# Quite right!: Starmer didn’t even want Mandelson – so why appoint him?

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Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/best-of-the-spectator-45373/quite-right-starmer-didn-t-even-want-mandelson-so-why-appoint-him.md
Podcast: [Best of the Spectator](https://stenobird.com/podcast/best-of-the-spectator-45373)
Published: 2026-04-21T23:01:00+00:00
Episode link: https://shows.acast.com/best-of-the-spectator/episodes/quite-right-starmer-didnt-even-want-mandelson-so-why-appoint
Audio file: https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/68358fb5e1abc4be6b0308eb/e/69e7e91023929c3a2a6f84a0/media.mp3?tk=eyJ0ayI6ImRlZmF1bHQiLCJhZHMiOnRydWUsInNwb25zIjp0cnVlLCJzdGF0dXMiOiJwdWJsaWMifQ==&sig=NzR5R72HgXWPjdBinEhIW6vSpq5MLE_TShxxRHnR0-k
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Duration seconds: 2418

## Resource

For more from Michael and Maddie, search 'Quite right!' wherever you are listening to this podcast and hit the follow button to never miss an episode. This week: the Mandelson row deepens – and a bigger question about Keir Starmer’s judgment and authority. After a bruising appearance from Olly Robbins at the Foreign Affairs Committee, Michael and Madeline ask whether the Prime Minister’s defence still holds and assess the weaknesses this whole debacle has exposed in Keir Starmer. For example, why did he want Mandelson to be US Ambassador in the first place, given the numerous red flags and the fact that – as Michael suggests – he doesn’t particularly like Mandelson or his style of operating? They also discuss whether this will end up being a resigning issue – and, if Starmer does go, what comes next? With potential successors circling and the local elections looming, would removing him would solve the problem or make it worse? Produced by Oscar Edmondson. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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## Transcript

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