STORY
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has dismissed Lord Peter Mandelson from his post as UK Ambassador to the United States following a flurry of damaging disclosures about his relationship with the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office confirmed that newly released emails show Mandelson’s ties with Epstein were far deeper than previously understood. These include intimate correspondence from 2008, in which Mandelson offered emotional support to Epstein after his conviction for procuring underage prostitution, and urged him to “fight for early release.”
Further stoking the controversy was a message in a 2003 birthday tribute booklet compiled by Ghislaine Maxwell, in which Mandelson referred to Epstein as “my best pal.” Downing Street had previously defended Mandelson, who was appointed ambassador in February 2025, insisting he had been vetted. However, the mounting backlash, including across-party criticism, forced the Prime Minister to act decisively.