Summary details
Documents published Wednesday show that British Prime Minister Keir Starmer was told that Peter Mandelson’s friendship with the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein could expose the government to “reputational risk,” but Starmer still appointed Mandelson as ambassador to the United States. Starmer later dismissed Mandelson after nine months when additional details about the relationship came to light, setting off renewed political debate about the decision-making process behind the appointment.
The files outline how officials weighed the appointment in the period when Starmer was considering Mandelson for what is described as the U.K.’s most important diplomatic post, aimed at establishing relations with the incoming Trump administration. The documents were released in batches after review by Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee, with police asking the government not to publish material that could compromise an ongoing criminal investigation involving Mandelson.
One document referenced in the release describes a “due diligence report” prepared by senior civil servants that summarized a relationship described as spanning from at least 2002, including a note that Mandelson “facilitated” a meeting between Epstein and then-Prime Minister Tony Blair, to 2019, the year Epstein died. The report says it included details that “Mandelson reportedly stayed in Epstein’s house while he was in jail in June 2009” for sexual offenses involving a minor and it cited a 2019 JPMorgan-commissioned report describing Epstein as having a “particularly close relationship” with then-Prince Andrew and with Mandelson.
The same due diligence material also addressed other issues unrelated to Epstein, including reputational concerns tied to Mandelson’s work in a previous Labour government, including that he twice resigned over financial matters. It also references his work at Global Counsel, a lobbying firm he co-founded. The release describes how these elements were part of the broader risk assessment presented to Starmer as he weighed whether to proceed with the ambassador appointment.
After Mandelson was fired in September, U.K. political fallout intensified as opponents and some in Starmer’s Labour Party renewed calls for accountability. The documents released Wednesday cite that the prime minister’s communications director was “satisfied with his responses” when Mandelson was questioned about his relationship with Epstein, though the responses themselves were not yet published because of the police investigation.
Starmer’s earlier dismissal followed an earlier release of documents showing he maintained contact with Epstein after Epstein’s 2008 conviction. The newly published batches are described as coming after lawmakers forced Starmer’s government to disclose thousands of files about the Mandelson decision at the start of Trump’s second term. In the filings now being released, the documents say a National Security Advisor, Jonathan Powell, told the prime minister’s lawyer that he raised concerns about “the individual and reputation” and found the process “weirdly rushed” after Mandelson was sacked.
Lawmakers quoted in the release argued over whether Starmer should have acted on the concerns. Cabinet minister Darren Jones said the due diligence “did not expose the depth and extent” of Mandelson’s Epstein friendship and said Mandelson lied to Starmer about the friendship. “Peter Mandelson should never have been afforded the privilege of representing this country,” Jones told lawmakers in the House of Commons, adding that Starmer “deeply regrets taking him at his word” and that it was “a mistake to do so.”
Opposition figures also criticized the appointment decision. Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey said Starmer made a “catastrophic failure of judgment.” Conservative lawmaker Alex Burghart said that while Mandelson might have lied to Starmer, “he wasn’t lied to by this due diligence document,” arguing that the prime minister “knew all he needed to know” and that “It’s on him now.”
The documents being published Wednesday arrive as Mandelson faces scrutiny in a police probe tied to Epstein. The Epstein files released in January, as described in the release, suggest Mandelson sent market-sensitive information to Epstein when Mandelson was business secretary in the U.K. government after the 2008 financial crisis, including discussion of how the U.K. could raise money by selling off government assets. The documents also say Mandelson appears to have told Epstein he would lobby other members of the government to reduce a tax on bankers’ bonuses.
Mandelson, 72, was arrested Feb. 23 at his London home on suspicion of misconduct in public office, according to the release, and he has been released without bail conditions as the investigation continues. The documents say he has denied wrongdoing previously, has not been charged, and does not face allegations of sexual misconduct. The release also says he was forced to resign from the House of Lords and lost his 157,000 pound ($210,000) a year ambassador’s salary, and that after being sacked he asked for a 547,000 pound payoff, with the government ultimately giving him 75,000 pounds.
The government said the published files will show Mandelson misled officials, while police continue to request that certain records not be released to avoid interfering with the investigation.