UK Prime Minister Fires U.S. Envoy Peter Mandelson Over Jeffrey Epstein Links

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer fired the country’s U.S. ambassador Peter Mandelson on Thursday after documents published by Congress exposed his friendship with convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein after the disgraced financier’s 2008 criminal case.

The Foreign Office confirmed on Thursday morning that the prime minister had ordered Mandelson’s removal “in light of the additional information in emails” offering support to Epstein as he faced charges of soliciting a minor for prostitution in 2008.

In one message, Mandelson wrote to Epstein: “I think the world of you and I feel hopeless and furious about what has happened.”

He urged him to be “incredibly resilient,” adding: “Your friends stay with you and love you.”

In an interview with The Sun’s political editor Harry Cole on Wednesday, Mandelson expressed “deep regret” for his friendship with the convicted pedophile, which continued after 2008, and blamed Epstein for lying to him about his “criminal” behavior.

That interview came after an 11-page letter surfaced in documents released Monday in which the former ambassador called Epstein his “best pal.”

The U.K. government’s decision comes after days of fallout in London that left the prime minister under increasing pressure to take action, with critics charging that Mandelson’s history with Epstein was already well known when he was appointed.

The Foreign Office said the extent of his support, including claims Epstein’s first conviction was “wrongful,” only emerged this week.