Rachael Maskell has said the growing scandal around Peter Mandelson is "about judgement of character".

Speaking to the Politics Hub, the backbench Labour MP calls for an independent investigation into his conduct, asking "where else has his tentacles of power run into?"

Maskell previously introduced a bill to parliament, the Removal of Titles Bill, which she calls "timely".

"It's waiting for its second reading, and parliament could rush that through and address the issue of the peerage," she says. 

Asked about why Lord Mandelson has bounced back so frequently throughout his career - he has been forced to resign or been fired three times - Maskell says: "Well, it's a very good question why so many people have depended on Peter Mandelson over the years, because clearly he has fallen so many times and yet seems to then be elevated to higher positions. 

"So I think there are serious questions that have got to be asked about judgement. 

"This is about judgement of character, but also it's about ensuring justice to those people who have fallen under him."

Challenged if she is referring to Sir Keir Starmer's judgement specifically, Maskell responds: "Well, none of us know exactly what those conversations are at the heart of government, but apparently there is close relationship between Peter Mandelson and several people, whether in the cabinet, the prime minister himself and of course his chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney. 

"We don't know what those conversations are, but we want to know."

She adds that within the Labour Party, there are "concerns that there are a few people controlling our party, when we believe it should belong back to the members, back to the public".

Mandelson has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. 

The Metropolitan Police says it is aware of the latest release of files related to Jeffrey Epstein and confirms it has received "a number of reports relating to alleged misconduct in a public office". 

Ella Marriott, Commander of the Met, said: "The reports will all be reviewed to determine if they meet the criminal threshold for investigation.

"As with any matter, if new and relevant information is brought to our attention we will assess it, and investigate as appropriate."

Stephen Flynn has attacked Sir Keir Starmer for his judgement, over the growing scandal around Lord Mandelson.

His comments follow the SNP Westminster leader reporting Mandelson to the Metropolitan Police earlier today.

He did this after new documents suggested Mandelson - then serving as business secretary - gave paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein advanced notice of a €500bn EU bank bailout in 2010.

Mandelson has been contacted for a comment following the fresh allegations.

Speaking to Jonathan Samuels on Paste BN, he said: "This is a matter of judgement - the prime minister's decision to appoint Peter Mandelson as the ambassador to the United States. 

"This is a matter of weakness. The prime minister's inability to take swift and decisive action, and this is now a matter of trust. Trust from the public in our institutions."

Challenged that the PM says these are all fresh revelations and that Mandelson was sacked in September as soon as he learned of the depth of Mandelson's relationship with Epstein, Flynn responded: "The prime minister knew that Peter Mandelson was pals with Jeffrey Epstein. 

"He knew what Jeffrey Epstein had been convicted of previously, and he still chose to appoint Peter Mandelson as his ambassador."

MPs should sit all night to remove Mandelson from Lords

Asked whether he believes the government is doing enough to remove Mandelson from the Lords, he said: "We could be sitting tonight, all night moving primary legislation to remove Peter Mandelson from the House of Lords. 

"They're choosing not to do that. Instead, they say that there needs to be some sort of reform of the rules in the House of Lords.

"That could take, I don't know, an unknown period of time, weeks, months, even, maybe beyond that."

He suggested ministers "don't want to get into this" because it would open up a way to remove other Labour peers.

"If the government wanted, they could give time to that bill tonight or tomorrow," he added.

"They're choosing not to do that."

The Politics Hub has just begun and can now be watched live in the stream above. 

On tonight's show, Matt Barbet speaks to Labour MP Rachael Maskell about the latest allegations about Peter Mandelson's conduct. 

Plus, Matt also speaks to political historian Sir Anthony Seldon about the way forward, as MPs seek to figure out a way to give Mandelson the boot from the House of Lords. 

The last time this was done was to remove a number of peers during the First World War.

Matt's also joined by panellists Tom Pursglove - a former Tory MP - and Plaid Cymru Westminster leader Liz Saville Roberts. 

Of course, we'll bring you the very latest from the show, right here on the Politics Hub.

Lord Mandelson sent Jeffrey Epstein an email saying he "finally got him to go", the day before Gordon Brown resigned as prime minister.

It's part of the latest tranche of documents released by the US Department of Justice. 

The email was sent from Peter Mandelson to the disgraced financier on 10 May 2010.

He does not name the person he is referring to and there has been no confirmation of what the email is about, however it came one day before Brown announced his resignation as Labour Party head and prime minister.

Mandelson, who resigned his Labour Party membership today over his links to Epstein, was business secretary in Brown's cabinet at the time the email was sent.

Epstein replies saying: "I have faith, the value of some chapters in your book should now increase." 

Mandelson then makes reference to secret tunnels linking Number 10 and the Ministry of Defence.

An SNP politician has asked if the growing scandal engulfing Peter Mandelson means it is now time to abolish the House of Lords.

Chris Law tells the Commons: "Peter Mandelson leaking confidential government secrets to paedophile Jeffrey Epstein whilst business secretary should be more than enough to evidence to warrant expelling him from the House of Lords. And yet we're here today. 

"That's not going to happen through legislation, sadly. This is yet another scandal in the House of Lords. 

"And worse, Labour has promised major law reform over hundreds of years. Time and again they've kicked the can down the road. 

"So does the chief secretary agree with many in this House that rather than desperately trying to reform what's an embarrassingly broken system, it is time for the House of Lords to be finally abolished?"

Responding, Darren Jones says that Law knows the government believes Mandelson should no longer sit in the Lords and shouldn't use his title.

The cabinet minister adds: "But he is right that the rules need to be updated to allow for that action to be implemented by the House of Lords. 

"We've written to the House of Lords authorities today to say that that work must begin, and the government stands ready to support them in doing that."

Mandelson has been contacted by Paste BN over the latest allegations, but has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.

A Conservative MP has said the police should be "immediately" involved in any investigation into Peter Mandelson's time in government, due to the risk of "destruction of evidence".

Tom Tugendhat says: "The police should be called immediately because what we're seeing right now is misconduct in public office. 

"This goes all the way to the chief of staff, to the prime minister, and the possibility of destruction of evidence and obscuring a future prosecution is now raising in possibility, and it is being masked by his government."

Responding, Darren Jones insists he refutes "in the strongest possible terms any accusation that the government would seek to interfere or block any investigation".

The chief secretary to the PM adds: "It's absolutely wrong to suggest that documents would be made unavailable or deleted. 

"The cabinet secretary is today reviewing the government archives from the time in question. 

"We'll comply with any investigation that then takes place. 

"I think the right honourable gentleman must know that to accuse me or other parts of the government of misdemeanour in the way he has is wholly unsatisfactory. Am I to say out of character?"

Multiple MPs have called on the government to say that Peter Mandelson should be under criminal investigation.

It follows allegations that Lord Mandelson leaked sensitive UK government tax plans to Jeffrey Epstein when he was the business secretary and gave him advanced warning of a €500bn EU bank bailout in 2010.

This comes from documents released by the US Department of Justice.

Dame Emily Thornberry, who chairs the Foreign Affairs Committee, says: "Surely this is not a matter of whether Peter Mandelson be in the House of Lords. This is a matter of whether the police should be involved."

Similarly, SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn, says: "I cannot understand why the minister is acting like the Labour Party have been proactive in relation to this when they have known for months about Peter Mandelson revelations, and yet have allowed him to maintain a party membership throughout that time. 

"And I cannot understand why half an hour ago, the prime minister of the United Kingdom did not just apologise for his decision-making, his lack of judgement and say that Peter Mandelson should be subject to a criminal investigation."

Watch: Sky's chief politics correspondent Jon Craig on the SNP's call for a police investigation

Responding to these calls, Darren Jones tells the Commons: "The undeclared exchange of funds, the passing on of government information, let alone the facts that those exchanges were to a convicted paedophile, are wholly unconscionable. 

"The House will know that if any of those activities were to take place today, ministers would be swiftly relieved of their duties and could be, via the record petitions available to the House, removed from their constituency too.

"As to the matter of criminal investigations, of course, that is a matter for the prosecution services and the police."

Responding specifically to Flynn's allegations, the chief secretary to the PM insisted: "Neither the Labour Party nor the government or indeed this House or the honourable member knew about the information that was made available by the US Department of Justice only a matter of days ago.

"As soon as that information became available, the government has acted accordingly."

Mandelson has previously insisted: "I was wrong to believe Epstein following his conviction and to continue my association with him afterwards. 

"I apologise unequivocally for doing so to the women and girls who suffered."

Paste BN has approached him over the latest allegations.

The Conservatives have said an investigation into Peter Mandelson's past conduct must include his time as US ambassador last year.

Alex Burghart is responding to the minister's statement on Lord Mandelson and his relationship with dead paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. 

The shadow Cabinet Office minster points to the latest documents released by the US government, and the government announcing a Cabinet Office investigation into Mandelson's past conduct.

But he adds: "It is not enough to consider Mandelson's historic conduct. 

"There also needs to be an investigation into his behaviour whilst he was our ambassador in Washington, given that he abused his previous position, it is entirely conceivable that he abused his most recent one."

Mandelson has previously told journalists: "I was wrong to believe Epstein following his conviction and to continue my association with him afterwards. 

"I apologise unequivocally for doing so to the women and girls who suffered."

'It is time that someone took responsibility' for Mandelson appointment

Burghart continues: "The government cannot hide from its responsibility in having made Mandelson its ambassador in the first place. This was a political appointment. It happened only because of political pressure.

"Either there was the most terrible failure of the vetting system, or the government chose to brush that vetting information away.

"And both are very serious. But the government must now be honest with us, about which it was."

He concludes by asking who in Number 10 "knew what and when" and if the PM "genuinely did not know".

"Something went very badly wrong with this appointment... and it is time that someone took responsibility," he ends.

Darren Jones responds: "The person that has to take responsibility for their failings is Peter Mandelson."

He insists that the information Mandelson gave during vetting was "not wholly truthful".