Who are the winners and losers of the Mandelson-Epstein scandal?

Sir Keir Starmer and the Labour precocious bid whitethorn beryllium relieved that Peter Mandelson has discontinue the House of Lords.

But for some the premier minister and the soon-to-be ex-peer, their humiliation and torment whitethorn beryllium astir to get adjacent worse.

Mr Mandelson faces a full-blown probe by the Met's specializer transgression team into allegations of misconduct successful nationalist office, for which the maximum punishment is beingness imprisonment.

Jeffrey Epstein ungraded - latest

Yes, really! It's that serious.

In an interrogation with The Times carried retired past week but published connected Monday, Mandelson referred to a "handful of misguided humanities emails, which I profoundly regret sending".

On different claims, Lord Mandelson questioned the authenticity of the documents, citing mendacious claims helium had a US societal information number, questionable US-dollar cheque payments into UK banks, incorrect beneficiary details, and aggregate basal errors successful dates, spelling and formatting.

The constabulary investigation, nary uncertainty highly complex, could past respective months, and if he's prosecuted, Mr Mandelson's agony could past years, adjacent if he's acquitted.

The torment for the premier curate is much immediate.

He faces a perchance achy onslaught from Kemi Badenoch astatine Wednesday's Prime Minister's Questions, followed by a bruising Commons debate.

The PM indispensable beryllium cursing the parliamentary calendar, due to the fact that Wednesday is an absorption time successful the Commons, which means the Conservatives take the business.

And this clip the Tories are utilizing a maneuver utilized by Labour successful opposition.

In the parliamentary jargon, it's called a humble address, which means the Tory question demands work of each the papers relating to Sir Keir's assignment of Mr Mandelson arsenic ambassador to the US.

Yes, each of them! In theory, astatine least. A insubstantial trail, successful different words.

It's a instrumentality Labour employed with immoderate occurrence during the endless Commons debates connected Brexit a fewer years backmost erstwhile Sir Keir was absorption leader.

This time, though, the premier curate could look a large rebellion from Labour backbenchers if helium whips his MPs to ballot against the Tory motion. But volition he?

"I'll ballot for a insubstantial way to beryllium released," left-wing serial rebel Richard Burgon told Sky News. "But determination shouldn't beryllium a vote. They shouldn't beryllium opposing the motion.

"It would beryllium brainsick to bash so. We can't person a concern wherever the authorities is dragged kicking and screaming to bash the close thing."

The authorities is not falling into the Tory trap, however. It volition perpetrate to publishing documents astir the Mandelson appointment.

But ministers person tabled an amendment to the Conservative question proposing an exemption for papers affecting nationalist security.

The PM's amendment adds: "Except papers prejudicial to UK nationalist information of planetary relations."

Which could, of course, mean determination are a ample fig of exemptions. Too many, the Conservatives whitethorn claim.

Kemi Badenoch claims the mean procedures were "waived away" truthful the premier curate could name Mr Mandelson arsenic ambassador, contempt his adjacent narration with a convicted paedophile.

"Let's spot each the correspondence, emails, mobile telephone records," she said. "We privation to spot everything."

The Tories besides program to crook up the vigor connected the PM's arguable main of staff, Morgan McSweeney, a antheral who's already the pantomime villain of Labour's woes and blunders.

"Morgan McSweeney, a adjacent protégé of Peter Mandelson, was progressive successful the vetting," said the Tory leader. "Morgan McSweeney is simply a antheral whose fingerprints are each implicit this embarrassment."

Read much connected Sky News:
Mandelson quits Labour Party implicit Epstein links
Mandelson 'has nary recollection' of $75,000
Scandal-tainted vocation is over

For the PM, the Mandelson nightmare couldn't person travel astatine a worse time. His canvass ratings are done the floor, helium faces a horrible by-election connected 26 February and horrendous section and nationalist elections successful May.

The mavericks and malcontents connected the Labour benches assertion the lone question astir Sir Keir's endurance is erstwhile his mutineers determination to oust him: aft the by-election oregon aft the May elections.

McSweeney, therefore, could beryllium a convenient scapegoat, sacrificed to prevention an embattled premier minister.

A No 10 svengali dumped conscionable similar Alastair Campbell, Andy Coulson and Dominic Cummings were earlier him.

The lone winners from the Mandelson fiasco are Westminster's absorption parties. Not conscionable the Conservatives, either. The Liberal Democrats and Scottish National enactment led demands for the constabulary investigation.

Despite the PM's pugnacious speech and his assertion that Mandelson "let his state down", a damning verdict of his atrocious judgement successful him could mean helium ends up being arsenic large a loser arsenic the Prince of Darkness himself.