Prime Minister Keir Starmer has dismissed Lord Peter Mandelson as Britain’s ambassador to the United States after new evidence deepened scrutiny of his links with the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. The Foreign Office said the decision followed “additional information” from private emails that revealed Mandelson’s relationship with Epstein was “materially different” from what was known when he was appointed. Just days earlier, Starmer had defended Mandelson at Prime Minister’s Questions, but the release of documents by US lawmakers including a letter in which Mandelson called Epstein his “best pal” increased pressure on the government to act.
The correspondence, obtained by outlets including The Sun, also shows Mandelson privately encouraged Epstein to seek early release from prison and appeared to liaise with figures linked to his defence. References were made to Jay Lefkowitz, one of Epstein’s lawyers and a senior adviser in George W. Bush’s administration, though a spokesman for the former president denied any involvement.
Mandelson has disputed suggestions he viewed Epstein’s conviction as wrongful but admitted he believed his friend was telling the truth. His abrupt dismissal leaves questions hanging over Starmer’s judgment and what he knew about Mandelson’s ties at the time of the appointment.
Erizia Rubyjeana
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