UK Fires Ambassador To US Over Relationship With Epstein

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday fired Peter Mandelson, the country’s ambassador to Washington, after a trove of emails revealed the extent of Mandelson’s ties to late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Mandelson had come under increasing fire after the release of Epstein’s so-called “birthday book.” The 238-page collection, assembled by Epstein’s former associate Ghislaine Maxwell in 2003, included a handwritten note in which Mandelson described Epstein as his “best pal.”

Starmer initially defended Mandelson, telling Parliament on Wednesday that the ambassador still had his “confidence,” according to the BBC. Just hours later, however, Bloomberg News published emails showing Mandelson’s continued support for Epstein even after his 2008 conviction for soliciting sex from a minor.

“I think the world of you and I feel hopeless and furious about what has happened,” Mandelson allegedly wrote in an email to Epstein the day before he reported to jail in June 2008, according to Bloomberg. “I can still barely understand it. It just could not happen in Britain.”

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office quickly announced Mandelson’s removal after the emails were published.