Epstein scandal topples Britain’s top US diplomat, Peter Mandelson

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has dismissed Peter Mandelson, the country’s ambassador to the U.S., following reports that detailed Mandelson’s close, long-term ties to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, CBS News reported.

Correspondence between Mandelson and Epstein surfaced during a U.S. House investigation after a collection of letters and notes compiled by Ghislaine Maxwell — Epstein’s former partner, later convicted of sex trafficking — was submitted as evidence. Among these documents was a handwritten message in which Mandelson called Epstein «my best pal,» according to The Jerusalem Post.

In a statement released Thursday, the British government said that the prime minister had asked the foreign secretary to withdraw Mandelson as ambassador following new information. According to the statement, emails revealed that Mandelson’s ties to Jeffrey Epstein were far deeper than previously understood at the time of his appointment. The government noted that Mandelson had even suggested Epstein’s first conviction was wrongful and should be challenged, which it described as previously unknown. It added that, out of respect for Epstein’s victims, Mandelson was being removed from his post with immediate effect.