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British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has fired his ambassador to Washington, Peter Mandelson, after fresh revelations about the veteran Labour figure’s friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The move came Thursday after The Sun and Bloomberg published emails showing Mandelson offering support to Epstein during his 2008 prosecution in the United States. In one exchange, Mandelson encouraged him to “remember the Art of War” when dealing with prosecutors and urged him to “fight for early release” before Epstein began serving an 18-month sentence. In another, he wrote: “I think the world of you.”
The Foreign Office said in a statement that Starmer had asked Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper to withdraw Mandelson “with immediate effect” after it became clear his relationship with Epstein was “materially different from that known at the time of his appointment.” The statement added that Mandelson appeared to suggest Epstein’s first conviction was wrongful, something officials said could not be overlooked “mindful of the victims of Epstein’s crimes.”
Mandelson, 71, was once one of Labour’s most influential operators, nicknamed the “Prince of Darkness” for his mastery of political spin during Tony Blair’s premiership. He twice resigned from government over allegations of misconduct before serving as a European trade commissioner.
He told the BBC he had relied on Epstein’s lawyers, who claimed the charges were part of a conspiracy. “I foolishly relied on their word, which I regret to this day,” he said, adding he associated with Epstein “for far longer than I should have.”
The dismissal is politically awkward for Starmer, who only a day earlier insisted he had confidence in Mandelson and that “due process” had been followed before appointing him to Washington earlier this year. Mandelson had been tasked with strengthening ties with U.S. President Donald Trump ahead of his state visit to Britain next week.
Pressure had been mounting. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch called Mandelson’s position “untenable,” while at least three Labour MPs, including Andy McDonald, publicly urged his removal.
The controversy deepened after it emerged Mandelson once described Epstein as his “best pal” in a 2003 letter included in a book marking Epstein’s 50th birthday, a collection now being scrutinized by a U.S. congressional panel investigating Epstein’s crimes.
For Starmer, the sacking ends days of political turbulence but leaves lingering questions about why Mandelson was chosen in the first place, and how much was really known about his ties to one of the world’s most notorious sex offenders.
*Source: AFP News
