Starmer distances himself from former Labour member linked to Epstein
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has sharply criticized former fellow Labour Party member Peter Mandelson after newly released documents revealed his relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The prime minister has claimed he fell victim to “deceit” by a man he had himself appointed as ambassador to the US in 2024.
Mandelson resigned from the Labour Party and quit his position in the House of Lords earlier this week after documents released by the US Department of Justice suggested he had received $75,000 from the late pedophile. He still denied any wrongdoing by claiming that he had no recollection of ever receiving the money.
The same batch of Epstein files released last week also suggested that Mandelson had leaked confidential government documents to Epstein in 2009 and 2010 when he was a prominent figure in the then Labour government. The revelations prompted the UK police to open a case into alleged misconduct of office against the former official.
“I was lied to,” Starmer said on Thursday, addressing the criticism related to his decision to appoint Mandelson ambassador to the US at a time when his links to Epstein were already somewhat known. “I understand the anger and frustration among Labour MPs,” he stated, adding that “it had been publicly known for some time that Mandelson knew Epstein, but none of us knew the depth and the darkness of that relationship.”
The prime minister also said he wanted to release the security vetting advice he had received on Mandelson back in 2024 but dropped the idea because of a police request not to do anything that could affect the ongoing investigation into the former ambassador.
A Conservative Party spokesperson demanded an independent probe into Mandelson’s 2024 appointment. “Keir Starmer and his chief of staff appointed Mandelson ambassador despite his relationship with Epstein, and then refused to act even as the mountain of evidence against him grew,” the official said.
Starmer fired Mandelson last year following revelations about a ten-page “love” letter to his “best pal” Epstein.
