Keir Starmer is facing considerable pressure from within the Labour Party following the release of explosive documents showing that he overlooked several warnings regarding Peter Mandelson.
The Prime Minister is set to address questions surrounding these troubling revelations, after delegating the task of handling the Commons backlash to junior ministers yesterday.
The documents reveal that during government vetting processes, concerns were raised about Mandelson’s ‘close’ relationship with Jeffrey Epstein prior to his appointment as the US ambassador.
Both the chief official at the Foreign Office and the national security adviser, Jonathan Powell, reportedly expressed reservations during this vetting stage.
Kemi Badenoch has called on Labour MPs to remove Starmer from his position, while backbenchers have accused him of tarnishing the party’s reputation.
Despite the uproar, Cabinet member Nick Thomas-Symonds stated this morning that the Prime Minister has accepted ‘full responsibility’ for Mandelson’s appointment and ‘deeply regrets’ the choice.
The government promised to publish a huge range of information about Mandelson after MPs rebelled in a Commons vote last month.
Keir Starmer will finally face questions on the damning material after leaving junior ministers to field a backlash in the Commons yesterday
Lord Mandelson pictured in London yesterday. He has denied any criminal wrongdoing or acting for personal gain
The papers showed government vetting highlighted Mandelson’s ‘close’ friendship with Jeffrey Epstein (pictured together) before he was made US ambassador
A note written by a senior No10 aide revealed that the Director of Communications had been ‘satisfied’ with Mandelson’s responses about his contact with Epstein
A three-page ‘due dilligence’ report supplied to Sir Keir on December 11 flagged the ties between Mandelson and Epstein
Initially Sir Keir tried to put the Cabinet Secretary in charge of deciding what could be released – but was made to hand that task to Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee.
The documents confirm that Sir Keir was aware when he appointed Mandelson in December 2024 that his friendship with paedophile financier Epstein continued after he was convicted.
In December 2024, a note from a senior aide to the premier stated that Sir Keir and chief of staff Morgan McSweeney had expressed a ‘preference for a political candidate’ to be Washington envoy and Mandelson was the ‘lead candidate’.
It said the Director of Communications – Matthew Doyle at the time – had been ‘satisfied’ with Mandelson’s responses about his relationship with Epstein.
A three-page ‘due diligence’ report supplied on December 11 2024 to Sir Keir flagged the ties between Mandelson and Epstein.
It referred to reports of Epstein’s ‘particularly close relationship with Prince Andrew the Duke of York and Lord Peter Mandelson’ and said their contact continued through the 2000s.
The summary stated: ‘After Epstein was first convicted of procuring an underage girl in 2008, their relationship continued across 2009-2011, beginning when Lord Mandelson was Business Minister and continuing after the end of the Labour government.
‘Mandelson reportedly stayed in Epstein’s House while he was in jail in June 2009.’
It also mentioned that in 2014 Mandelson ‘agreed to be a ”founding citizen” of an ocean conservation group founded by Ghislaine Maxwell, and funded by Epstein.’
Downing Street insisted the ongoing police investigation into Mandelson means it is unable to release details about what questions the peer was asked.
The Government has agreed a framework with the Metropolitan Police on which documents can be released without prejudicing the ongoing police investigation into the peer.
Mandelson was handed a £75,000 payoff when he was removed as US ambassador in September last year, in the wake of a tranche of Epstein’s personal emails being leaked.
The disgraced former Cabinet minister had apparently demanded £547,000 compensation for losing his £161,000 a year job and threatening legal action.
Despite the PM claiming in Parliament that Mandelson ‘lied’ during his vetting, the government privately assessed that there was no evidence of ‘misconduct in role that would give rise to normal disciplinary proceedings’.
Documents show the Labour grandee was handed a £75,000 payoff when he was sacked as US ambassador over his friendship with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein
Mandelson appears to have wanted a £547,000 payout according to the papers
Foreign Office permanent secretary Olly Robbins wrote of the package: ‘This represents good value for money.’ Other officials congratulated each other on getting the sum – including £34,000 severance as well as cash in lieu of notice – ‘so low’.
Extraordinarily, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, James Murray, responded that he was ‘happy’ to sign the payment off.
Mr Thomas-Symonds told Sky News this morning: ‘I frankly share the moral outrage that Peter Mandelson is still in possession of that £75,000.
‘Now you can look at the documents, you can see on a value for money basis why that decision was made. There was an original request for £547,000 that was negotiated down to £75,000…
‘But from a moral point of view, it is incredibly difficult to even think that that money is still being retained.
‘So what I would say is, do the decent thing, do the honourable thing, donate that money to charity. And I would suggest perhaps a charity supporting victims might be appropriate.’
Lord Mandelson was arrested on February 23 on suspicion of misconduct in public office, having been accused of passing sensitive information to Epstein during his time as business secretary under Gordon Brown.
He was subsequently bailed, but later handed his passport back and freed under investigation. He has denied any criminal wrongdoing or acting for personal gain.
