Super Bowl Halftime Show 2026: Before Bad Bunny’s Performance, 18 Most Shocking Moments

Posted on 08/02/2026 by Boris Clair

You really know you’ve made it as an A-list music star when the NFL invites you to perform during the Super Bowl Halftime Show.

In the past few years alone, massive names as varied as The Weeknd, Jennifer Lopez, Usher, Kendrick Lamar and, of course, Rihanna have all wowed with their performances – but there have been a fair few shocking moments along the way.

This year, the honour falls to music superstar Bad Bunny, fresh from his Album Of The Year win at the 2026 Grammys, and the world is sure to be watching to see what he pulls out of the bag on one of the world’s most-watched music events.

Indeed, as history has proved time and time again, the Super Bowl Halftime Show hasn’t always been just about the music – with plenty of shocking and headline-grabbing moments taking place at the annual sports event.

As we get ready for what could easily become one of the year’s biggest nights in music, here are 18 more of the biggest Super Bowl shockers from years gone by…

18. Blackout Bowl (2013)

This shocking moment didn’t come during Beyoncé’s Halftime Show but shortly after it, with the football game that followed (snooze…) having to suspend play for a full 34 minutes due to a power outage.

Evidently, the power of the Queen Bey is so strong, it can even plunge an entire stadium into darkness. Bow down, bitches indeed.

Watch the full performance here.

17. Usher Bowl (2024)

Usher’s jam-packed set included powerful vocals, surprise A-list guests and impressive choreo.

Looking back, though, we think this impromptu shirtless moment is probably what we think of most when we reflect on the Burn singer’s Super Bowl appearance…

Watch the full performance here.

16. #LeftShark Bowl (2015)

She’s not always the first person you think of when it comes to great live performers, but Katy Perry proved a massive point when she really brought it at the Super Bowl.

Over the course of her Halftime Show, Katy entered atop a giant lion, floated through the air while singing Firework, introduced Missy Elliott and convincingly rocked out to I Kissed A Girl with Lenny Kravitz.

And yet… the next day all anyone seemed to want to talk about was the “Left Shark” incident, when one of her dancers lost their way in the middle of a routine, while dressed as a shark.

It’s a pity, really, because Katy’s was one of the most impressive and elaborate Super Bowl shows of the 2010s.

But also… what was that shark doing?!

Watch the full performance here.

15. Madonna Bowl (2012)

There were plenty of shockers during Madonna’s Super Bowl show (one of which we’ll get to a bit later on in this list).

Her entrance? Iconic. Her guest performers? Alarming. Her choreo? Near perfect, even if she did trip just a little bit while shuffling with LMFAO.

Luckily, this would be the last time Madonna ever had to worry about a slip-up on live television. Apart from this, of course. Oh, and this.

Watch the full performance here.

14. Hip-Hop Bowl (2022)

If nothing else, the 2022 Halftime Show will be remembered for the epic level of stars that took part, with singer Mary J Blige and rappers Kendrick Lamar, Eminem and 50 Cent among those sharing the stage in a celebration of hip-hop music throughout the years.

There were some big headline-grabbing moments, too – not least when 50 Cent recreated his upside down entrance from his In Da Club music video, and Eminem made a show of solidarity by taking the knee in the middle of the performance.

Watch the full performance here.

13. Boss Bowl (1996)

Diana Ross’ Super Bowl performance was jam-packed with hits, dating back from the music legend’s days in the Supremes right through to her solo success.

Arguably the most iconic moment of the lot came right at the end, though, when she left the field in a helicopter. There’s travelling in style, and then there’s this…

Watch the full performance here.

12. Prince Bowl (2007)

Nobody would question that Prince is one of the greatest live performers in pop history, but he really cemented this at the 2007 Super Bowl. As well as covering tracks by Queen, Foo Fighters and Bob Dylan, he effortlessly performed his own songs Let’s Go Crazy and Baby I’m A Star.

He closed the show with a version of his signature hit, Purple Rain, made all the more significant by the literal downpour that accompanied it – the real shocker being that Prince still managed to retain his cool throughout. What a man.

Watch the full performance here.

11. Disney Bowl (1991)

If you want to talk about shockers, just wait.

Before it was so commonplace for huge musicians to perform at the Halftime Show, organisers used to think a little more outside the box. That’s why in 1991, they handed over the reins to the Walt Disney Company.

Disney’s show is not one that’s looked back on particularly fondly, with a wave of local child performers sharing the stage with the company’s iconic characters (as well as New Kids On The Block, for some reason), while also somehow shoehorning in a tribute to those fighting in the Gulf war, and a message from then-president George Bush.

Fortunately for everyone involved, this was also the year Whitney Houston blew everyone away with her rendition of the National Anthem, which is what most of us remember about the Super Bowl that year.

Watch the full performance here.

10. Gaga Bowl (2017)

Known for making a statement in some way or another whenever she performs live, we were curious to see how Lady Gaga would kick things off when given the massive platform of the Super Bowl Halftime Show.

And really, what better way is there to make an entrance than a pre-recorded patriotic tune sung from the top of a stadium, before leaping off it to perform your hits on the field below?

Watch the full performance here.

9. Timberlake Bowl (2018)

After a great run of successive mega-stars performing at the Super Bowl , beginning with Madonna and ending with Lady Gaga, the stakes were high when it was announced that Justin Timberlake would be taking the stage for the first time since 2004.

Regrettably, his performance didn’t quite live up to expectations, with many criticising his unusual fashion choices, as well as the decision not to invite Janet Jackson to perform with him following their ill-fated performance more than a decade earlier (more on that later, unsurprisingly).

Watch the full performance here.

8. Diva Bowl (2020)

In 2020, the NFL lined up two legendary artists to share top billing with Jennifer Lopez and Shakira teaming up for the Halftime Show.

The pair’s performance was packed full of memorable moments, with Shakira showing off her famous belly-dancing skills, crowd-surfing and paid homage to both her Colombian and Lebanese heritage.

Meanwhile, J-Lo sneaked in a cameo appearance from her teenager Emme, and turned her hit Let’s Get Loud into a unifying (and surprisingly effective) protest anthem.

However, some more conservative critics took issue with the star when she showed off some of the pole-dancing skills she’d honed while making the film Hustlers. There’s clearly just no pleasing some people…

Watch the full performance here.

7. Weeknd Bowl (2021)

Given that The Weeknd’s Halftime Show performance came pretty much slap-bang in the middle of the pandemic, there was a big question mark over exactly how he would be able to pull it all off.

True to form, he managed just fine.

Embodying the “lounge lizard” character that he took on while promoting his After Hours album, the singer put an unusually eerie spin on the Super Bowl Halftime Show, at one point getting lost in a creepy maze before heading out onto the pitch, where he was met by an army of identically-dressed backing dancers in facial bandages.

Watch the full performance here.

6. Kendrick Bowl (2025)

Kendrick Lamar during a memorable moment in his 2025 Super Bowl routine

It’s tough to know quite where to start with Kendrick Lamar’s performance from 2025.

One of the best showman of his generation, it says something that above all of that, what we best remember Kendrick holding court at the centre of it all.

Watch the full performance here.

5. Rihanna Bowl (2023)

Rihanna performing at the Super Bowl in 2023

Having been away from the stage for a number of years, the world was waiting with baited breath for Rihanna’s Super Bowl performance, which she’d previously teased would include a mysterious surprise guest.

What no one could have anticipated, though, was that Rih was talking about her unborn child, not least because she’d welcomed her son RZA only a few months earlier.

Reports claimed that the chart-topping star even managed to conceal her pregnancy from almost everyone involved in putting the performance together – which made it almost using the Super Bowl Halftime Performance as her way of announcing to the world she had another baby on the way all the more surprising.

She has since welcomed a second son, Riot, with her partner, fellow musician A$AP Rocky.

Watch the full performance here.

4. Reunion Bowl (2013)

It had been one of the worst kept secrets in music, but we still did a little squeal when the other two members of Destiny’s Child popped up during Beyoncé’s Super Bowl performance (and what a pop up it was, we could happily watch Michelle Williams finding her feet after shooting up from the floor for a good two hours without getting bored).

The trio whizzed through Bootylicious and Independent Women before joining Beyoncé for Single Ladies, complete with the video’s original choreo.

Watch the full performance here.

3. Middle Finger Bowl (2012)

Madonna was the main event during the 2012 Halftime Show, but it was M.I.A. who wound up generating the most headlines.

Upon finding out that her pre-recorded vocals would be cutting out the word “shit” as she appeared during Give Me All Your Luvin’, the British rapper decided to take matters into her own hands, or rather fingers, by flipping off the camera at the end of her part of the performance.

Although the incident only lasted a split second, it had big repercussions for M.I.A., who wound up facing a lawsuit for millions of dollars from the NFL over the unplanned incident.

Watch the full performance here.

2. Formation Bowl (2016)

Beyoncé had already begun addressing social issues, specifically feminism, on her self-titled album at the end of 2013, but she cranked things up a good few notches when she kicked off the Lemonade era.

This stage of her career began with a guest spot during Coldplay’s Super Bowl show, where her first ever live performance of Formation wound up creating a buzz thanks to its allusions to Malcolm X, the Black Panthers and the Black Lives Matter movement.

Beyoncé’s fans lapped it up, and her empowering Super Bowl performance built anticipation for when Lemonade arrived a few months later, following similar themes.

Watch the full performance here.

1. Hey Jude Bowl (2005)

Just kidding…

1. Janet Jackson Bowl (2004)

“Play at the Super Bowl,” they told Janet Jackson. “Invite Justin Timberlake along,” they told Janet Jackson. “This will give your career a massive boost,” they told Janet Jackson.

The story goes that Justin went to tear off the front of Janet’s outfit at the end of their performance, but also wound up ripping her lace bra too, exposing her breast, which was covered by a nipple shield.

Although the so-called “wardrobe malfunction” didn’t even last a full second, it had the power to bring Janet’s career to a temporary halt, and while she’s certainly enjoyed success since, we can’t help but wonder how far the talented and unique star could have gone had this scandal not defined her for so many years.

In more recent years, Janet and Justin’s Super Bowl performance has been used as an example of gender double standards in the entertainment industry.

Janet had her performance at the 2004 Grammys – which took place just seven days after the Super Bowl – unceremoniously dropped in the fallout. Justin, meanwhile, not only performed during the show but took home Album Of The Year, even cracking a joke about the Super Bowl during his acceptance speech.

In early 2018, Justin disclosed that he and Janet were on good terms despite the scandal, but sadly those “good terms” didn’t extend to an invitation to join him on stage, which is unfortunate, because that would certainly have livened up what was ultimately a fairly poorly-received performance.

Three years later, Justin publicly apologised to both Janet and his ex-girlfriend Britney Spears, stating (in a since-deleted Instagram post): “I care for and respect these women and I know I failed”.

He added: “The industry is flawed. It sets men, especially white men, up for success. It’s designed this way. As a man in a privileged position I have to be vocal about this. Because of my ignorance, I didn’t recognise it for all that it was while it was happening in my own life but I do not want to ever benefit from others being pulled down again.”

Watch the full performance here.

‘Inheritourism’ Explains Why People Travel The Way They Do

Posted on 07/02/2026 by Boris Clair

“Land snorkelling.”

“Sleepcations.”

“Noctourism.”

There’s a seemingly endless array of quippy terms to describe rising travel trends and preferences.

One particularly interesting term is “inheritourism”, which really gets to the heart of why different individuals travel the way that they do and how family plays a role.

Below, travel experts break down the meaning of “inheritourism”, as well as the benefits and drawbacks of this holiday phenomenon.

What is ‘inheritourism’?

“Inheritourism reflects how travel preferences are passed down across generations,” said Jess Petitt, senior vice president or strategy, insights and full service brands at Hilton.

“Many people inherit travel preferences from their parents, with family experiences often shaping how people travel well into adulthood.”

A 2026 travel report from Hilton identified “inheritourism” as a notable trend for the new year – with 66% of travellers surveyed by the hotel brand saying that their parents have influenced their choice of accommodations, 60% saying they guided their choice of loyalty programs and 73% saying they shaped their general travel style.

“I think inheritourism shows up most clearly in how people define what ‘comfortable’ travel looks like,” said travel blogger Esther Susag. “Many travellers inherit not just destinations, but entire travel styles from their parents. For example, I often notice that people who grew up only doing cruises or all-inclusive resorts tend to gravitate back to those formats as adults.”

Travellers accustomed to the ease of having everything in one place might be more hesitant to go off the beaten path with independent accommodations, hidden gem destinations or locations that require more planning or cultural navigation.

“That same pattern extends into how people pay for travel,” Susag said. “I’ve noticed that travellers whose parents used travel credit cards and understood points and miles tend to feel much more comfortable navigating loyalty programs and booking elevated experiences. On the other hand, people who grew up saving for years for one big trip and paying mostly in cash or with a single credit card often carry that same cautious mindset forward and are hesitant to open multiple cards or experiment with points strategies.”

She added that many parents remain deeply involved in their adult children’s travel decisions, often financing trips with their own loyalty points or preferred brands. Multigenerational travel is increasingly popular, thus exposing new generations to the same kinds of choices.

“Over time, that becomes their baseline for what travel ‘should’ look like,” Susag said. “As travel has become more expensive and more intentional, people are less willing to experiment and more likely to stick with what they know works. That often means repeating the travel patterns they grew up with, whether that’s specific destinations, hotel brands or trip formats.”

It’s only natural that people who grew up vacationing in a certain way as children would adopt similar travel behaviors as adults.

It’s only natural that people who grew up travelling in a certain way as children would adopt similar preferences. Katy Nastro, a spokesperson and travel expert for the flight alert service Going, pointed to the cliché “the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree”.

“I personally grew up going to warm beach destinations to escape the New York winter every February,” Nastro said. “I wholeheartedly believe that the desire for a warmer weather destination during the month of February versus a cold weather trip is not just a preference but is now a personality trait inherited from my family travels as a child.”

She believes the same pattern is evident in the families attracted to “the magic of Disney” with Disney theme parks vacations over multiple generations. Our early memories can inform what we find meaningful and rewarding as we grow up.

“My family chooses the mountains over the beach always, because it’s where I grew up vacationing – and if you ask me, it’s just better,” Petitt said. “Those experiences are also what I’m excited to share with my kids, building on those memories. If we never visit a beach as a family, that would be OK by me.”

Family travel habits strongly influence people’s choices – but is that a good thing?

“Any travel is beneficial in my opinion,” Nastro said. “And in theory, inheritourism can create generational travel because people are inclined to continue the tradition of travel to a certain place, hotel, etc. The only downside may be that this perpetuates a blinder affect where people don’t tend to branch away from what they know, and thus never really explore beyond their comfort zone.”

She added that inheritourism might lead people to miss out on good deals if they can’t look beyond the specific brands or locations they’ve “inherited”.

“Travellers may avoid less popular destinations or more immersive experiences because they feel less predictable or convenient,” Susag said. “That said, awareness is growing, and many people are starting to challenge those habits once they realise there are other ways to travel that still feel safe and rewarding.”

Overall, she sees a mix of downsides and benefits to the influence of inheritourism today.

“On the positive side, inheritourism makes travel more accessible and lowers the barrier to entry for a lot of people,” Susag said. “It also encourages multigenerational travel and shared experiences, which can be incredibly meaningful.”

Inheritourism can serve as “a foundation, rather than a fixed path,” she emphasised. Travellers can carry forward meaningful traditions but also cultivate their own.

“People tend to start by recreating the trips and habits they grew up with, then adapt them as their confidence grows and their priorities shift,” Susag said. “Whether that means exploring less traditional destinations, traveling more independently or becoming more intentional about how they spend on travel, many travellers eventually build on what they inherited rather than abandoning it altogether.”

As in other areas of life, parents tend to set the norms and serve as trusted sources for young adults as they make decisions.

“In a world of digital overwhelm and an abundance of choice, travellers are looking to their inner circle to inform their travel decisions,” Petitt said.

“When seeking an experience beyond what is familiar, inherited preferences and trusted travel habits serve as a starting point for discovering something new. The key is balance – while inheritourism offers comfort and confidence, the greatest benefit comes when those familiar influences open the door to exploration, rather than limit it.”

Too Many Toots? What Excessive Farting Says About Your Health

Posted on 07/02/2026 by Boris Clair

Whether it happens on your postprandial fart walk, right in the middle of yoga class or while you’re sleeping, everyone — even the poshest among us — farts.

According to Dr. Satish Rao, professor of Medicine at Augusta University’s Medical College of Georgia, the average person farts seven to 24 times a day.

“It’s a normal physiological phenomenon,” he said, explaining flatulence as the byproduct of fermentation in the colon.

That fermentation creates gas, which is a mixture of nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide, methane, hydrogen and more. One surprisingly smelly fact is that more than 99% of farts are odourless, but a foul smell comes from trace sulphur compounds. Unfortunately, our noses are extremely good at detecting sulphur, even in microscopic amounts.

Once that gas is formed, Rao said there are only two options for it to escape. “Some gas will move from the lining of the colon to the bloodstream, then get exhaled by the breath,” he said. “But the other pathway out is the fart. The gas will find its way out eventually, and if you produce a lot of gas too quickly, it won’t be absorbed, but will automatically push its way out through the anus.”

In general, a few farts a day are nothing to worry about, said Dr. Cait Welsh, postdoctoral researcher from Monash University and the Hudson Institute of Medical Research. “Most of the time, the release of gas is a healthy sign that digestion and gut microbiota are happy and functioning well.”

While you produce gas all day long, you’re more likely to let ’em rip during sleep, when your anal sphincter relaxes and gas escapes more easily.

Which People Are The Gassiest?

It might be hard to think of King Charles or the Pope as real toot machines, but Rao is positive that anyone who eats food, especially carbohydrates, is going to fart at least some time during each day. And some of us are certainly more, um, productive than others, said Dr. Folasade P. May, associate professor of Medicine at University of California Los Angeles.

“People who chew a lot of gum, drink carbonated drinks or eat too quickly may swallow more air, for example, which can cause flatulence,” she said. “Other people have gut bacteria that produce more gas. Diet, how fast you digest, and medications can also change how much gas you make and pass.”

If you’re thinking that President Donald Trump is making you fart more, you might be right. (Fun fact: An old Australian slang word for a fart is a “trump.”) Stress or anxiety, about the current political climate or matters closer to home, can have an impact on how much someone farts, May said.

“Especially in people with irritable bowel syndrome or other functional gut disorders, stress can change how fast we eat and digest, making flatulence seem worse,” May explained.

Stress can increase your flatulence, according to gastro doctors.

Foods That Can Up Your Fart Count

Dr. Ed Giles, a pediatric gastroenterologist and associate professor of pediatrics at Monash University, noted that the most well-known foods to cause gas are the so-called FODMAP foods, an acronym for Fermentable Oligosaccharides, Disaccharides, Monosaccharides and Polyols.

The key term for these carbohydrates, Giles said, is “fermentable.” That means the foods have an ability to produce gas. “They feed the bacteria in the gut and the bacteria produce the gas, including methane, which smells,” he said.

May outlined some of the worst FODMAP culprits: beans, lentils, onions, garlic, crucifers like broccoli and cabbage, and some whole grains and fruits. “If you’re lactose intolerant, consuming dairy can also increase gas production,” she said.

When To Be Concerned

Gas is concerning when it’s painful, disruptive or different from your normal pattern. If you’re regularly releasing gas more than 23 or 24 times a day and it’s causing problems, it’s worth investigating. However, some people may experience more flatulence than that and it’s still considered normal; it all depends on your diet and your personal health factors.

“The most important thing is that if excessive flatulence is persistent or accompanied by pain, weight loss, diarrhea or blood in the stool, it’s worth consulting a clinician for evaluation,” May said. “If gas is persistent or accompanied by these other warning signs, a clinician can help sort out causes.”

Some of the conditions a health care professional will want to rule out include celiac disease, inflammatory bowel disease, irritable bowel syndrome, lactose or other food intolerances, pancreatic enzyme insufficiency and small intestinal bacterial overgrowth. Connective tissue disorders like Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and other diseases like multiple sclerosis also come with increased flatulence.

You might be asked to keep a food journal and, yes, even count the number of farts you produce each day. Luckily, there are now several apps to help you do this, including Gaslog, FlareCare, Gutly and Vitalis. These apps aren’t medical diagnostic tools, but might help you spot patterns in how your diet and lifestyle contribute to gas symptoms.

And just keep in mind that everyone — every single one of us — has experienced an ill-timed fart, and lived to tell the tale. So unless your gas comes with pain or surprises, you’re probably just doing what everyone else is doing, too.

A Couple Asked Me To Help End Their Marriage. They Didn’t Expect A 30-Year-Old Secret To Come To Light.

Posted on 07/02/2026 by Boris Clair

“You made a sex tape?!”

Susannah turned to her husband, Ron, mouth agape. He looked down, his cheeks reddening.

“It was right after college. I was experimenting,” he mumbled, twisting in his seat. “No big deal.”

As a couples therapist, I am always looking for how to mend the frayed edges of a relationship, but Susannah and Ron were different: they had come to my office to end their marriage.

I practice what I call breakup therapy — a short-term treatment I developed for couples who want to end their relationships without bitterness.

The premise is counterintuitive: instead of looking forward toward separate futures, we look backward at the relationship itself. It’s structured to look at the beginning, middle and end of their time together with exercises that focus on both their gratitude as well as their resentment.

The work culminates with the couple crafting a shared narrative about their union and literally writing it down – a story of what worked and ultimately what did not. Then, I ask them to sign it. In this way, they resolve the many unanswered, and often unasked, questions that can trap couples in recriminations and keep them from moving on.

The idea was born from my own bitter divorce. After my split, I was plagued by questions that repeated on an endless loop in my brain: “What was I thinking?”; “Why didn’t I see that red flag?”; “What is wrong with me – I’m a therapist and I should have seen what was happening.”

Then, one day, my therapist asked me a different question: who was I when I decided to marry? Suddenly, my internal feedback loop stopped.

“You’re asking me who I was, not why I married him?” I said, skeptically.

“Yes, I am,” she answered. “Marriages can be as much about identity as they are about a union. What were you trying to solve — or avoid — by marrying him?”

The question unlocked something for me. I’d been full of anger at myself, but I hadn’t really taken responsibility for my own actions. With her help, I crafted a story that I could hold onto about what function the marriage had served for me. Truly owning my choices helped me have more compassion for myself and less anger. The most startling realisation? When I had created a story that hung together, the nagging questions ended for good.

I have seen this same process unfold for many couples. But often, in the course of these sessions, new things surface.

“Susannah?” I said, surprised to hear the hurt in her voice. “This feels like a big deal for you. Why is that?”

Ron and Susannah had not been the most willing subjects for breakup therapy. During our first session, Ron blurted out: “You’re like a medical examiner doing autopsies on dead relationships! Your scalpel hurts. I don’t think you know what it feels like to be humiliated.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure,” I answered softly. “I have a teenager.”

Ron was not mollified.

“This feels stupid,” he said on another occasion. “She’s done, I accept that. What is there to say? This feels like horseshit.”

“See what I’m working with here?” Susannah said, throwing up her hands and shifting away from Ron on the couch. “I knew he wouldn’t take this seriously.”

“No, he’s right,” I said. “If it’s really true that you fully accept and understand her decision, Ron, then this is horseshit. But is that true?”

His silence was all the answer I needed.

Over the next few sessions, we went over how they’d fallen in love (“It just made sense, we fit”); the birth of their three children (“The unit held us together”); the unraveling of their connection (“We were ships in the night for as long as I can remember, but then one day I woke up and just wanted more from life”).

We mapped the patterns their marriage had fallen into over the course of three houses, two cross-country moves and their children’s exodus from home. It was a saga spanning decades.

Then, in our fourth session, Ron mentioned the sex tape.

“Something about this is landing hard on you,” I said to Susannah, her mouth still ajar. “Why?”

“Yeah, why?” Ron echoed.

Susannah paused and looked out the window.

“It’s that you … you tried something that – I don’t know – was out there … bold and different.”

A tear welled in a corner of her eye.

“It’s not you. You’re not brave! Or, at least you haven’t been with me, not in all these years together.”

Then she began to cry. Ron and I looked at one another.

“Susannah?” Instantly, I regretted breaking the silence.

“All this time, I decided you just couldn’t try new things,” she managed after a while. “I gave up.”

Ron put up his palms. “What is happening?” he said, exasperated.

“But if you can do that …” she continued. “What was it? Did I just not ask? Did I build my life around a lie?” She looked lost. “Was it that you never really loved me enough?”

She turned back to Ron and banged her fist on the couch.

“I did ask! I asked you to look at porn together when we stopped having sex, to take classes with me, to go on that whale-watching tour. … You just ignored me!”

This time, I held my tongue.

“Is that a thing?” she went on, turning to me. “That you can reach the end of a relationship and not even have known what was possible?”

“I made that tape 30 years ago,” Ron blurted out. “She’s upset over something I did when I was a totally different person!”

This was the impasse that I had expected, that arrives in most of my breakup therapy work – the moment when two people realise that as well as they think they know each other, there are things they don’t know or have lost track of. It’s my job to help them hold that bitter realisation. Then it’s my job to help them arrive at forgiveness or some kind of reconciliation – if not with each other, then with what happened to them.

“It was 30 years ago, Ron,” I said. “But you aren’t a different person. You’re the same person, and she’s wondering why you couldn’t have been that with her.”

I turned to Susannah and said, “You have a right to be hurt, but were you truly honest with him? Did you give him the space and the safety and the encouragement to be that person? Do you think you both can forgive each other for what you weren’t?”

It was three weeks before they appeared again in my office, having canceled two sessions in between appointments.

“I was stirred and moved by what happened here last time,” Susannah began. “When we left, I thought: Maybe there’s enough left between us?”

Ron’s eyes were downcast.

“But I realised I can’t,” she said. “I just can’t open up that part of me with him anymore. I want … I need this divorce.”

I nodded. “Ron? How do you feel?”

“I can see where we are … I’m not fighting it.” His voice broke. “I’m just really sad.”

Often it requires some kind of shock to break through the built-up layers of anger, resentment and disappointment in a couple in order to illuminate the cracks in their relationship – something true that has been avoided or left unsaid. In this case, it was the surprise of an ancient transgressive act that lay bare how little they knew each other and how misaligned they’d become.

Susannah moved closer to Ron on the couch and laced her fingers with his.

“You guys seem calmer – closer. Tell me what you are feeling,” I said.

I knew something about that calm after the storm. After my own divorce, we had maintained an uneasy truce for years, until one long car ride after dropping our daughter at camp. As we rode in silence, I suddenly remembered my therapist’s question: Who was I when I decided to get married? For the next two hours, we talked over that question and everything else, and together realised how lonely we had been — two Israelis who, instead of understanding why we had both chosen to leave, had clung to each other and to a shared language. Before long, we were laughing as we had not laughed since the early days of our marriage.

“So, where do we go from here?” Ron asked me in their last session.

“Well, in my experience, when a marriage ends, a different relationship can sometimes be created,” I said. “That’s up to you guys. All endings are sad, but not all endings have to leave you broken. There’s an opportunity here to get to know each other in a different way. And …” I leaned forward to make eye contact with each of them “… to know yourselves better.”

After they left, I sat quietly in my chair for a while. I allowed myself to remember that moment in my therapist’s office when I realised that I had been using my marriage to escape a question I had been avoiding and what a relief it had been to finally face it.

When a sex tape from decades ago unlocks two people’s grief, it’s not so much about the end of the road as it is about the roads never taken – the versions of a marriage they never tried. It is a sad moment, but also a generative one.

They’d come to me to bury their marriage. What they found instead was a way to know each other – maybe for the first time in years – even as they said goodbye.

Note: Names and some details have been changed to protect the identities of the individuals appearing in this essay.

Sarah Gundle, Psy.D., is a psychologist in private practice and an assistant professor at the Icahn School of Medicine, Mount Sinai Medical Center. She is currently writing a book about breakups. You can find her on Instagram @dear_dr_sarah.

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Sick Of Waiting For A Wedding, Single People Are ‘Solo Honeymooning’

Posted on 06/02/2026 by Boris Clair

I’m going to be honest: I find travelling with other people pretty draining.

There’s the compromise. There’s constantly being “on”. There’s the horrifying prospect of someone you love seeing you at your post-airport worst, and the nightmarish possibility of being expected to talk on a plane.

So I’ll admit I’m sympathetic with TikTok’s “solo honeymoon” trend, which cuts arguments, different itineraries, and “active vs resting” holiday discrepancies completely out of the question.

Instead, “solo honeymooners” – often single people who are sick of waiting ’til they find a spouse to enjoy their dream honeymoon – are taking matters into their own hands.

Here, experts from TrustedHousesitters shared how to achieve the perfect one.

What is a “solo honeymoon”?

It’s basically booking a holiday by yourself, but the term seems to have helped some TikTokers to navigate the feelings and motives behind solo travel.

In one video, an app user said she’s calling her trip to Bali a solo honeymoon because “while I’m not married to a human being, I am kind of married to my work”.

She decided to give herself a break after closing an important business project.

Yet another person said they were “travelling to a honeymoon destination as a very single person” because “you don’t have to wait until you’re in a relationship to go somewhere”.

He added, “I never thought I’d be here single, but here I am”.

“Let’s normalise single people taking themselves on a honeymoon,” a separate video stated.

Commenters often said they wish they’d felt OK doing something like that sooner. “I should’ve done this after I finished my master’s degree,” an app user wrote: “You have no idea how you have encouraged me to do let go of the fear and do this,” another stated.

And in response to a TikToker’s video about taking a safari trip for her “solo honeymoon,” a commenter wrote, “This was my honeymoon idea, and now I’m like F it I need to go.”

How can I plan a “solo honeymoon”?

Trusted Housesitter advised people seeking a “solo honeymoon” to consider the following:

Checking flight times: “For those who love sitting back for a long time with a book, make the most of the solo flying time and travel long haul, but if you’re a little more on the nervous side, choose a shorter, familiar route to start your me-moon stress-free.”
Checking the area’s safety: “Make sure to research ahead and make sure where you head to has good contact points.”
Planning activities in advance: “Many activities are designed for couples or groups. So make sure you won’t face extra costs, and don’t be deterred if something is marketed primarily to pairs or groups; you can still participate and enjoy the experience.”
Not worrying about others’ expectations: “Plan activities that support your own well-being. Whether it’s spa treatments, meditation sessions, hiking, or simply time to read and reflect, tailor your itinerary around what makes you feel recharged and happy.”
Choosing accommodation carefully: “Think about the type of place you want to stay and whether it will enhance your self-care.”

Starmer’s Premiership Is Hanging By A Thread Over The Mandelson Scandal. How Did We Get Here?

Posted on 06/02/2026 by Boris Clair

Keir Starmer’s premiership is hanging by a thread this weekend as new details about Peter Mandelson’s friendship with the convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein continue to drip into the public consciousness.

When the prime minister sacked Mandelson as the UK’s ambassador to Washington over his Epstein ties in September, he must have hoped the scandal was dealt with. The events of the past week show how wrong he was.

The latest chapter in the saga was triggered by the US Department of Justice publishing more than three million documents on the late sex offender and his connections to the rich and powerful.

The files revealed that Mandelson was even more entwined with the disgraced financier than previously assumed – putting Starmer’s judgement in appointing him to the plum diplomatic role into sharp focus.

Amid mounting anger from the public and his own MPs, the prime minister ended up apologising on Thursday for ever believing Mandelson’s “lies”.

Here’s a breakdown of how we got to this point – and what might happen next.

Who Is Peter Mandelson?

Mandelson has been in Labour circles for decades, often referred to as the “Prince of Darkness” because of his ruthless nature, capacity for scandals and love of political intrigue.

He worked as the director of communications to then-party leader Neil Kinnock in the 1980s before being elected as the Labour MP for Hartlepool in 1992.

A key architect of the New Labour project, he helped Tony Blair win the party leadership in 1994 and ran Labour’s successful general election campaign in 1997.

Blair rewarded Mandelson with the post of minister without portfolio, a roving commission which gave him enormous power over the government machine.

However, the personal frailties – and the attraction to money – which would later bring about his downfall led to his resignation after barely a year when he failed to declare a loan from a cabinet colleague whose business dealings Mandelson’s own department was investigating.

After a year on the backbenches licking his wounds, Blair brought him back into the cabinet as Northern Ireland secretary the following year, at the time a key role as the peace process faltered.

But once again, barely a year later, Mandelson was forced to resign, this time for lying about his role in brokering a British passport for a wealthy donor to the Millennium Dome project.

After famously declaring he was “a fighter, not a quitter” when retaining his Hartlepool seat in 2001, Mandelson stood down as an MP in 2004 to become a European trade commissioner, a post he held until he made another dramatic political comeback in 2008.

Gordon Brown, who had succeeded Blair the previous year, stunned Westminster by making Mandelson – his New Labour nemesis – a life peer and appointing him business secretary and de facto deputy prime minister.

He finally left frontline politics, apparently for good, when Labour lost the 2010 general election.

Ex-Prime Minister and Labour Party leader, Gordon Brown, right, and then-Business Secretary Peter Mandelson react as they speak to the media about economy in a press conference in London, Monday, April 19, 2010.

How Did Mandelson Come Back Into Government?

Despite his complete lack of diplomatic experience, Mandelson was appointed the UK’s ambassador to Washington a year ago.

He quickly established a rapport with President Donald Trump and was a key figure in negotiations on a UK/US trade deal and technology partnership.

Mandelson also helped to smooth over American concerns around the UK government’s decision to hand sovereignty over the strategically-important Chagos Islands to Mauritius.

His return to the heart of British politics was seen as a reward for his years of behind-the-scenes work with Morgan McSweeney – now Starmer’s chief of staff – to help return Labour to government.

McSweeney is known to have pushed the PM to give Mandelson the ambassador’s role, a judgement call which has intensified calls from Labour MPs for him to be sacked.

What Was Mandelson’s Relationship To Epstein?

The nature of their friendship has come out in drips and drabs over the years. Here’s a breakdown of what is currently public knowledge – and when it was first revealed.

June 2023

A Financial Times report from June 2023 unveiled how an internal JP Morgan report, dating back to 2019, noted Epstein’s “particularly close relationship with Prince Andrew the Duke of York and Lord Peter Mandelson, a senior member of the British government”.

The report was commissioned to shed light on JPMorgan’s 15-year relationship with Epstein and refers to a range of meetings between the disgraced financier and Mandelson.

The dossier also found Mandelson had stayed at Epstein’s lavish townhouse in Manhatten when he was the UK’s business secretary while the convicted criminal was in prison for soliciting underage sex from a minor.

In this image provided by the New York State Sex Offender Registry, Jeffrey Epstein has his photo taken March 28, 2017.

February 2025

Mandelson was appointed as US ambassador in February last year, after going through routine due diligence and security vetting.

When asked about his Epstein connection by the Financial Times’ George Parker during an extensive interview, the former Labour cabinet minister said: “I regret ever meeting him or being introduced to him by his partner Ghislaine Maxwell.”

Maxwell is currently in prison for recruiting and trafficking underaged girls for the financier.

Mandelson added: “I regret even more the hurt he caused to many young women.”

However, according to the FT report, “an icy chill” then descended during their conversation on the train, and Mandelson added: “I’m not going to go into this. It’s an FT obsession and frankly you can all fuck off. OK?”

When later asked about Mandelson’s language, the prime minister’s spokesperson told reporters: “The prime minister has made clear the expertise and the experience Lord Mandelson has in relation to becoming ambassador to the US.”

September 2025

The seeds of Mandelson’s political demise were sown last autumn, when US lawmakers released a tranche of documemts relating to Epstein.

They included a “birthday book” which contained a message from Mandelson in which he described Epstein as his “best pal”.

But it was a further revelation, that Mandelson told Epstein in an email that “your friends stay with you and love you” even as he was facing child underage sex charges in 2008, that proved to be the final straw.

Despite telling MPs that he had “confidence” in his ambassador, Starmer eventually sacked Mandelson, just seven months after appointing him.

“The emails show that the depth and extent of Peter Mandelson’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein is materially different from that known at the time of his appointment,” the Foreign Office said.

President Donald Trump, left and former UK ambassador to the United States Peter Mandelson, in the Oval Office.

January 2026

Despite being sacked in disgrace, Mandelson appeared poised to make another remarkable comeback thanks to a series of high-profile media appearances at the start of this year.

They included an interview on Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, the BBC’s flagship political programme.

However, he caused outrage when he failed to apologise to Epstein’s victims, saying only that he was sorry “for a system” which did not listen to victims’ voices.

“That system gave him protection but not them,” he said. “If I had not known, or if I was in any way complicit or culpable, of course I would apologise for it.”

After an angry backlash, Mandelson rowed back the following day, saying: “I did not want to be held responsible for his [Epstein’s] crimes of which I was ignorant, not indifferent, because of the lies he told me and so many others.

“I was wrong to believe him following his conviction and to continue my association with him afterwards. I apologise unequivocally for doing so to the women and girls who suffered.”

February 2026

A new tranche of documents from the US’s Department of Justice (DoJ) came out at the start of February and finally sealed Mandelson’s fate.

They appeared to show he had accepted $75,000 from the disgraced financier between 2003 and 2004, though Mandelson has said he has no recollection of receiving those payments and did not know if the documents were genuine.

But amid mounting public anger, he announced he was quitting the Labour Party to avoid “further embarrassment” last Sunday.

The scandal has only intensified since then, with Mandelson now facing a criminal investigation over allegations he passed market sensitive information to Epstein when he was business secretary and the government was dealing with the aftermath of the global financial crash.

Responding to the revelations, Starmer said Mandelson had “betrayed” Britain.

Other emails show Mandelson and Epstein sharing crude jokes when the latter was released from prison – an occasion described as “Liberation Day” by the peer.

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Lord Mandelson described Jeffrey Epstein’s release after he served his sentence for child sex offences as ‘Liberation Day!’

Mandelson asked Epstein how they should celebrate

Epstein responded with a crude joke about two strippers: ‘With grace and modesty (these are the names of… pic.twitter.com/i4WuDmP5ZK

— Steven Swinford (@Steven_Swinford) February 4, 2026

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Lord Mandelson described Jeffrey Epstein’s release after he served his sentence for child sex offences as ‘Liberation Day!’

Mandelson asked Epstein how they should celebrate

Epstein responded with a crude joke about two strippers: ‘With grace and modesty (these are the names of… pic.twitter.com/i4WuDmP5ZK

— Steven Swinford (@Steven_Swinford) February 4, 2026

How Has Mandelson Responded?

Mandelson announced last Tuesday that he was quitting the House of Lords, although it will require a special law to be passed to formally remove his title.

In a self-pitying interview with The Times carried out before the latest revelations, he tried to portray himself as a victim over his sacking as US ambassador.

“It was like a 5.30am drive-by shooting,” he said. “I was at the edge of something. Suddenly, I was put at the centre of it — as a result of historical emails of which I have no memory and no record.”

Suggesting he still had a contribution to make to British politics, he said: “Hiding under a rock would be a disproportionate response to a handful of misguided historical emails, which I deeply regret sending.

“If it hadn’t been for the emails, I’d still be in Washington. Emails sent all those years ago didn’t change the relationship that I had with this monster.

“I feel the same about the recent download of Epstein files, none of which indicate wrongdoing or misdemeanour on my part.”

What Happens Next?

After a Labour rebellion, the government has agreed to publish all documents relating Mandelson’s appointment as ambassador.

It’s thought there could be close to 100,000 government files related to the former Labour peer.

The police inquiry into Mandelson is also likely to continue for months, if not years, drawing out the political pain for Starmer and his government.

Scotland Yard confirmed on Friday they are searching two properties in their investigation, but Mandelson has not been “arrested and enquiries are ongoing”.

What Does This Mean For Starmer?

Questions about Starmer’s judgment – which was already in doubt after a slew of government U-turns – have only intensified over the Mandelson scandal.

While the PM says he was lied to by Mandelson, his critics say the warning signs were already there long before the decision was taken to send him to Washington.

Harriet Harman, for the former Labour deputy leader and a party loyalist, told the Electoral Dysfunction podcast: “He’s got to stop blaming Mandelson and saying ‘he lied to me’ because actually he should never have been considering him in the first place.

“And to say ‘he lied to me’ makes it look weak and naive and gullible. So it’s just completely the wrong thing.”

She added: “If he doesn’t take the path which is necessary, yes, this will finish him off and that will be a tragedy for the government, a tragedy for the country and tragedy for Keir Starmer.”

Mutinous Labour MPs believe Morgan McSweeney’s sacking is a necessary first step in repairing the huge political damage caused by the Mandelson scandal.

However, questions about Starmer’s own future continue to swirl, and are only likely to intensify in the days ahead.

One MP told HuffPost UK: “Taking refuge in constituency stuff this weekend seems appealing.

“But trying to pretend it’s all a bad dream for a few days won’t work, as constituents will be taking the chance to make very clear how they feel about Starmer and Mandelson and that’ll end up feeding into things back in parliament next week.”

While his rivals sharpen their knives, Starmer tried to win back public favour by issuing a frank apology on Thursday, telling Epstein’s victims he’s “sorry” for ever believing Mandelson.

Will it be enough to save him, or is this scandal going to bring him down?

Labour Backbenchers Start To Publicly Condemn Starmer Over Mandelson Scandal

Posted on 06/02/2026 by Boris Clair

A growing list of Labour backbenchers are speaking out against Keir Starmer over the Peter Mandelson scandal – while some are turning on each other.

The prime minister apologised for believing the ex-Labour peer’s “lies” over his relationship with dead paedophile Jeffrey Epstein on Thursday in an attempt to win back public favour.

But scrutiny over his decision to appoint Mandelson as the UK’s ambassador to Washington continues to grow, especially as their friendship was public knowledge even before Starmer gave him the plum job.

Labour MPs began the week by privately slamming the prime minister but now – after Starmer still insisted he had no reason to believe Mandelson had misled him over his Epstein ties until US lawmakers released new files on the convicted sex offender – a growing number of those on the left of the party are going on the record with their criticisms.

Paula Barker told the BBC she was “deeply ashamed” of the government’s initial attempts to block the release of documents surrounding Mandelson’s appointment.

However, she said “there’s nobody who I would be prepared to back at this stage” to replace him.

Simon Opher also told the New Statesman that Starmer’s chief of staff Morgan McSweeney – a close ally to Mandelson – “needs to go”, blaming the “poor decision-making of those around the prime minister” for the current crisis.

Bell Ribeiro-Addy told ITV News that appointing Mandelson was an “unforgivable betrayed of our stance on violence against women and girls”.

Others, like Neil Duncan-Jordan, went further, calling for the “Number 10 operation in its entirety” to change.

Similarly, Kim Johnson said: “If this is their idea of leadership, No.10 needs gutting from top to bottom.”

Jo White, leader of Labour’s Red Wall group, said on X: “The only way through this is an ethical reset at the heart of government. ”

And former Labour shadow chancellor John McDonnell warned: “This could bring this government down.

“It could certainly bring Keir Starmer down and this whole team around him, that’s the seriousness of it.”

Rachael Maskell, a known Labour rebel, said on Thursday: “We need to now move forward as a party to ensure that we can gain that support back.

“I don’t believe we can with the PM in place – it is inevitable that the PM is going to have to step down.”

But Loyalist MP Luke Akehurst played down the impact of these statements, saying: “I’m not sure Morgan McSweeney should lose much sleep over this small collection of my PLP colleagues, all policy rebels on various issues, calling for his departure.

“The same names repeatedly take the opportunity to share their hot takes with the media.”

This sparked further disquiet within the party as fellow MP and government critic Karl Turner hit back.

Replying on X, he said: “I don’t think McSweeney will give a monkeys, Luke. But our PM should. And so should you. We aren’t some sort of fast food franchise. We are the Labour Party.

“Getting clever like this about those of us that have got the bottle to speak says more about you than it does about me.”

Meanwhile, a Labour source was exasperated to see the chaos erupting within the party, telling HuffPost UK: “Why are they publicly fighting? What’s wrong with them all?”

Donald Trump Rows Back Criticism On Keir Starmer’s Chagos Deal

Posted on 05/02/2026 by Boris Clair

Donald Trump has now backed Keir Starmer’s Chagos deal once again just weeks after attacking it.

The UK government announced last year that it was going to pay Mauritius £9 billion over the next 99 years so the UK-US military base at Diego Garcia will continue to operate as it does at the moment.

At the height of his row with Europe over control of Greenland last month, the US president accused the UK of giving away the site of “vital US military base” for “NO REASON WHATSOEVER” – despite appearing to be content with the deal at the end of 2025.

But, after a phone call with the prime minister on Thursday, Trump U-turned again, and now seems much more at ease with the plan.

In a post on TruthSocial, he wrote: “I understand that the deal prime minister Starmer has made, according to many, the best he could make.

“However, if the lease deal, sometime in the future, ever falls apart of anyone threatens or endangers US operations and forces at our base, I retain the right to militarily secure and reinforce the American presence in Diego Garcia.

“Let it be known that I will never allow our presence on a base as important as this to ever be undermined or threatened by fake claims or environmental nonsense.

“Thank you for your attention to this matter!”

The prime minister reportedly spoke to Trump about the “importance of the deal to secure the joint UK-US base on Diego Garcia, which remains vital to shared security interests”.

The two leaders agreed that the UK and US “will continue to work closely on the implementation of the deal”, according to Downing Street’s readout of the call.

No.10 will be breathing a huge sigh of relief at the president’s latest change of heart, considering Trump had condemned Starmer’s decision to give up the islands as “an act of great stupidity” in January.

The president said: “There is no doubt that China and Russia have noticed this act of total weakness.”

He added: “The UK giving away extremely important land is an act of GREAT STUPIDITY, and is another in a very long line of National Security reasons why Greenland has to be acquired. Denmark and its European Allies have to DO THE RIGHT THING.”

The outburst stunned the Westminster at the time and there were concerns about the future of the so-called “special relationship” between the US and UK.

But, unlike the European Union, Starmer ruled out imposing retaliatory tariffs on America, even if Trump went ahead with his threat to slap 10% import charges on British goods from February 1.

And, once Trump had supposedly worked up a “framework of a future deal” with Nato over Greenland, he dropped the tariff threat.

Trump Says It ‘Bothers Me That Somebody Is Going After Bill Clinton’ Amid Epstein Scandal

Posted on 05/02/2026 by Boris Clair

US President Donald Trump said it “bothers” him that former President Bill Clinton is facing scrutiny and an order to testify about his past ties to the late child sex predator Jeffrey Epstein, who Trump infamously also had a relationship with.

“It bothers me that somebody is going after Bill Clinton. See, I like Bill Clinton. I still like Bill Clinton,” Trump told NBC News in a White House interview Wednesday.

Asked what he likes about the former president, Trump answered: “I liked his behaviour towards me. I thought he got me, he understood me.”

This expressed support came one day after Trump called it “a shame” that Clinton and his wife, Hillary, have been subpoenaed to testify about their ties to Epstein.

Bill Clinton’s relationship with Epstein was documented in investigative files released by the Justice Department last week. The files include a shirtless photo of Clinton in a hot tub with someone that a DOJ official described as a “victim” of Epstein’s sexual abuse. He has denied wrongdoing and having any knowledge that Epstein was abusing underage girls.

Trump, who also faces unverified allegations of sexual misconduct involving minors in the documents and has denied wrongdoing, said it’s time to “move on” from the Epstein files and expressed support for the Clintons. This about-face follows Trump infamously calling for the former secretary of state to be locked up during and long after their vitriolic 2016 presidential campaign battle.

“I think it’s a shame, to be honest. I always liked him. Her? Yeah, she’s a very capable woman. She was better in debating than some of the other people, I will tell you that,” he told reporters on Tuesday. “She was smarter. She’s a smart woman. I hate to see it in many ways. I hate to see it, but then look at me, they went after me like — you know, they wanted me to go to jail for the rest of my life. Then it turned out I was innocent.”

‘Universally Low’: How Labour MPs’ Plummeting Morale Has Left Keir Starmer In The Danger Zone

Posted on 05/02/2026 by Boris Clair

Keir Starmer threw himself on the mercy of Jeffrey Epstein’s victims today as he desperately tried to save his premiership.

The prime minister stared down the barrel of a TV camera and apologised to them for appointing Peter Mandelson as the UK’s ambassador to Washington, despite his known links to the convicted paedophile.

“I am sorry,” he said. “Sorry for what was done to you. Sorry for having believing Mandelson’s lies and appointed him. And sorry that even now you are forced to watch this story unfold in public once again.”

But the prime minister’s audience was as much his own MPs as it was the women who were abused by Epstein.

They are the ones who hold his fate in their hands, and the bad news for Starmer is that, if anything, they are even angrier than they were yesterday.

One veteran backbencher described the mood among his colleagues as “universally low”.

Another MP said: “Taking refuge in constituency stuff this weekend seems appealing.

Starmer’s argument is that he was unaware of the extent of Lord Mandelson’s ongoing friendship with Epstein, and was lied to by the then Labour peer during the vetting process for the ambassadorial post.

“He portrayed Epstein as someone he barely knew,” the PM said. “And when that became clear and it was not true, I sacked him.”

But that is failing to convince even his own ministers, with one telling HuffPost UK: “Everyone knows Peter was always going to be a high risk appointment and that’s the most disappointing thing.

“On balance the ‘is this worth the risk’ question should have been answered with a ‘no’.”

For a prime minister and former barrister, Starmer does seem to be remarkably incurious.

The full extent of Mandelson’s deep connections with Epstein were, of course, unknown until the latest tranche of documents on the billionaire financier were released last week by the US Department of Justice.

Details of him allegedly passing on market sensitive information in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crash has stunned Westminster and have put Mandelson at the heart of a criminal investigation.

Nevertheless, there was enough evidence available long before Starmer made Mandelson his ambassador to show that he had maintained contact with Epstein after his conviction.

An internal report from 2019 by the JP Morgan bank containing emails between the pair was reported on by the Financial Times in 2023.

Photographs of the pair shopping in the Caribbean and blowing out candles on a birthday cake in Epstein’s Paris apartment were also widely in circulation.

Given that, it is hard to understand how Starmer could have bought Mandelson’s line that the pair “barely knew” one another.

Labour MP Richard Burgon – no fan of Starmer’s, it must be said – remarked: “No minister should be giving the impression that Mandelson’s relationship with Epstein – even after his jailing – wasn’t known before Mandelson became ambassador. It was.”

Other MPs insist the moment of maximum danger for Starmer has passed, at least in the short term.

But the feeling remains that the PM is now just one mis-step away from a full-blown leadership crisis – and his rivals are preparing to strike.