'He has betrayed our country': Starmer ‘regrets’ Mandelson appointment after his links with Jeffrey Epstein surface

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has publicly admitted he regrets appointing veteran Labour figure Peter Mandelson as the United Kingdom’s ambassador to the United States, as fresh revelations about Mandelson’s links to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein triggered a political storm and a criminal investigation. Addressing Parliament on Wednesday (February 4), Starmer said Mandelson had repeatedly misled his office during the vetting process for the Washington role, failing to fully disclose the nature and extent of his relationship with Epstein. The prime minister said that had the full facts been known at the time, Mandelson would never have been appointed.

“This is not just a matter of poor judgment,” Starmer told MPs. “He betrayed our country, lied repeatedly, and fundamentally misrepresented his relationship with Epstein.” The controversy has intensified following the release of new documents by the US Justice Department, including email exchanges that suggest Mandelson shared confidential economic briefings with Epstein while serving as a senior minister under former prime minister Gordon Brown. At the time, Epstein was serving a prison sentence in the United States for soliciting a minor.

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The documents also reveal apparent financial transactions, with Epstein allegedly transferring a total of $75,000 to accounts linked to Mandelson between 2003 and 2004. Mandelson has denied any recollection of the payments and questioned the authenticity of the records. In light of the revelations, London’s Metropolitan Police confirmed it has opened an investigation into Mandelson for potential misconduct in public office. If charged and convicted, the 72-year-old could face imprisonment.

Starmer said he was aware that Mandelson had maintained contact with Epstein after the financier’s conviction but insisted that Mandelson had repeatedly downplayed and obscured the depth of the relationship during official scrutiny. The prime minister’s handling of the appointment has come under sharp attack from the opposition. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch accused Starmer of ignoring widely available information about Mandelson’s ties to Epstein, claiming the details were “publicly accessible” long before the appointment.

Opposition MPs are now seeking the release of all documents related to Mandelson’s appointment as ambassador in February last year. Starmer said the government would publish the papers, with redactions only where national security or diplomatic interests could be compromised. Mandelson was dismissed from his ambassadorial post in September after just seven months, following an earlier release of Epstein-related files. On Tuesday, he also resigned from the House of Lords as pressure mounted.

Starmer confirmed his government is preparing legislation to strip Mandelson of his peerage, while King Charles III is expected to remove him from the Privy Council. The European Union has also launched its own inquiry into whether Mandelson breached EU rules during his tenure as trade commissioner between 2004 and 2008, further widening the scope of the scandal.