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UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer dismissed Peter Mandelson from his post as UK ambassador to Washington on Thursday after new evidence revealed a closer connection between the former Labour heavyweight and the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Mandelson, who earned the nickname “Prince of Darkness” during his years as a media strategist, had twice resigned from Tony Blair’s government in the late 1990s and early 2000s due to allegations of misconduct.
His career had already seen its share of controversy, but the recent disclosures marked a fresh chapter in public scrutiny.
The Foreign Ministry issued a statement explaining that Starmer had asked Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper to withdraw Mandelson because newly uncovered emails demonstrated a “materially different” relationship with Epstein than what had been known at the time of his appointment.
The statement noted that Mandelson’s assertion that Epstein’s first conviction was wrongful had not been previously disclosed and cited the need to consider the victims of Epstein’s crimes.
Reports showed that Mandelson had sent supportive messages to Epstein while the financier faced US investigations in 2008. In these messages, Mandelson told Epstein he was “following you closely and here whenever you need” and encouraged him to “remember the Art of War” in dealing with prosecutors.
He also advised Epstein to “fight for early release” shortly before the notorious sex offender began an 18-month sentence for procuring a child for prostitution.
One email, sent the day before Epstein began his sentence, stated: “I think the world of you.”
In response to the revelations, Mandelson told the BBC that he had relied on assurances of Epstein’s innocence that “turned out later to be horrendously false.” He added that Epstein’s lawyers had claimed the case was a criminal conspiracy, a claim Mandelson now regretted trusting.
The dismissal came just one week before US President Donald Trump is scheduled to make a state visit to Britain. Conservative opposition leader Kemi Badenoch described Mandelson’s position as “untenable,” and at least three Labour MPs publicly urged Starmer to take action, including Andy McDonald, who called for an immediate removal.
Starmer had appointed Mandelson earlier this year to the ambassadorial post, assigning him the task of strengthening ties with Trump.
The controversy deepened after revelations that Mandelson had once described Epstein as his “best pal” and an “intelligent, sharp-witted man” in a 2003 letter compiled to mark Epstein’s 50th birthday.
