The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, the left-wing Labor Keir Starmer, admitted this Wednesday (4) that he was already aware of the links maintained by the former minister and former British ambassador to the United States Peter Mandelson with the financier Jeffrey Epstein when he appointed him to the diplomatic position in Washington. The statement was made during the weekly question session with the Prime Minister in Parliament, according to information from the newspaper The Guardian.
According to Starmer, he knew – as had already been reported in the British press – that Mandelson maintained contact with Epstein even after the American’s conviction for sexual crimes in 2008. Still, the prime minister stated that he was “repeatedly deceived” about the extent of this relationship during the verification process and appointment of the then ambassador.
“He repeatedly lied to my team when questioned about his relationship with Epstein before and during his time as ambassador,” Starmer said, according to the Guardian. The prime minister also said that he regrets the appointment and stated that, if he had known what came to light later, Mandelson “would never have come close to the government”.
The prime minister said that Mandelson is currently being investigated by British police on suspicion of leaking sensitive market information and internal government communications to Epstein during the period in which he held ministerial positions in the government of Labor Prime Minister Gordon Brown, amid the 2008 financial crisis.
Starmer reported that, in light of the revelations, it was decided to remove Mandelson from the Privy Council – a historic body linked to the British monarchy – and that measures are also underway to remove his honorary title of lord.
“He brought the reputation of the Privy Council into disrepute,” said the prime minister, according to the British newspaper.
The conservative opposition is currently pressuring the Starmer government for the full disclosure of documents related to Mandelson’s appointment as ambassador to the US in 2024. Starmer said he supported the disclosure, but defended the prior removal of excerpts that could affect national security or international relations.
The statements come one day after the London Metropolitan Police confirmed the opening of a criminal investigation into the suspicions involving Mandelson. The Epstein files released by the US on the 30th show that the former minister, who was also an important figure in the Labor Party, received US$75,000 from the American financier and maintained contacts with him while he held high-ranking positions in the British government.
