Sir Keir Starmer has ordered the release of files relating to Peter Mandelson's appointment as Britain's US ambassador, in a move to get ahead of the widening scandal over the former minister's links to convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The prime minister acted to avoid a difficult Commons vote after the Conservatives tabled a motion demanding publication of the records.
The documents – including emails and messages about what Mandelson told Starmer before his appointment – will be published except where they are deemed prejudicial to national security or diplomatic relations. A government amendment to the Tory motion is expected to pass, with officials still working through the material. It is unlikely to be ready for release on Wednesday and may need to be assessed by police.
Scotland Yard has launched a criminal investigation into allegations that Mandelson leaked Downing Street emails and market-sensitive information to Epstein. US court documents suggested the then business secretary sent confidential details of internal discussions to the disgraced financier after the 2008 financial crash.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting said the prime minister was pursuing “maximum transparency” and drawing “a line in the sand”. He added that Mandelson had not told the “whole truth” and expressed a “deep sense of betrayal”, stating the former minister had “betrayed two prime ministers, betrayed our country and betrayed Epstein’s victims”.
Conservative Party chair Kevin Hollinrake said the government should not use exemptions such as national security to withhold files, adding: “We will probably learn a lot about Sir Keir Starmer’s judgment.” Streeting, asked about the Polish prime minister’s suggestion that Epstein may have been a Russian spy, said Britain needed to “look seriously at Epstein’s connections and in whose interests he was acting”.
