Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer dismissed Ambassador Peter Mandelson after emails revealed his ties with Jeffrey Epstein, including a birthday card calling him 'my best friend' and support for early release after Epstein’s 2008 conviction.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer today (Thursday) dismissed his ambassador to the United States, Peter Mandelson, after leaked emails published in the UK exposed correspondence with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Mandelson, a veteran Labour politician once nicknamed 'the Prince of Darkness,' was removed from his post only months after his appointment, following disclosures of his personal support for Epstein after the latter’s first conviction in 2008 for exploiting a 14-year-old girl.
The scandal added to Starmer’s recent political woes, which already included the resignation of his deputy Angela Rayner last week over a tax controversy.
In an attempt to stabilize his government, Starmer reshuffled his cabinet and appointed Shabana Mahmood as the new Home Secretary, with a mandate to pursue a tougher stance on illegal immigration.
The uproar surrounding Mandelson began earlier this week when the U.S. House of Representatives, which is revisiting the Epstein case, released new documents from the investigation.
Among them was a 2003 birthday card from Mandelson to Epstein in which he described him as 'my best friend.' The card also included a compromising photograph of Mandelson wearing a white bathrobe while speaking with Epstein.
According to reports, this and other images were taken on Epstein’s private Caribbean island, which became infamous as 'pedophile island' after it was revealed that underage girls were abused there.
British tabloids subsequently revealed emails from 2008 in which Mandelson expressed support for Epstein after his conviction, urging him to 'fight for early release' and writing: 'I think the world of you.' Epstein served 13 months in prison under lenient conditions that allowed him daily work release.
In a statement, the British Foreign Office confirmed Mandelson’s dismissal, describing his messages suggesting Epstein’s conviction was mistaken as 'new information' that had not been known when his appointment was made late last year.
Mandelson, who had served as ambassador since February, issued a public apology, expressing deep regret for meeting Epstein at all and admitting he should have cut ties much earlier.
He emphasized that Epstein had never offered him 'interactions with women,' noting his own identity as an openly gay man.
Mandelson, aged 71, has long been a controversial figure in Labour politics.
He was a central strategist behind the electoral successes of former Prime Minister Tony Blair but was forced to resign from Blair’s governments in 1998 and 2001 over separate scandals.
He later served in a senior European Union post before returning to Gordon Brown’s government in 2008.
His dismissal now marks another dramatic chapter in a career that has repeatedly been shadowed by controversy.
Mandelson, a veteran Labour politician once nicknamed 'the Prince of Darkness,' was removed from his post only months after his appointment, following disclosures of his personal support for Epstein after the latter’s first conviction in 2008 for exploiting a 14-year-old girl.
The scandal added to Starmer’s recent political woes, which already included the resignation of his deputy Angela Rayner last week over a tax controversy.
In an attempt to stabilize his government, Starmer reshuffled his cabinet and appointed Shabana Mahmood as the new Home Secretary, with a mandate to pursue a tougher stance on illegal immigration.
The uproar surrounding Mandelson began earlier this week when the U.S. House of Representatives, which is revisiting the Epstein case, released new documents from the investigation.
Among them was a 2003 birthday card from Mandelson to Epstein in which he described him as 'my best friend.' The card also included a compromising photograph of Mandelson wearing a white bathrobe while speaking with Epstein.
According to reports, this and other images were taken on Epstein’s private Caribbean island, which became infamous as 'pedophile island' after it was revealed that underage girls were abused there.
British tabloids subsequently revealed emails from 2008 in which Mandelson expressed support for Epstein after his conviction, urging him to 'fight for early release' and writing: 'I think the world of you.' Epstein served 13 months in prison under lenient conditions that allowed him daily work release.
In a statement, the British Foreign Office confirmed Mandelson’s dismissal, describing his messages suggesting Epstein’s conviction was mistaken as 'new information' that had not been known when his appointment was made late last year.
Mandelson, who had served as ambassador since February, issued a public apology, expressing deep regret for meeting Epstein at all and admitting he should have cut ties much earlier.
He emphasized that Epstein had never offered him 'interactions with women,' noting his own identity as an openly gay man.
Mandelson, aged 71, has long been a controversial figure in Labour politics.
He was a central strategist behind the electoral successes of former Prime Minister Tony Blair but was forced to resign from Blair’s governments in 1998 and 2001 over separate scandals.
He later served in a senior European Union post before returning to Gordon Brown’s government in 2008.
His dismissal now marks another dramatic chapter in a career that has repeatedly been shadowed by controversy.
