British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Wednesday he has "confidence" in Peter Mandelson, the United Kingdom's ambassador to the United States, after Democrats on the U.S. House Oversight Committee released a 2003 birthday album that included a handwritten note from Mandelson to the late financier Jeffrey Epstein.
In the album, compiled for Epstein's 50th birthday, Mandelson wrote that Epstein was "my best pal." Mandelson has acknowledged knowing Epstein well, told The Sun the comments were "very embarrassing to see and to read," and said they were written before Epstein was indicted on federal charges. Mandelson insisted he had no business relationship with Epstein and said he has a "tremendous sense, a profound sense of sympathy" for Epstein's victims.
The album, which the Oversight Committee released as part of its public record related to Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell, included entries from a number of prominent figures. The committee said other contributors to a "friends" section included President Donald Trump, former President Bill Clinton and attorney Alan Dershowitz, and it also released letters in the album that contain sexually suggestive language. The book was compiled by Maxwell, who has been convicted in the United States on sex-trafficking charges.
Epstein, a wealthy financier who had social ties to elites in the United States and abroad, died by suicide in a Manhattan jail in August 2019 while awaiting trial on counts of sex trafficking. He had previously been convicted in 2008 in Florida on charges of soliciting prostitution from a minor.
Mandelson, 71, was appointed ambassador to Washington earlier this year after the Labour Party’s election victory in July 2024. Starmer, speaking as the controversy mounted, said Mandelson "has repeatedly expressed his deep regret" for the association and that he was "playing an important role in the U.K.-U.S. relationship." Starmer's office said Mandelson underwent "extensive vetting and background checks" before his appointment.
The revelations prompted criticism from Kemi Badenoch, leader of the Conservative Party, who asked whether Mandelson's position was "tenable." Starmer's public support comes amid other pressures on his government: his deputy prime minister, Angela Rayner, resigned this week over a tax dispute. Downing Street aides acknowledged the timing made the issue an unwelcome distraction.
Mandelson is a veteran political operator who has been at the center of previous controversies. He resigned twice from Tony Blair's government, in 1998 and 2001, later served as a European Commissioner for trade and returned to front-line British politics under Gordon Brown. The prime minister and his allies have emphasized Mandelson's trade expertise as important in efforts to limit potential tariffs on British goods entering the U.S.
A spokesman for Starmer, Dave Pares, reiterated that "due process" was followed in the ambassador's appointment. Mandelson has told media he never saw evidence of criminal activity in his interactions with Epstein and that some of his associations dated to a time when his then partner, and now husband, was also known to Epstein.
Mandelson has indicated further disclosures could surface in coming weeks. The House Oversight Committee's release of the album is likely to intensify scrutiny in both Washington and London, but there is no public record of legal action against Mandelson in connection with Epstein's crimes. He has said repeatedly that he regrets the association and expressed sympathy for Epstein's victims.
The development adds to ongoing public examination of Epstein's social circle, which has implicated a range of public figures through documents and testimony made public since prosecutors and investigators began probing his activities in the 2010s. For now, the British government maintains Mandelson in his diplomatic post as officials assess any new material that emerges.