British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has asked the foreign secretary to withdraw Peter Mandelson as the United Kingdom’s ambassador to the United States after newly released emails showed Mandelson had closer ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein than were previously known.
The Foreign Office said Thursday the decision followed publication of emails Mandelson sent to Epstein that "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 released messages include a 2008 exchange in which Mandelson expressed sympathy for Epstein as he faced a conviction for soliciting prostitution from a minor and encouraged him to "fight for early release," and another in which Mandelson wrote, "I think the world of you," before Epstein began an 18-month sentence.
The disclosures followed the recent release by Democrats on the U.S. House Oversight Committee of a 2003 birthday album compiled for Epstein. In that album, Mandelson referred to Epstein in a handwritten note as "my best pal," a detail that helped prompt renewed scrutiny. British tabloid The Sun published a string of emails on Wednesday that officials said led to the prime minister's intervention.
Mandelson, a prominent Labour Party strategist who was central to the party's rebranding as "New Labour" in the 1990s, has held multiple senior offices including trade secretary, Northern Ireland secretary and business secretary. He served as the European Union's trade commissioner from 2004 to 2008 and later returned to the House of Lords as a life peer.
Opposition parties pressed for action after the disclosures. Conservatives and the Scottish National Party demanded Mandelson's resignation, and the Liberal Democrats called for an investigation into the extent of his contacts with Epstein. The Foreign Office statement said the prime minister's request to withdraw Mandelson followed "additional information in emails written by Peter Mandelson."
Mandelson's diplomatic appointment drew attention earlier in his tenure, in part because of his high profile in British politics and his past roles in government and the EU. He most recently visited the Oval Office in May, meeting President Donald Trump during an announcement of a limited U.S.-U.K. trade agreement.
The Foreign Office did not disclose immediate next steps for filling the ambassadorial post. In the House of Commons, Foreign Office Minister Stephen Doughty acknowledged the prime minister's decision and cited the newly published emails as the impetus for withdrawal. The statement and the released material have intensified scrutiny of public figures' past contacts with Epstein, whose crimes and connections have prompted investigations on both sides of the Atlantic.
Parliamentary and public reactions are expected to continue as officials assess the content of the emails and the circumstances surrounding Mandelson's appointment and conduct as ambassador. The government said the action reflects the need for full confidence in the person representing the United Kingdom in Washington.