This week has seen reverberations continue from the latest release of files relating to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Here in the UK, the government has been rocked by questions about the nature of his relationship with senior Labour figure Peter Mandelson, and suggestions that sensitive information may have changed hands.

In this episode, regular panellists Hannah Skoda and Rana Mitter look back at the longer history of political scandal, assessing the ways in which corruption and chicanery were tackled in previous centuries.

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HISTORY BEHIND THE HEADLINES: BRIEFING

It can sometimes feel like the world is changing faster than ever before – but help is at hand. HistoryExtra’s new podcast series History Behind the Headlines: Briefing tasks expert historians with bringing you the history you need to make sense of the headlines, in five minutes or less. Find out more and listen here: https://play.megaphone.fm/mlldhlcjqlul5o2orgzdkw

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If you have any questions that you'd like Rana and Hannah to tackle, get in touch: [email protected]

For more fascinating stories from the past, head to HistoryExtra, the home of ‘History’s Greatest’ podcasts. Find out more at ⁠⁠⁠historyextra.com/podcast/⁠⁠⁠

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This episode was hosted by Matt Elton with regular panellists Hannah Skoda and Rana Mitter and produced by Lewis Dobbs.

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