Today, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has taken decisive action to withdraw Lord Peter Mandelson from his post as the United Kingdom’s Ambassador to the United States following newly surfaced revelations regarding Mandelson’s relationship with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The decision comes in light of recently published emails that reveal a deeper and more troubling connection between Lord Mandelson and Epstein than was previously known at the time of his appointment. Among the disclosures are messages in which Mandelson expressed support for Epstein during his 2008 prosecution, including statements such as “I think the world of you” and encouragement to “fight for early release”.
In a statement issued by the Foreign Office, Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper confirmed that the Prime Minister had requested Mandelson’s immediate withdrawal: “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. In particular, Mandelson’s suggestion that Epstein’s first conviction was wrongful and should be challenged is new information. In light of that, and mindful of the victims of Epstein’s crimes, he has been withdrawn as ambassador with immediate effect.”
The dismissal follows mounting pressure from across the political spectrum, including calls from Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch and several Labour MPs who deemed Mandelson’s position “untenable.”
Lord Mandelson, who previously served as a senior Labour minister and European trade commissioner, acknowledged his misjudgment in continuing his association with Epstein, stating: “I relied on assurances of his innocence that turned out later to be horrendously false. I regret very deeply having maintained that relationship for far longer than I should have.”