The British government has pledged to release files regarding the decision to appoint Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the United States, despite his connections to the late disgraced financier.
According to [source], the decision to release the documents followed the Conservative Party’s statement that it would force a parliamentary vote to compel the government to publish documents related to Mandelson’s appointment. The outlet noted that critics stated Mandelson’s relationship with Epstein was known at the time of his appointment, though not to the extent that has since come to light.
On Wednesday, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer was questioned about the revelations and the decision to appoint Mandelson.
“I aim to ensure that all the material is published,” Starmer told lawmakers. He said the release would exclude documents that endanger Britain’s national security, international relations, or the police investigation into Mandelson’s activities.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch expressed doubt about Starmer’s promise, demanding that the government publish all relevant files and “not just the ones the prime minister wants us to see.” Badenoch further accused the government of “attempting to undermine the release with an amendment allowing him to choose what we see.”
“The prime minister is talking about national security. The real national security issue was appointing Mandelson in the first place,” Badenoch said.
Starmer said he was aware that Mandelson had maintained contact with Epstein after his 2008 prison term, but that the former ambassador had “misrepresented the nature” of the relationship and “lied throughout the process, including in response to the due diligence.”
“Mandelson betrayed our country, our Parliament, and my party. He repeatedly lied to my team when asked about his relationship with Epstein, both before and during his tenure as ambassador,” Starmer said in the House of Commons on Wednesday. “I regret appointing him. If I had known then what I know now, he would never have been involved in government.”
In response to a request for comment, Starmer’s office referred [Digital] to the prime minister’s remarks in the House of Commons.
The prime minister added that he had instructed his team to draft legislation to strip Mandelson of his title.
Last week, the Justice Department released a large number of documents related to the Epstein case. Among them were emails between the disgraced financier and Mandelson.
The files seemed to indicate that in 2009, Mandelson passed an internal government report to Epstein and discussed lobbying for lower taxes on bankers’ bonuses, as reported by the AP. Additionally, the files suggest that Epstein sent a total of $75,000 to accounts linked to Mandelson or his partner Reinaldo Avila da Silva.
After the revelations in the newly released files, Mandelson resigned from the House of Lords on Sunday.
In September, Starmer removed Mandelson from the ambassadorship after a series of emails, released by [newspaper], showed that he had maintained a friendship with Epstein even after the late financier’s 2008 conviction for sex offenses involving a minor.
Following the new revelations about Mandelson, UK police launched an investigation into the former ambassador.
Cmdr. Ella Marriot in London said that after the latest DOJ document release, the Met received “a number of reports” regarding alleged misconduct in public office, including a referral from the UK government.
“I can confirm that the Metropolitan Police has now launched an investigation into a 72-year-old man, a former Government Minister, for misconduct in public office offenses,” Marriot wrote in a [document].
The House of Lords declined to comment on the police investigation when asked by [Digital] on Tuesday.
The Associated Press and [Digital]’s Michael Dorgan and Alex Koch contributed to this report.