Peter Mandelson is a "six out of ten problem for Keir Starmer" but a bigger problem for Downing Street chief of staff Morgan McSweeney, our deputy political editor Sam Coates says on this morning's Politics at Sam and Anne's podcast.

While Starmer has "put quite a lot of distance between himself and Mandelson", the former ambassador to the US is "McSweeney's guy". 

"McSweeney pushed [Mandelson's appointment] through. Here's a guy who took Mandelson to his wife's fundraisers. He spoke to him on the phone every day."

Sam says that while it was thought McSweeny's job might be on the line if Labour did badly in elections in May, after the Mandelson affair angry Labour MPs could come for him even sooner.

And, Sam points out the Conservatives could try and force the disclosure of some documents on Lord Mandelson's appointment when they have an opposition day debate in the Commons tomorrow.

Listen to the full episode below....

Families of children with cancer will pay travel costs under a new £10m scheme.

Health minister Karin Smyth tells Paste BN that a cancer diagnosis is "shocking for anyone", but for children, families have to travel to get a diagnosis.

"There are 13 specialist centres, so people generally have to travel for that specialist care because it's different having cancer in children and young people."

She says she's "really pleased, as part of our cancer plan, to be able to support those families with those travel costs, so that they're not having to think about paying for that travel and how they're going to cope with their family income at the same time as supporting their children."

The government is publishing the national cancer plan for England tomorrow.

Peter Mandelson appears not to recognise the seriousness on his links with Epstein, health minister Karin Smyth says.

She tells our lead politics presenter Sophy Ridge: "I'm sure you've seen and interviewed over time, men that have been involved in similar sorts of behaviour, seem to not be able to recognise their own self in that.

"That is part of them having to deal with the level of seriousness and seeing it how other people see it, and people shouldn't put that out in the public domain having those interviews - it is a time for reflection and recognise how serious this is."

She is responding to an interview in The Times, where Lord Mandelson said: "It felt like being killed without actually dying. I've had a lot of bad luck, no doubt some of it of my own making. I need a reset."

Smyth appears to shake her head when Sophy reads that out.

Asked whether Lord Mandelson realises the seriousness of the matter, Smyth says: "I think by the sound of that interview, that would suggest not, but I'm not sure when that interview took place."

The Times interview took place on 25 January and again on Sunday.

Peter Mandelson should testify before US Congress about Jeffrey Epstein, a minister tells Paste BN.

Asked by Sophy Ridge five times whether Lord Mandelson should testify, health minister Karin Smyth says: "That's a yes, isn't it? Because anybody who's got information should support the investigation, should be as open, you know, as they can be and as whatever."

Smyth answers Sophy's previous questions by saying "anybody with any evidence around the whole Epstein issue" should testify, without directly referring to Lord Mandelson.

Asked about Mandelson appearing to leak market sensitive information to Epstein while a minister in 2009, Smyth says that government data security is much stronger today.

She adds the government is looking at ways to remove Lord Mandelson's peerage, including working cross-party to pass a law in parliament to strip it.

In the latest tranche of Epstein files released by the US Justice Department, emails appear to show Lord Mandelson giving Epstein advance notice of a €500bn EU bank bailout in 2010.

Mandelson was emailed by Epstein, who wrote: "Sources tell me 500 b euro bailout , almost complete (sic)."

He then appears to reply: "Sd be announced tonight".

Epstein then asks if he is home, to which Mandelson replies: "Just leaving No10... will call".

Lord Mandelson was business secretary and de-facto deputy prime minister at the time.

The €500bn deal was approved the next day by European governments as they tried to pull the currency through the 2010 "Eurozone" crisis - where countries such as Greece, Portugal, Ireland, and Cyprus were unable to repay or refinance their government debt.

The UK did not contribute to the bailout. However, the then chancellor Alistair Darling was present in Brussels for the negotiations.

Other emails appear to show Lord Mandelson telling Epstein he was "trying hard" to change government policy on bankers' bonuses at his request, months after the convicted sex trafficker had paid tens of thousands of pounds to the peer's husband.

Lord Mandelson has not responded to the latest allegations. However, in an interview with The Times carried out last week but published on Monday, he referred to a "handful of misguided historical emails, which I deeply regret sending", and described Epstein as "muck that you can't get off your shoe".

The Metropolitan Police is investigating allegations of misconduct in public office to "determine if they meet the criminal threshold for investigation".

The Prime Minister is set to chair a cabinet meeting today as police investigate allegations that his former US Ambassador, Lord Mandelson, leaked sensitive government information to convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

Sarah Ferguson’s charity, Sarah’s Trust, has announced it will close for the "foreseeable future" just days after new details emerged of her friendship with Epstein.

Meanwhile, the pressure grows on Ferguson's ex-husband Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor to testify before Congress, as former president Bill Clinton and his wife Hillary have announced they will do so.

Sophy and Wilf on Cheat Sheet have the day's news in just 10 minutes.

Good morning and welcome to Politics Hub this Tuesday, 3 February.

The police are reviewing misconduct claims against Peter Mandelson, after releases as part of the Epstein files appear to show him sharing sensitive information with the paedophile financier.

Lord Mandelson appears to tell Jeffrey Epstein about a €500bn EU bailout while he was serving as business secretary and de-facto deputy prime minister in Gordon Brown's government, among other emails.

Ella Marriott, Commander of the Metropolitan Police, 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."

In an interview with The Times published last night, Lord Mandelson referred to a "handful of misguided historical emails, which I deeply regret sending," and described Epstein as "muck that you can't get off your shoe".

Being named in the Epstein files is not a sign of wrongdoing, and Lord Mandelson has previously offered an apology to the victims of Epstein for continuing his association with the financier.

Paste BN has contacted Lord Mandelson for comment.

Cabinet secretary to review Mandelson-Epstein contact

Sir Keir Starmer has asked cabinet secretary Sir Chris Wormald - the UK's top civil servant - to "urgently" review all available information on contact between Lord Mandelson and Epstein.

Gordon Brown has also asked Wormald to investigate alleged leaks during the town Brown was PM.

Starmer is to chair cabinet this morning, as accusations continue he showed poor judgement in appointing Lord Mandelson as UK ambassador to the US.

Starmer sacked Lord Mandelson in September after a previous Epstein files release, but Tory leader Kemi Badenoch has asked: "Why did Keir Starmer appoint him as our ambassador despite knowing Mandelson's links to Jeffrey Epstein?"

Coming up on Mornings with Ridge and Frost on Paste BN:

• Health minister Karin Smyth
• Liberal Democrats leader Sir Ed Davey
• Shadow cabinet office minister Alex Burghart

Stick with us on Politics Hub for all the latest news from Westminster and beyond.

That's it from the Politics Hub for today. 

Monday has been dominated by the fall-out from the latest documents released by the US Congress, regarding disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.

Those have led to further accusations against former ambassador to the US, Lord Mandelson.

Peter Mandelson has denied all the accusations, but has previously said: "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."

You can catch up on all the day's news by having a look at the key points, or by watching tonight's edition of the Politics Hub below.

We'll be back again tomorrow morning - but for now, goodbye.

By Jeness Mitchell, Scotland reporter

Anas Sarwar has vowed to ban transgender women from the female prisons "within days" if he becomes first minister after the Holyrood election.

The Scottish Labour leader has pledged that his party will "act swiftly" to ensure prisons are "single-sex, based on biological sex" if it gets into power in May.

His declaration comes ahead of a Court of Session hearing this week between For Women Scotland (FWS) and the Scottish government over the management of transgender prisoners.

FWS is taking action at Scotland's highest civil court, claiming the current guidelines are "unlawful" in light of last year's landmark Supreme Court judgment over the definition of a woman.

Mr Sarwar said: "The Supreme Court is clear; the Equality Act must be respected.

"That means defending single-sex spaces for biological women in services, in sport and in everyday life. That is what I will deliver in government.

"But nowhere does this matter more than in our prison system. Women's prisons exist for a reason - to keep women safe.

"Many women in custody have experienced trauma and violence, often at the hands of men.

"It is simply not right that men who have committed sexual or violent crimes against women can be housed in women's prisons. That undermines safety, dignity and trust.

"A Scottish Labour government would act swiftly. 

"Within days, we would ensure prisons are single-sex, based on biological sex, and bring an end to years of confusion and costly legal disputes paid for by the taxpayer."

Resident doctors in England have voted to continue industrial action for another six months as part of their row over pay and jobs.

Of the resident doctors - formerly known as junior doctors - who voted in the ballot, an overwhelming 93.4% backed further strike action, the British Medical Association announced.

Dr Jack Fletcher, chairman of the BMA's resident doctors committee, said: "None of this needs to mean more strikes.

"In recent weeks, the government has shown an improved approach in tone compared with the name-calling we saw late last year.

"A deal is there to be done: a new jobs package and an offer raising pay fairly over several years can be worked out through goodwill on both sides, in the interests of patients, staff and the whole NHS."

The union has said doctors had suffered years of real-terms pay ‍erosion and that thousands more training posts were needed to break the deadlock.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting has previously said that the government cannot go any further on pay and called resident doctor strikes "self-indulgent, irresponsible and dangerous".