London [UK], September 11 (ANI): UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has dismissed Peter Mandelson from his role as ambassador to the United States after renewed scrutiny over his connections to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, Al Jazeera reported.
Mandelson, a seasoned Labour politician who played a pivotal role in former Prime Minister Tony Blair’s government, faced fresh questions about his ties to Epstein following the release of a birthday book featuring a letter in which Mandelson called Epstein “my best pal.”
The British Foreign Ministry announced Thursday that, in light of new emails revealing the depth of Mandelson’s relationship with Epstein, Starmer instructed Foreign Secretary James Cleverly to recall him from the post. According to the government, the emails indicate a much closer connection than was previously known when Mandelson was appointed ambassador.
“In light of the additional information in emails written by Peter Mandelson, the prime minister has asked the foreign secretary to withdraw him as ambassador,” Britain’s Foreign Ministry said. “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.”
One of the most damaging revelations came from a report by The Sun, which published emails showing Mandelson encouraging Epstein to “fight for early release” shortly before the financier was sentenced to 18 months in prison in 2008 for soliciting prostitution from a minor, as per Al Jazeera. In one email, Mandelson wrote to Epstein, “I think the world of you,” just before Epstein began his sentence.
The emails surfaced after Democrats on the US House Oversight Committee released a 50th birthday album compiled in 2003 for Epstein, who at the time was a wealthy and well-connected financier. In that album, Mandelson reportedly referred to Epstein as “my best pal” in a handwritten note, according to Al Jazeera.
The Foreign Ministry said the revelation that Mandelson suggested Epstein’s first conviction was wrongful and should be challenged constituted “new information.”
Earlier, US President Donald Trump dismissed calls for transparency in the Jeffrey Epstein case, describing them as a “Democrat hoax,” CNN reported. “It’s really a Democrat hoax, because they’re trying to get people to talk about something that’s totally irrelevant to the success we have had as a nation since I have been president,” Trump said, responding to reporters.
The remarks come as pressure mounts in the US Congress for the release of the full set of Epstein case files. According to CNN, Epstein survivors have warned they may compile their own list of alleged abusers from Epstein’s network if the government fails to make the information public. “It will be done by survivors and for survivors,” said Lisa Phillips, an Epstein survivor, according to US media reports.
House Speaker Mike Johnson has assured that the House Oversight Committee’s probe will “uncover things that have never been uncovered before.” However, critics argue the investigation may not reveal much beyond what is already publicly available, CNN reported. (ANI)
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