UK Government Was Warned About Photos of Ambassador With Epstein: ‘They Didn’t Take My Advice’

The British government was warned about photos of Peter Mandelson with late serial sex offender Jeffrey Epstein before Mandelson was chosen by Prime Minister Keir Starmer to serve as the U.K.’s ambassador to the United States, according to a member of Parliament.

Maurice Glasman, a Labour Party peer in the House of Lords and the founder of Blue Labour, told Sky News on Sunday that Starmer’s government “didn’t take my advice” after he warned them that Mandelson was “a very inappropriate choice” given his close relationship with Epstein – which can be seen in several photographs of the two men together.

“When I was in D.C., it was almost exactly a year ago, people just walked up to me with their phones with Peter Mandelson blowing out the birthday candles with Jeffrey Epstein and in his bathrobe. I mean, all these pictures,” Glasman told Sky News. “I hadn’t seen the one with the pants down in the hotel room, but many others.”

Glasman said he explained to government staffers why Mandelson was “a very inappropriate choice” given how big the Epstein story was becoming, noting, “When a conspiracy theory is confirmed as basically true, this is a catastrophic event because people lose all trust in their system.”

“I sent that to Number 10. As I said, I sent it to [staffers] Morgan McSweeney and Paul Ovendon,” he concluded. “But I mean, they didn’t take my advice.”

Despite Glasman’s warning, Mandelson went on to be appointed British ambassador to the United States in February 2025. He served in that role until September 2025, when more information about his relationship with Epstein came to light, including messages where Mandelson called the late sex offender his “best pal” and expressed support for his “early release” from jail when he was serving time for child sex crimes.

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