Prime Minister Keir Starmer is under scrutiny for appointing Peter Mandelson as UK ambassador to the US, after firing him on Thursday over emails showing he offered support to Jeffrey Epstein during his 2008 sex offense charges.
The government said details of Mandelson’s ties to Epstein were unknown at the time of his appointment last year. Conservatives are demanding the release of vetting files, while some Labour MPs fault Starmer for naming him at all. A spokesman said vetting was departmental, not led by the PM, who called the emails “reprehensible.”
The Conservatives urged Starmer to “come clean” on what he knew before appointing Mandelson and defending him at PMQs, demanding the release of all vetting papers and communications with Downing Street. Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said Starmer must explain to Parliament why Mandelson was appointed at all. Some Labour MPs also criticized both the choice and the delay in removing him once new details emerged.
“The delay in sacking him has only served to further erode the trust and confidence in our government and politics in the round,” said former deputy leadership hopeful Paula Barker. “We must be better.”
Since Mandelson was appointed UK ambassador in December, Starmer has faced questions over his past friendship with Epstein, which continued after Epstein’s conviction. Sources told the BBC this was factored into Starmer’s decision to send him to Washington.
“The Epstein stuff in broad terms was definitely known and discussed in detail before his appointment,” said one source told the BBC.
In a letter to staff on Thursday, Mandelson called his dismissal from the Washington embassy “deeply regrettable,” saying the role was “the privilege of my life” and expressing remorse over his past association with Epstein and his victims. His firing followed leaked emails in which he urged Epstein to “fight for early release” before his 18-month sentence.
Peter Mandelson has been sacked as UK ambassador to the U.S. But he should never have been appointed in the first place by Keir Starmer. His friendship with Jeffrey Epstein was already public knowledge when he was appointed. Starmer’s judgement and prior knowledge has to be… pic.twitter.com/I3463Uqb4X
— James Melville 🚜 (@JamesMelville) September 11, 2025
