Mandelson sacked as US ambassador over links with ‘best pal’ Jeffrey Epstein

Peter Mandelson has served as US ambassador since February (Picture: Carl Court/PA Wire)

Peter Mandelson’s has been sacked as the UK’s ambassador to the United States after a series of revelations about his friendship with child sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.

The Labour peer, who was previously a high-profile figure in Tony Blair’s government, faced massive pressure after his contributions to Epstein’s notorious 50th birthday book were published on Tuesday.

This morning, Foreign Office minister Stephen Doughty confirmed Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer had asked for him to be withdrawn from the role.

In the book, Mandelson described the New York financier as his ‘best pal’ and signed off by saying: ‘We love you!’

He also wrote about Epstein’s ‘glorious homes he likes to share with his friends’, adding in brackets: ‘Yum yum’.

The document was released in full by Democrats on the US House Oversight Committee, who wanted to highlight an equally cryptic contribution allegedly by President Donald Trump.

But attention in the UK has instead focused on ten pages of messages from Mandelson, which included pictures of himself with Epstein and others apparently showing him visiting a residence.

At Prime Minister’s Questions yesterday, Sir Keir Starmer stood behind the man he personally selected to take on the ambassador role earlier this year.

Sir Keir Starmer personally picked Mandelson to take on the role (Picture: Carl Court/PA Wire)

Grilled by Tory leader Kemi Badenoch on whether Mandelson still had his backing, the PM said: ‘The ambassador has repeatedly expressed his deep regret for his association with him. He is right to do so.

‘I have confidence in him, and he is playing an important role in the UK-US relationship.’

In a briefing afterwards, a government spokesman said Mandelson had been ‘subject to extensive vetting and background checks’

But in the hours that followed, a number of Labour MPs called for the ambassador to step down or face an investigation.

Andy McDonald, the Labour MP for Middlesbrough and Thornaby East, told the BBC’s Today programme: ‘He should go immediately, his position is completely and utterly untenable and him staying on in post is causing the government and the Labour Party further damage.

‘I’m afraid if he doesn’t do the right thing and resign today then the Prime Minister should sack him.’

In an interview yesterday morning, Mandelson said he was ‘profoundly upset’ that he was ‘taken in’ by a man he described as a ‘charismatic criminal liar’.

He also said he expected further ’embarrassing’ correspondence between himself and Epstein to emerge in the media.

Later that day, the Sun and Bloomberg published emails showing conversations Mandelson had with Epstein when he was facing charges over soliciting sex with a minor in 2008.

Among them was one message where the he advised his then-friend: ‘Fight for early release.’

Asked about the latest tranche of emails on BBC Breakfast this morning, Home Office minister Mike Tapp said they made him ‘shudder’.

He added: ‘I find it disturbing, those sorts of emails in honesty… we have to just look at what Peter Mandelson saying around his regret and what he knew at the time.’

Tapp, who joined the government in last week’s reshuffle, declined to say the Prime Minister would continue to have confidence in his ambassador.

Appearing on ITV’s Good Morning Britain, he said: ‘The latest I have is that the statement made in the Commons yesterday at Prime Minister’s Questions is still relevant, and Keir Starmer does have confidence in the ambassador’s ability.

‘And what he means there is the important work that he’s doing in America.’

Asked if that support would continue throughout the day, Tapp said: ‘I can’t say. I’m not the Prime Minister.’

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