Prime Minister Keir Starmer publicly backed Lord Peter Mandelson at Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday even though Downing Street had been briefed the previous day about emails between the peer and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, two government sources and media reports said.
The Foreign Office passed details of the exchanges to Downing Street on Tuesday, according to a report in The Times. Lord Mandelson was sacked as Britain’s ambassador to the United States on Thursday after emails, reported to have been leaked to Bloomberg, surfaced showing the peer offering support to Epstein after his conviction for soliciting prostitution from a minor.
The emails cited in media reports include passages in which Mandelson urged Epstein to "fight for early release" shortly before Epstein began serving an 18-month sentence and told him "I think the world of you" a day before the sentence was imposed in June 2008. Allies of Mandelson told The Times he disclosed in his vetting interview that he had continued a relationship with Epstein for many years.
Downing Street said the prime minister had confidence in his top team and that ministers were continuing their work. A No 10 spokesman said: "The Prime Minister has confidence in his top team and they are getting on with the important work of this Government." Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, speaking from Kyiv, said the decision to sack Lord Mandelson was "rightly taken."
Labour MPs reacted angrily to the handling of the appointment and the timing of the sacking, with some blaming the prime minister’s senior adviser, Morgan McSweeney, for championing Mandelson’s appointment and for efforts to retain him after the email revelations. McSweeney’s involvement in the appointment has been denied by senior No 10 figures and some sources suggested reports about his role were motivated by internal disputes.
Backbench disquiet surfaced quickly. Norwich South MP Clive Lewis became the most prominent Labour backbencher to call publicly for Sir Keir to resign, saying the prime minister had "lost control" and was not "up to the job". Other MPs privately told media outlets that Starmer’s leadership had been damaged and that the episode had created a "febrile" atmosphere in the parliamentary party.
Conservative and other opposition figures seized on the controversy. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said Starmer was "in office, but not in power" and said he should never have appointed Mandelson. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said the prime minister had "ignored the warnings" and delayed removing Mandelson. Those criticisms came as Labour ministers and officials defended the decision to dismiss the ambassador once the full details of the emails were publicly reported.
Mandelson, a veteran Labour politician who served in senior roles in New Labour governments, was appointed ambassador to Washington earlier this year and had met President Donald Trump in the Oval Office in May 2025. Reports said the peer refused to resign after the emails emerged and remains on the government payroll while talks continue over a possible settlement, raising the prospect of a taxpayer-funded payout.
The episode capped a turbulent week for the government that had already included the resignation of Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner from the Cabinet. It also comes days before a planned state visit to the United Kingdom by former President Donald Trump, an event that government officials had hoped would focus on bilateral relations but which senior politicians warned could be overshadowed by domestic controversy.
Labour figures outside No 10 urged the prime minister to demonstrate stronger political management. Former cabinet minister Lord David Blunkett advised Starmer to draw on more experienced advisers, saying that governing was "much more difficult" than opposition. Some MPs warned that, if No 10 did not move swiftly to restore confidence, rebellions by backbenchers could become more likely.
The revelations about Mandelson follow broader scrutiny of public figures’ past relationships with Epstein and associates such as Ghislaine Maxwell. Media attention on the peer’s communications intensified after the Bloomberg reports and led to rapid political fallout.
Officials said routine vetting had been carried out before Mandelson’s appointment. The government has not disclosed details of the vetting process or what material was available to advisers before the decision to appoint him. Sources close to Mandelson have disputed suggestions he misled vetters.
As the row continued, Downing Street reiterated the need to focus on the government’s legislative and diplomatic agenda, while party managers worked to contain the internal fallout. The prime minister’s ability to manage senior appointments and the influence of close aides has become a central issue in the debate inside Labour over the handling of the scandal.
Parliamentary party tensions are likely to remain a focus for the coming days as MPs await more information about the contents of the emails and the terms of any settlement with Lord Mandelson. The government said it would not comment further while formal processes relating to the ambassador’s departure and any associated legal or financial arrangements remain under way.