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Lord Peter Mandelson has been sacked as UK ambassador to the US after days of criticism over his links to the paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, raising questions about Sir Keir Starmer’s judgment in appointing him in the first place.
Mandelson’s dismissal comes just days ahead of a state visit to Britain by Donald Trump, who was also a friend of Epstein years ago, and it is expected to lead to more questions for the US president on the issue.
Starmer and foreign secretary Yvette Cooper decided to dismiss Mandelson on Thursday morning after reviewing a newly released stash of correspondence between the envoy and Epstein.
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said: “In light of the additional information in emails written by Peter Mandelson, the prime minister has asked the foreign secretary to withdraw him as ambassador.”
Mandelson’s sacking was announced at around 10.45am in London and before dawn in Washington. Colleagues of Mandelson said he was not shown a copy of the FCDO statement before it was released.
Epstein’s shadow will now fall over Trump’s visit to the UK. Ro Khanna, the Democratic congressman who has led the charge on Capitol Hill to unseal US government files relating to the Epstein case, said Mandelson was the “first example of many that will follow”.
Emails revealed this week showed how the Labour peer offered support to Epstein in June 2008, shortly before he pleaded guilty to a charge of soliciting prostitution from minors.
“I think the world of you and I feel hopeless and furious about what has happened,” Mandelson said. He urged Epstein to be “incredibly resilient”, adding: “Your friends stay with you and love you.”
Mandelson also appeared in a book of messages given to Epstein for his 50th birthday in 2003, in which he called the financier his “best pal” and referred to his “interesting friends”.
Starmer had insisted on Wednesday that he had confidence in Mandelson, who took up his post in February. But Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said the revelations were “sickening”, adding: “Peter Mandelson needs to be fired now.”
Mandelson’s links with the late disgraced financier were well known to Starmer before he appointed his envoy to Washington earlier this year.
But the FCDO insisted new information had come to light. “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,” it said.
“In particular Peter Mandelson’s suggestion that Jeffrey Epstein’s first conviction was wrongful and should be challenged is new information.”
Government officials insisted that a cache of messages reported by Bloomberg on Wednesday evening was not available at the time of Mandelson’s appointment either to the vetting team or to Starmer.
“Emails were not even available to Peter Mandelson now or at the time of his appointment since they are from a long closed email address. The vetting process was followed,” one official said.
Epstein was found hanging in a New York jail cell in August 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges involving dozens of minors.
Mandelson’s sacking is also hugely damaging to the UK prime minister, who is facing serious questions over his choice of senior appointments.
Baroness Harriet Harman, former Labour deputy leader, told Sky News: “I think he should never have put himself forward for that job, knowing what he, Peter Mandelson, knew about what was likely to come out.”
Badenoch said Starmer had also failed to act quickly enough to remove senior government figures embroiled in scandals, including former deputy prime minister Angela Rayner, who failed to pay correct property taxes.
The Tory opposition leader said: “He has no backbone and no convictions. There are now serious questions over what Starmer knew and when. We deserve to know.”
James Roscoe, Mandelson’s deputy, will take over as acting ambassador to Washington pending the appointment of a permanent successor, Downing Street said.
Speculation on who will be Mandelson’s permanent successor has started. Starmer had previously considered David Miliband, former Labour foreign secretary, and George Osborne, former Tory chancellor, for the role.
Dame Karen Pierce, former ambassador to the US, known as the “Trump whisperer”, has been touted by some diplomats for a return, while Sir Richard Moore, head of MI6, is seen by some as a contender.
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