Ambassador role abruptly ended
Lord Peter Mandelson has been dismissed as the UK’s ambassador to the United States following growing outrage over his historical links to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office confirmed on Thursday morning that Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer instructed Foreign Secretary David Lammy to remove Mandelson from the post after leaked emails shed fresh light on his ties to Epstein.
Leaked emails spark backlash
One message, dated June 2008, revealed Mandelson offered words of support to Epstein as he faced charges of soliciting prostitution from an under-age girl. “I think the world of you and I feel hopeless and furious about what has happened,” he wrote, urging Epstein to “be incredibly resilient”.
Further revelations showed Mandelson once described Epstein as his “best pal” in a message book presented at the financier’s 50th birthday celebrations in 2003.
Political pressure mounts
Starmer had defended his envoy only a day earlier, but calls for Mandelson’s removal intensified, with Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch describing the disclosures as “sickening” and demanding immediate action.
Sensitive timing ahead
The dismissal comes just days before a high-profile state visit to the UK by US President Donald Trump, raising questions over Britain’s diplomatic standing in Washington.
This is a developing story.
