Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has admitted he made a mistake in appointing Peter Mandelson as US ambassador, apologising to the victims of Jeffrey Epstein. Speaking to reporters in Northern Ireland, he said: “It was me that made the mistake… and it’s me that makes the apology to the victims of Epstein.” His comments were the first since the release of documents relating to Mandelson’s appointment.
Mr Starmer said the released files “show what was known” about Mandelson’s relationship with the convicted sex offender, and that “led to further questions being asked”. However, he explained that the exchange cannot be published yet because it forms part of a Metropolitan Police investigation. Downing Street denied leaving key details out of the documents, insisting there was no cover-up after a comment box in the due diligence report was left blank.
MPs have expressed anger over the £75,000 severance payout Mandelson received after being sacked as ambassador last year. The documents showed he initially asked for more than half a million pounds. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said he should not have received anything, while Cabinet minister Nick Thomas-Symonds defended the payout as “value for money” and suggested it should be donated to a charity supporting Epstein victims. The Liberal Democrats urged Sir Keir to refer himself to the ethics adviser for potentially misleading parliament.
In other political developments, the newly elected Green MP Hannah Spencer delivered her maiden speech, several Labour MPs are reportedly in talks about defecting to the Greens, and Jess Phillips read out the names of 108 women killed by men over the past year. Meanwhile, Scotland’s deputy first minister Kate Forbes said her government had not been consulted on Ministry of Defence plans to build two defence technical colleges, despite the UK government announcing £20m in funding contingent on match-funding.
