British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has dismissed the United Kingdom’s ambassador to the United States, Peter Mandelson, after fresh revelations surfaced about his past friendship with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
In a statement released on Thursday, the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) confirmed that Starmer directed Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper to withdraw Mandelson from his post “with immediate effect,” citing newly uncovered emails that revealed a deeper and more supportive relationship between Mandelson and Epstein than was previously known.
“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,” the statement read.
“In particular, Peter Mandelson’s suggestion that Jeffrey Epstein’s first conviction was wrongful and should be challenged is new information. In light of that, and mindful of the victims of Epstein’s crimes, he has been withdrawn as ambassador with immediate effect.”
The decision comes after explosive reports by The Sun and Bloomberg News revealed that Mandelson had sent encouraging messages to Epstein while the disgraced financier was under investigation for sex offences in the United States in 2008.
In the leaked emails, Mandelson urged Epstein to “remember the Art of War” when facing prosecutors, telling him he was “following you closely and here whenever you need,” and advising him to “fight for early release” shortly before Epstein was sentenced to 18 months in prison for procuring a child for prostitution. “I think the world of you,” Mandelson wrote in one email on the eve of Epstein’s sentencing.
Mandelson, who previously served as a senior minister under former Prime Minister Tony Blair and was nicknamed the “Prince of Darkness” for his role as a political spin doctor, told BBC News that he had relied on Epstein’s lawyers, who claimed their client was a victim of “a criminal conspiracy.”
“I foolishly relied on their word, which I regret to this day,” the 71-year-old said.
The sacking marks a dramatic fall for Mandelson, who was appointed ambassador earlier this year and tasked with strengthening ties with Donald Trump’s administration. The scandal erupted just days before the US president’s planned state visit to the United Kingdom.
Opposition leader Kemi Badenoch of the Conservative Party had called Mandelson’s position “untenable,” while several Labour MPs, including Andy McDonald, urged Starmer to remove him.
Starmer had only on Wednesday defended Mandelson, saying he had “confidence” in him and that “due process was followed” during his appointment. However, the revelation of a 2003 letter in which Mandelson described Epstein as his “best pal” and “an intelligent, sharp-witted man” — included in a book celebrating Epstein’s 50th birthday and later obtained by a United States Congress panel — intensified public pressure.
Speaking to The Sun after his removal, Mandelson admitted he regretted “very deeply” associating with Epstein “for far longer than I should have done.”
