appointment in 2024 after questions over how the peer was vetted and what was known about his links to Epstein.
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The documents being released today are the first batch of tens of thousands of files and will include correspondence between Cabinet Office, Downing Street and Foreign Office officials about Mandelson.
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Mandelson was arrested last month on suspicion of misconduct in a public office after allegations that he leaked confidential information to Epstein while serving as business secretary in Gordon Brown’s cabinet. He has denied any wrongdoing.
In other news, hereditary peerages will be abolished before the next king’s speech after a deal was struck granting life peerages to some Conservatives and cross-benchers losing their seats.
The upper chamber accepted a final draft of the House of Lords (hereditary peers) bill yesterday, marking the end of its passage through parliament and clearing the way for it to be added to the statute book.
Since 1999, up to 92 hereditary peers have been able to sit in the upper house and cast their votes in the lobbies but the bill effectively reduces this quota to zero.
Nadeem Badshah has more on this story here:
The timing of the documents’ release – following PMQs – has led to accusations from the Conservatives that Keir Starmer is attempting to “dodge questions” about Mandelson’s vetting and appointment.
Shadow Cabinet Office minister Alex Burghart said: “His fingers are all over this.
“He’s already admitted that he knew about Mandelson’s ongoing relationship with Epstein when he appointed him.
“Time and again his judgment has been found wanting.”
‘Big number’ of documents to be released
Cabinet minister Darren Jones said a “big number” of documents will be released about Peter Mandelson’s appointment, Press Association reports, although it is only expected to be a fraction of the papers demanded by Parliament.
Last month, MPs ordered the government to release tens of thousands of documents relating to Lord Mandelson’s appointment as US ambassador in 2024 after questions over how the peer was vetted and what was known about his links to paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.
Keir Starmer has insisted Mandelson “lied repeatedly” to No 10 about his relationship with Epstein, before and during his tenure as ambassador.
The documents to be released today are those which have been cleared for publication by the police investigating Mandelson.
Mandelson was arrested on 23 February on suspicion of misconduct in public office, having been accused of passing sensitive information on to Epstein during his time as business secretary.
He was subsequently bailed, but later released from his bail conditions, although he remains under investigation.
Opening summary: Mandelson documents to be released after PMQs
Good morning and welcome to our coverage of UK politics with the news that the government is to release hundreds of documents relating to Peter Mandelson’s appointment as ambassador to the US later today.
The documents will not be released until after Prime Minister’s Questions, meaning MPs will not be able to directly press Keir Starmer on their contents.
Chief secretary to the prime minister, Darren Jones, has defended the timing of the release.
Jones, who will make a Commons statement to set out the release of the documents, said: “We were always teed up to report in early March with the first tranche of documents, which is what we’re doing this afternoon.
“Because I run the Cabinet Office, at the centre of government, it was always my responsibility to give those updates to the House of Commons and statements always come after Prime Minister’s Questions.”
He told Times Radio: “There will be a second tranche of documents that will come at a later stage.”
In other developments:
I’m afraid due to staffing constraints there will be no comments on the blog today. Many apologies for this.
