The British government has agreed to release files related to the decision to appoint Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the United States, despite his ties to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.
The decision to release the documents came after the Conservative Party said it would force a vote in parliament to force the government to publish documents related to Mandelson’s appointment. The Associated Press. The outlet noted that critics said Mandelson’s relationship with Epstein was known at the time of his appointment, but not to the extent that has since been revealed.
On Wednesday, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer was questioned about the revelations and the decision to appoint Mandelson.
“I intend to ensure that all material is published,” Starmer told lawmakers. He said the release would not contain documents that would jeopardize Britain’s national security, international relations or the police investigation into Mandelson’s activities.
LONDON POLICE LAUNCH CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION INTO FORMER BRITISH AMBASSADOR WITH US WITH ALLEGED TIES TO EPSTEIN
Peter Mandelson sits with late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein as he blows out the candles on a cake, in an undated photo released by the Department of Justice in Washington, DC, US, on December 19, 2025. (U.S. Department of Justice/Handout via Reuters)
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch questioned Starmer’s pledge and demanded the government publish all relevant files and “not just the ones the Prime Minister wants us to see.” Badenoch then accused the government of “sabotaging that release with an amendment to let him choose what we see.”
“The Prime Minister is talking about national security. The issue of national security was Mandelson’s appointment in the first place,” Badenoch said.
Starmer said he knew Mandelson had maintained contact with Epstein after his prison sentence in 2008, but that the former ambassador had “misrepresented the extent of the relationship and” lied throughout the process, including in response to the due diligence investigation.
“Mandelson betrayed our country, our parliament and my party. He repeatedly lied to my team when asked about his relationship with Epstein, before and during his tenure as ambassador,” Starmer said in the House of Commons on Wednesday. ‘I regret appointing him. If I knew then what I know now, he would never have been anywhere near the government.”
The Prime Minister added that he had instructed his team to write legislation that would strip Mandelson of his title.
Then-British Ambassador to the United States Peter Mandelson speaks during a welcome reception for British Prime Minister Keir Starmer at the Ambassador’s residence on February 26, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Carl Court/Pool via Reuters)
DOJ PUBLISHES TROVE OF ESTEIN FILES, SAYS MORE AFTER FRIDAY DEADLINE
Last week, the Justice Department released a trove of documents related to the Epstein case. Among them were emails between the disgraced financier and Mandelson.
The files showed that Mandelson passed an internal government report to Epstein in 2009 and discussed lobbying for reduced taxes on bankers’ bonuses, the AP reported. Additionally, the files suggest that Epstein sent payments totaling $75,000 to accounts linked to Mandelson or his partner Reinaldo Avila da Silva.
Following the revelations in the recently released files, Mandelson resigned from the House of Lords on Sunday.
President Donald Trump met with British Ambassador to the United States Peter Mandelson at the White House in Washington, DC on May 8, 2025. (Jim WATSON/AFP)
EX-PRINCE ANDREW PHOTOGRAPHED KNEELING BY WOMAN IN LATEST DOJ JEFFREY EPSTEIN FILE RELEASE
In September, Starmer fired Mandelson from the ambassadorship following a series of emails, released by The sun newspaper, showed that he maintained a friendship with Epstein even after the late financier’s 2008 conviction for sex crimes involving a minor.
Following the new revelations about Mandelson, police in Great Britain have opened an investigation into the former ambassador.
Peter Mandelson, the former British ambassador to the United States, was fired in September. (Jonathan Brady/PA Images via Getty Images)
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Metropolitan Police Commander Ella Marriot in London said that following the latest dump of DOJ documents, the Met has received “a number of reports” of alleged misconduct in public office, including a referral from the British government.
“I can confirm that the Metropolitan Police has now commenced an investigation into a 72-year-old man, a former government minister, for misconduct involving offenses in public office,” Marriot wrote in a message. statement.
