Documents released by the British government on Wednesday show that officials believed there was a “reputational risk” associated with the appointment Peter Mandelson as US ambassador because of his relationship with a convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
prime minister Keir Starmer gave Mandelson the job anyway, only to fire him nine months later when new details of the relationship with Epstein emerged. Starmer now faces a political storm over the decision.
Concerns were raised in a document sent to Starmer in December 2024 as he considered Mandelson’s appointment, seen as crucial to building a good relationship with President Donald Trump’s administration.
The head of the civil service’s advice to the prime minister summarized Mandelson’s relationship with Epstein over two decades, noting that “Mandelson reportedly stayed at Epstein’s home in June 2009 while he was in prison for sexual offenses against a minor.”
Other unrelated reputational issues were also raised relating to Mandelson’s work in a previous Labor government – when he was forced to resign twice over financial matters – and his work at Global Counsel, a lobbying firm he co-founded.
Lawmakers have forced Starmer’s government to disclose thousands of files relating to the decision to appoint Mandelson to the top diplomatic post at the start of Trump’s second term.
Keir Starmer, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, attends Working Session III of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Summit at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, DC on July 11, 2024.
Chris Kleponis / Pool via CNP
Authorities posted the first batch — more than 140 pages of documents — related to those connections on the government website on Wednesday.
Darren Jones, the prime minister’s chief secretary, said the due diligence on Mandelson “failed to reveal the depth and extent” of his friendship with Epstein and said Mandelson had lied to Starmer about the friendship.
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“Peter Mandelson should never have been given the privilege of representing this country,” Jones told MPs in the House of Commons. “I would like to reiterate on behalf of the House that the Prime Minister deeply regrets taking him at his word. That was a mistake.”
The documents will be released in batches after review by Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee. Police have urged the government not to release files that could jeopardize their criminal investigation into Mandelson.
The documents released Wednesday said Epstein was asked questions about his relationship with Epstein and said the prime minister’s communications director was “satisfied with his answers.”
The answers themselves were not published due to the police investigation.
Mandelson, 72, a former cabinet minister, ambassador and elder statesman of the ruling Labor Party, was arrested at his home in London on February 23 on suspicion of misconduct in public office. He was released on unconditional bail while the police investigation continues.
He has previously denied wrongdoing and has not been charged. There are no allegations of sexual misconduct.
Starmer fired Mandelson in September after an earlier release of documents revealed he had maintained contact with Epstein following the financier’s conviction for sex offenses against a minor in 2008.
Further details about Mandelson’s ties to Epstein, revealed in a massive US Justice Department file collection in January, led opponents and even some members of Starmer’s Labor Party to call for the prime minister to resign. Starmer survived the immediate danger, but his position remains fragile, even though he never met Epstein and is not implicated in his crimes.
The Epstein files suggest that Mandelson passed market-related information to the convicted sex offender when he was the British government’s business secretary after the 2008 financial crisis. This includes an internal government report discussing ways the UK could raise money, including through the sale of government assets.
Mandelson also appears to have told Epstein that he would lobby other members of the government to reduce the tax on bankers’ bonuses.
Starmer has apologized to Epstein’s victims and said he was sorry for “believing Mandeson’s lies.”
Mandelson also faces a separate investigation by the European Union’s anti-fraud office over his time as the bloc’s trade representative.
&Copy 2026 The Canadian Press
