Keir Starmer In Hot Seat After Admitting He Knew Appointee Was Close To Epstein

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is under mounting pressure after acknowledging that he knew of ties between his former U.S. Ambassador, Lord Peter Mandelson, and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein before appointing Mandelson to the post.

Starmer’s admission has triggered backlash from across the British political spectrum, forced a partial reversal on the release of government documents, and raised fresh questions about the vetting process behind one of the United Kingdom’s most sensitive diplomatic appointments.

At Prime Minister’s Questions this week, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch pressed Starmer on whether official security vetting had flagged Mandelson’s continued association with Epstein after Epstein’s 2008 conviction for soliciting a minor. “Yes it did,” Starmer replied, confirming that the relationship had been reviewed and that “various questions were put to him” during the appointment process.

Starmer, however, claimed he was unaware of what he described as the “sheer depth and the extent” of Mandelson’s ties to Epstein, accusing the former Labour power broker of lying repeatedly about the relationship. Starmer told Parliament, “He lied about that to everyone for years. When the new information came to light, I sacked him.”

Mandelson, a political appointee rather than a career diplomat, was removed from his role as ambassador to Washington in September following the release of new material tied to the U.S. Department of Justice’s Epstein files. Those documents appear to show Mandelson sharing potentially market-sensitive information with Epstein during the 2008 financial crisis, when Mandelson was serving as business secretary in Gordon Brown’s government.

The relationship between Mandelson and Epstein, including Mandelson’s stays at Epstein’s residences after the conviction, had been reported publicly prior to Mandelson’s 2024 appointment. Starmer acknowledged that some of those details were known to Downing Street and reviewed during due diligence and security vetting.

“What was not known was the depth and extent,” Starmer repeated.

The controversy has escalated beyond partisan criticism, with Labour MPs, led by former deputy leader Angela Rayner, pushing back against Starmer’s initial plan to allow the Cabinet Secretary to determine which appointment documents could be withheld on national security grounds.

Under pressure from his own party, Starmer agreed instead to allow Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee to oversee decisions on what material can be released, a move widely seen as an attempt to calm the waters amid growing unrest on Labour’s back benches.

The Conservative Party has tabled a “humble address” motion in the House of Commons, a rarely used parliamentary tactic designed to compel the government to release internal documents. The motion seeks disclosure of vetting materials and communications involving Mandelson and the Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff, Morgan McSweeney, a close Mandelson ally who remains under scrutiny.

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey has also called for a public inquiry, pressing Starmer on whether he considered Epstein’s victims when appointing Mandelson to such a senior role.

Lord Mandelson has resigned from the Labour Party and stepped down from the House of Lords. Starmer has announced plans to introduce legislation to prevent Mandelson from retaining his peerage title and confirmed that Mandelson has been stripped of his status as a Privy Counsellor with the consent of King Charles.

Mandelson has reportedly argued that he sought Epstein’s financial expertise in what he believed to be the national interest. Starmer, however, offered an unusually blunt condemnation of his former ally, saying, “Mandelson betrayed our country, our Parliament, and my party. If I knew then what I know now, he would never have been anywhere near government.”

Documents relating to Mandelson’s appointment are expected to be released later today, with material referred to police as part of an ongoing investigation.