Britain’s Starmer expresses regret over ambassadorship

Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Wednesday expressed regret over the appointment of Peter Mandelson as Britain’s ambassador to Washington, saying the Labor veteran had created “a litany of deceptions” about his links to US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Mr Starmer was forced to bow to pressure from the opposition Conservative Party to release documents about Mr Mandelson’s appointment and water down attempts to limit disclosure in the face of a revolt from his own Labor Party.

Mr Mandelson, who was a cabinet minister when Labor was in power more than 15 years ago, resigned from the House of Lords on Tuesday over his relationship with Mr Epstein and is now under police investigation for alleged misconduct while in office.

Files released by the U.S. Department of Justice last week included emails suggesting Mr. Mandelson leaked government documents to Mr. Epstein and that Mr. Epstein recorded payments to Mr. Mandelson or his then-partner, now her husband.

Mr Mandelson said he had no recollection of receiving the payment. He has not publicly commented on the allegations that he leaked the documents and did not respond to messages seeking comment.

Mr Starmer defended his response on Wednesday, saying he had acted swiftly to strip all titles and roles from those he accused of “betraying” Britain.

Asked in parliament whether the investigation carried out before Mr Mandelson’s appointment had mentioned Mr Mandelson’s continuing relationship with Mr Epstein, Mr Starmer said:

“Yes, that was the case. As a result, he was asked a lot of questions,” Starmer said. He also said Mr Mandelson had lied throughout the process and said relevant documents would show that.

But Mr Starmer’s explanation of how Mr Mandelson was appointed did little to quell opposition voices, who said it called into question the judgment of Mr Starmer and his close aide Morgan McSweeney in choosing an ambassador in 2024.

Starmer’s appointment of Mandelson and a series of embarrassing policy U-turns have also done little to quell anger within the Labor Party, with MPs increasingly dissatisfied.

Mr Starmer told a raucous parliament: “I am as angry as anyone about what Mr Mandelson has done. This week’s revelation that Mr Mandelson passed on classified information at the height of the response to the 2008 financial crisis is absolutely shocking and horrifying.”

“He has betrayed our country, lied repeatedly and is responsible for a series of deceptions. But this moment demands not just anger, but action. That’s why we acted so quickly,” the prime minister told MPs after telling MPs he had agreed with King Charles to remove Mandelson from the royal council.

A chaotic afternoon in the House of Commons, with MPs from all parties lining up to criticize Starmer and demand maximum transparency, culminated in the government agreeing a compromise to avoid an embarrassing defeat.

Following protests from Labor MPs, the government withdrew proposals to withhold documents relating to Mr Mandelson, which it deemed would have a negative impact on national security and international relations. Instead, it will be referred to Parliament’s intelligence and security committee.

British police also announced that they had asked the government not to release certain documents, saying they could jeopardize the investigation into allegations of misconduct by Mandelson.

Emails released last week appear to show that Mr Mandelson sent Mr Epstein a government memo in 2009 about possible UK asset sales and tax changes, and in 2010 gave him advance notice of a 500 billion euro bailout from the European Union.

Starmer appointed Mandelson, arguing that his past work in the Tony Blair and Gordon Brown governments and as EU trade commissioner made him the ideal person to steer relations with the United States under President Donald Trump.

Mr. Starmer fired Mr. Mandelson in September, seven months after joining the company, after documents emerged showing that Mr. Mandelson continued to have a close relationship with Mr. Epstein even after his 2008 conviction for child sex crimes.