British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has unexpectedly dismissed the U.K.’s ambassador to the United States, Peter Mandelson. This decision followed the disclosure of emails that indicated Mandelson had a closer relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted pedophile, than previously known.
The Sun newspaper published a series of emails on Wednesday, displaying Mandelson’s expressions of sympathy and support for Epstein during his 2008 legal battles regarding his first conviction for soliciting prostitution from a minor.
Mandelson, a seasoned Labor Party figure and strategist, advised Epstein to “fight for early release” in his legal appeals before Epstein received an 18-month prison sentence. “I think the world of you,” Mandelson expressed to Epstein before his incarceration.
Peter Mandelson, at the time serving as the U.K.’s ambassador to the United States, addresses the audience at the British Embassy in Washington on Feb. 26, 2025. (Carl Court-Pool/Getty Images)
In a statement delivered to the House of Commons on Thursday, Foreign Office Minister Stephen Doughty confirmed that Mandelson’s dismissal followed the disclosure of emails he sent to Epstein.
“Considering the further details revealed in Peter Mandelson’s emails, the prime minister has instructed the foreign secretary to relieve him from his duties as ambassador,” stated the Foreign Office.
“The emails 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,” it added.
The revelations followed last week’s 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 as “my best pal” in a handwritten note.
President Donald Trump with British ambassador to the United States Peter Mandelson after making a trade announcement in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on May 8, 2025. (Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)
In that album, Mandelson called Epstein “my best pal” in a handwritten note.
The disclosures prompted opposition calls for action. Conservatives and the Scottish National Party demanded Mandelson’s resignation, while the Liberal Democrats pressed for an investigation.
Mandelson was one of the key figures behind the party’s revival under Tony Blair.
Peter Mandelson, the United Kingdom’s ambassador to the United States, arrives at the Cabinet Office in central London June 18, 2025. (Jonathan Brady/PA Images via Getty Images)
In the 1990s, he was central to Labor’s rebranding as “New Labor,” working closely with Blair and Gordon Brown. He served in senior Cabinet posts, including trade secretary and Northern Ireland secretary under Blair and business secretary under Gordon Brown.
He also served as the European Union’s trade commissioner from 2004 to 2008 before returning to domestic politics later that year as Lord Mandelson, a life peer in the House of Lords.
Most recently, Mandelson visited President Donald Trump in the Oval Office in May during the announcement of a limited U.S.–U.K. trade deal.
