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Speaker 1: Mike Pierce, our UK europe correspondent joins US Live. Mike,

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Speaker 1: what's the latest with Mandelssohn?

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Speaker 2: Well, Lord Mandelson, of course, one of the UK's best

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Speaker 2: known political figures, has resigned eventually from Parliament, in fact,

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Speaker 2: in the last couple of hours. It follows the latest

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Speaker 2: release of those Epstein files. Now, responding to the news,

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Speaker 2: UK Prime Minister Kiss Starmer said he let the country down.

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Speaker 2: It comes after the government said if he didn't resign,

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Speaker 2: they'd introduce legal powers to sack him, but for now

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Speaker 2: he keeps his title as a lord. That's because of

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Speaker 2: existing rules. The governments say will introduce legislation to deal

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Speaker 2: with that now. Documents reveal a close relationship with Epstein,

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Speaker 2: who it's claimed made payments to him of seventy five

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Speaker 2: thousand US dollars and his partner twenty thousand dollars. He's

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Speaker 2: also under investigation by police overclaims he passed on top

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Speaker 2: secret government information. Now that's the big allegation he sent

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Speaker 2: that really has sent this matter into overdrive. Here he

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Speaker 2: was also pictured, as you may recall, in his underpants

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Speaker 2: at the weekend in one of Epstein's homes when those

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Speaker 2: documents were released. Now this is turning out to be

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Speaker 2: one one of the biggest political scandals in the UK.

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Speaker 2: For many years, Manilson held many key government posts over

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Speaker 2: the last forty years and was UK Ambassador to the

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Speaker 2: United States. Now, in another development, a charity set up

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Speaker 2: by Sarah Ferguson, she the former wife of Prince Andrew,

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Speaker 2: has closed after new revelations about her relationship with Epstein.

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Speaker 2: It's claimed she was in contact with him while he

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Speaker 2: was in prison, and the King's brother, Prince Edward said

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Speaker 2: a short time ago it was important to remember in

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Speaker 2: all of this the victims.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, one hundred percent. Now what about this being on

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Speaker 1: Russia taking part at the World Cup? Apparently could soon

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Speaker 1: be lifted.

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Speaker 2: True, Well, that is what we are hearing, and of

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Speaker 2: course it does follow a very controversial decision to lift

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Speaker 2: the ban at the next Paralympic Games. Now, the FIFA president,

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Speaker 2: of course they manage the whole World Cup, says we

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Speaker 2: have to look at restoring Russian teams, adding the ban

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Speaker 2: has not achieved anything, it's just created more frustration and hatred.

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Speaker 2: Of course, the next World Cup games get underway in

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Speaker 2: June and they're being held in America, Canada, and Mexico.

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Speaker 2: The Ukrainian Sports minister has branded the remark as irresponsible.

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Speaker 2: The ban was imposed at the start of the war,

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Speaker 2: which is four years ago. Some European football associations say

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Speaker 2: they are horrified now it comes after that decision to

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Speaker 2: allow Russia to compete in the next Paralympics. Organizers they're

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Speaker 2: saying they don't think athletes would use the games for

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Speaker 2: political reasons. Now more than thirty countries in Europe opposed

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Speaker 2: to that decision will use the Winter Olympics opening in

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Speaker 2: Milan on Friday as a platform to demand a rethink

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Speaker 2: on that policy.

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Speaker 1: All right, thanks to their update. That is Mike Persi,

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Speaker 1: UK europe correspondent. For more from Early edition with Ryan Bridge.

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Speaker 1: Listen live to News Talks it be from five am weekdays,

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Speaker 1: or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.