Labour MP Andy McDonald has said there is "widespread revulsion" in the party over Lord Peter Mandelson's links to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and called for Mandelson to stand down "immediately" as the UK's ambassador to Washington after fresh revelations in emails.
McDonald made the comments on BBC Radio 4's Today programme as Conservative MPs increased pressure on Prime Minister Keir Starmer to remove Mandelson, with an urgent question tabled in Parliament by MP Neil O'Brien. Bloomberg reported that the newly disclosed emails show Mandelson told Epstein to "fight for early release" shortly before Epstein was sentenced, and said "I think the world of you" the day before Epstein began an 18-month jail term in June 2008 for soliciting prostitution from a minor.
McDonald, the MP for Middlesbrough and Thornaby East, told the programme that if Mandelson did not resign the prime minister should sack him. He said the revelations raised "inescapable" questions about Starmer's judgment in appointing Mandelson and suggested the party's vetting processes may have failed. "There isn't anybody in the Labour Party who is supporting Peter Mandelson today," McDonald said, adding that continuing to support him would weaken the prime minister's position.
Home Office Minister Mike Tapp described the emails as "disturbing" and said they made him "shudder". But Tapp told BBC Breakfast that the prime minister continued to have "confidence in [Mandelson] and his ability" to serve as ambassador, saying the work he is doing in the United States is "very important" for trade and defence co-operation, particularly in the context of the threat from Russia. Tapp said the government was not reviewing Mandelson's future as ambassador at that time.
Conservative critics have seized on the disclosures to press for an explanation from the government over Mandelson's appointment and for action. The urgent question in Parliament will give MPs an opportunity to demand answers about both the substance of the emails and the decision-making that led to Mandelson's diplomatic post.
Mandelson, a veteran Labour figure and former government minister, was appointed the UK's ambassador to Washington by the current prime minister. The Bloomberg report linking him to the messages with Epstein has prompted renewed scrutiny because of Epstein's criminal record and high-profile status as a convicted sex offender. Epstein was sentenced in June 2008 after pleading guilty to soliciting prostitution from a minor.
McDonald urged Starmer to show he had a "moral compass" and to "honour Epstein's victims" by taking decisive action. He dismissed suggestions that removing Mandelson could harm UK-US relations, saying diplomatic ties would not be damaged by responding to serious concerns about the ambassador's past conduct and contacts.
The developing controversy adds to political challenges for the Labour leadership, which must balance diplomatic and strategic considerations with demands from MPs and campaigners for accountability over ties to Epstein. Parliament is expected to scrutinise the issue further during the urgent question, and party officials and government ministers will face calls to set out what vetting took place before Mandelson's appointment.
A second image accompanying the coverage shows Mandelson at a public event; the former cabinet minister's role as ambassador has become a focal point in the debate over how public appointments are vetted and how the government responds to revelations about past associations.
As questions mount from across the House of Commons, the prime minister and his ministers face decisions about whether Mandelson will remain in post while investigations and political scrutiny continue. The outcome of the urgent question and any further disclosures will shape whether calls for resignation or dismissal intensify in the coming days.