Prime Minister Keir Starmer Wednesday said he regretted naming Peter Mandelson as US ambassador, as the UK leader was set to release documents linked to the appointment following fresh allegations about the Labour politician’s close ties to Jeffrey Epstein.
“He’s betrayed our country, he’s lied repeatedly, he’s responsible for a litany of deceit, but this moment demands not just anger, but action,” Starmer told parliament.
Starmer said he did know about Mandelson’s ongoing ties to Epstein, and he accused the former minister and EU trade commissioner of failing “time and time again” to reveal the full extent of their relationship during the vetting for the Washington role last year.
The government agreed to release all documents in connection to the appointment to the parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee, following growing anger from the opposition and some of Starmer’s own Labour party members.
The motion to release the documents will likely be voted on later Wednesday.
The prime minister’s judgement is under immense scrutiny following new allegations that his former top envoy in the United States had passed confidential information to the late US sex offender Epstein nearly two decades ago.
UK police have announced they are now probing the claims, which emerged from email exchanges between the pair shining a light on the extent of their warm relations, financial dealings as well as private photos.
Around that time, Epstein was serving an 18-month jail term for soliciting a minor in Florida while Mandelson was a UK government minister under then-leader Gordon Brown.
“He lied repeatedly to my team when asked about his relationship with Epstein before and during his tenure as ambassador,” Starmer told MPs during a parliamentary grilling.
“I regret appointing him. If I knew then what I know now, he would never have been anywhere near government.”
– ‘Liberation day’ –
For decades a pivotal and often divisive figure in British politics, Mandelson has had a chequered career and has twice resigned from government for alleged misconduct.
Starmer then sacked him as ambassador in September after only seven months in post following an earlier Epstein files release.
On Tuesday, Mandelson resigned from the upper house of parliament — the unelected House of Lords — after the latest release of scandalous Epstein files.
Other emails in the latest tranche appear to show Mandelson celebrating the American financier’s release from prison in July 2009 as “Liberation Day!”.
A day later, Mandelson asked Epstein on July 22, 2009: “How is freedom feeling?”. To Epstein replies, “she feels fresh, firm, and creamy.”
Mandelson then replies with “Naughty boy”.
The lewd comments were slammed by UK MPs, who heaped pressure on Starmer to explain his decision to hand Mandelson the top job in February 2025.
“So can the prime minister tell us, given he now admits he knew about those links before he gave such an important job to one of Epstein’s closest friends, did he think at all about Epstein’s victims?” asked Liberal Democrats leader Ed Davey.
Pledging to release the vetting documents, Starmer said he wanted MPs to see for themselves “the extent to which time and time again Mandelson completely misrepresented the extent of his relationship with Epstein.”
Starmer also noted his team were drafting legislation “to strip Mandelson of his title” while head of state King Charles III was set to remove him from the list of privy counsellors able to advise the monarch.
– Criminal probe –
London’s Metropolitan Police confirmed on Tuesday it had launched an investigation into 72-year-old Mandelson for misconduct in public office offences following the latest revelations.
If any charges were brought and he was convicted, he could potentially face imprisonment.
The latest batch of US documents showed Mandelson had in 2009 forwarded an economic briefing to Epstein intended for Brown.
In another 2010 email the US financier, who died by suicide in prison in 2019, asked Mandelson about the European Union’s bailout of Greece.
The latest release also showed Epstein appeared to have transferred a total of $75,000 in three payments to accounts linked to the British politician between 2003 and 2004.
Mandelson has told the BBC he had no memory of the money transfers and did not know whether the documents were authentic.
The EU is also investigating whether Mandelson breached any of their rules during his time from 2004-2008 as trade commissioner.
Add Comment