Back in May 2017 Richard Osley wrote in the Camden New Journal about Georgia Gould's election to the leadership of Camden Council and the congratulations of a leading New Labour figure:
Lord Mandelson was among well-wishers sending messages to Georgia Gould as she was confirmed as the next leader of Camden Council on Tuesday night. Councillor Gould stood uncontested for the role at the annual general meeting of the ruling Labour group.
Her “coronation” followed Sarah Hayward’s shock decision to step down as leader last month. Insiders said the lack of challengers to Cllr Gould – daughter of the late Lord Gould, Tony Blair’s pollster, and publishing powerhouse Baroness Gail Rebuck – meant she has the strongest command on the local Labour group any leader has had in years.
Lord Mandelson, who lives near Regent’s Park, said in a message to the 30-year-old: “Well done, Georgia, so proud of you as your Dad would be. You’ll be tremendous for Camden – my borough – and for the party.” Family friends Alastair Campbell, Mr Blair’s former press chief, and Fiona Millar have also wished her well in recent weeks, predicting she will excel as leader.
Seven years later in August 2024 Lord Mandelson wrote to Ms Gould, now MP for Queens Park and Maida Vale and at the time parliamentary secretary to the Cabinet Office, to solicit her assistance in his bid to become Chancellor of Oxford University. The inner workings of the New Labour 'old boys and girls' network is revealed in the Mandelson Papers published today LINK:
It didn't work out for Peter Mandelson as he was beaten by Tory William Hague, probably a good thing in retrospect because in September 2025 he was stripped of all honours awarded to him during his chancellorship of Manchester Metropolitan University (2016 to 2024). He moved on to campaign for the Oxford University at the end of his tenure in that post.
Manchester's action followed the revelations about Mandelson's relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.
Georgia Gould on Good Morning Britain February 2026
In February of this year Richard Osley returned to the subject in the Camden New Journal reporting on Gould's TV round under the headline 'Former council leader ‘shocked’ at family friend Mandelson’s conduct.'
While appearing on Sophy Ridge’s politics show on Sky on Sunday, Ms Gould was asked whether the public had lost faith in the system because friends, relatives and spouses were often connected in power circles.
“We are harder on random people than we are on friends and family,” Ms Ridge suggested, to which Ms Gould replied that the new intake of Labour MPs at the 2024 general election had been “people from all walks of life”.
She added: “I’m really clear on my values and my integrity. I would uphold that regardless of the individual – if I knew them or not.”
