London, Feb 6 (.) UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer publicly apologised for appointing Peter Mandelson, a former member of the Labour Party with ties to US financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, as the UK ambassador to the United States.
Starmer appointed Mandelson as ambassador to the US in February 2025. In September, he was dismissed from his post due to his ties to Epstein. On Sunday, Mandelson announced his resignation from the Labour Party.
“The victims of Epstein … have seen accountability delayed and too often denied to them. I want to say this. I am sorry – sorry for what was done to you, sorry that so many people with power failed, sorry for having believed Mandelson’s lies and appointed him, and sorry that even now you’re forced to watch this story unfold in public once again,” Starmer said during a press conference on Thursday.
At the same time, UK opposition parties have called for a vote of no confidence in Starmer over the scandal surrounding Mandelson.
Keir Starmer’s decision to appoint Peter Mandelson as British ambassador to the United States has erupted into a full-blown crisis, amid longstanding awareness of Mandelson’s connections to Jeffrey Epstein. The fallout deepened after newly released documents and private photographs exposed the warmth of their correspondence. The revelations forced Mandelson’s earlier resignation from the House of Lords and have since triggered a police investigation into alleged misconduct in public office.
On January 30, US Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche announced the completion of the publication of materials related to the Epstein case. With the latest disclosure, the total volume of released data exceeds 3.5 million files. Documents also noted Mandelson got $75,000 from Epstein in 2003-2004.
In September 2025, The Sun reported that in 2008, Mandelson had assured Epstein that “your friends stay with you and love you” amid the financier’s case of forcing an underage girl into prostitution. Shortly before Epstein was sentenced to 18 months in prison following a plea bargain, Mandelson urged him to “fight for early release,” the report said. In letters, the former ambassador expressed anger over Epstein’s trial in the US and urged the financier to take a “philosophical” approach to it.
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