Prime Minister Keir Starmer has fired U.K. Ambassador to the U.S.
Peter Mandelson. The news that Mandelson fired over Epstein follows the release of emails revealing his close ties to the convicted pedophile.
Peter Mandelson Jeffrey Epstein Emails Prompt Firing
The Peter Mandelson Jeffrey Epstein emails, released by The Sun newspaper on Wednesday, date back to 2008. They show Mandelson offering support to Epstein as he faced his first conviction for soliciting prostitution from a minor.
In the messages, Mandelson advised Epstein to “fight for early release” from what became an 18-month prison sentence. He also expressed his high regard for him before he was sentenced, writing, “I think the world of you.“
Mandelson Fired Over Epstein; Foreign Office Responds
A Foreign Office statement confirmed the decision after the Keir Starmer fires UK ambassador news broke. “In light of the additional information in emails written by Peter Mandelson, the prime minister has asked the foreign secretary to withdraw him as ambassador,” the statement read.
The office added that the communications revealed new details about their connection. “The emails show that the depth and extent of Peter Mandelson’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein is materially different from that known at the time of his appointment.“
Mandelson Calls Epstein My Best Pal
The email revelations follow another recent disclosure that intensified the UK ambassador scandal. Last week, Democrats on the U.S.
House Oversight Committee released a 2003 birthday album in which Mandelson calls Epstein my best pal.
Opposition Parties Demanded Action
Before the firing, opposition parties had demanded action. The Conservatives and the Scottish National Party called for Mandelson’s resignation, while the Liberal Democrats pressed for an investigation.
Mandelson’s Long Political Career
Peter Mandelson is a longtime Labor Party politician and strategist central to the party’s “New Labor” rebranding in the 1990s. He held senior cabinet posts under Prime Ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown.
He also served as the European Union’s trade commissioner from 2004 until 2008, when he returned to domestic politics. As Lord Mandelson, he is a life peer in the House of Lords.
