Starmer Expresses Regret: Would Not Have Appointed Mandelson if Aware of Epstein Associations
Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced the sacking of Peter Mandelson as Britain's ambassador to the United States, following the revelation of the former's close ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
In a statement, Starmer admitted that he would not have appointed Mandelson to the position if he had known the full extent of Mandelson's connections to Epstein. The leaked emails, which date back to Mandelson's selection last year, have shed light on the nature and extent of their relationship.
Starmer claimed that he was aware of Mandelson's association with Epstein before the appointment, but the details were not fully disclosed to him. The propriety and ethics team had conducted a due diligence process for Mandelson's appointment, but the newly emerged emails, specifically those from Bloomberg, show that Mandelson's relationship with Epstein was far different than what Starmer understood at the time.
Mandelson's actions, as revealed in the leaked emails, went against Starmer's approach on violence against women and girls for many years. In one email, Mandelson suggested that Epstein should 'fight for early release' and told him 'your friends stay with you and love you.'
Starmer expressed regret for giving Mandelson a plum job, despite the due diligence process conducted by the propriety and ethics team. Mandelson was sacked 24 hours after the PM, at prime minister's questions, stated that full due process was followed during Mandelson's selection. The PM's responses to government officials regarding Mandelson were not 'at all satisfying.'
The sacking of Mandelson comes after he was charged with sex offenses, with the leaked emails revealing his friendship with Epstein even after the charges. This development has raised questions about the adequacy of the due diligence process conducted by the propriety and ethics team.
Starmer, however, insists that he followed a full process in the selection of Mandelson as British ambassador to the USA last year. He maintains that he would not have appointed Mandelson as Britain's ambassador to the U.S. if he had known the full extent of Mandelson's connections to Epstein.
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