Epstein’s friend Mandelson shouldn’t have been US ambassador in the first place; he failed the security check. But Labor wanted to send the ex-minister to the USA. What did the Prime Minister know?
London. The affair surrounding ex-ambassador Peter Mandelson, a close friend of US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, continues to plague British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Calls for his resignation are growing louder after Mandelson failed a security check before being appointed US ambassador, according to the Guardian.
The affair revolves around what happened in early 2025, before Mandelson traveled to Washington as ambassador. Mandelson, one of the most prominent Labor politicians of the past thirty years, failed the security check. The reasons are still unclear; What is certain, however, is that the Foreign Ministry ignored the recommendation of the independent review authority and gave the green light. Since then, a heated argument has been raging in government circles as to who is responsible for the debacle.
Starmer insists he and his Cabinet have been kept completely in the dark. “Not only was I not told anything, no minister was told anything and I’m furious,” he said. The government says the blame lies with the State Department, whose officials brushed aside security concerns. Just hours after the revelation, senior State Department official Oliver Robbins was fired.
But some ex-officials defended Robbins: by law he was not allowed to inform ministers about the review process. The government has rejected this. But the matter is still difficult for Starmer. Government officials say there was strong informal pressure to see through Mandelson’s appointment – so it was known that the prime minister preferred this candidate, so they made sure his wish came true.
One also wonders why Starmer wanted to make Mandelson an ambassador. Because the Labor luminary was not a blank slate: Mandelson had to resign more than once during his career because he had not acted according to the rules. And his friendship with the US financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was well known.
Mandelson was fired from his post in September 2025 after it was revealed that his friendship with Epstein was significantly more intimate than he had admitted. The fact that Mandelson is once again dominating the headlines is causing deep frustration for Labor.
Many have lost patience with their boss. Starmer’s popularity ratings are at a low point, and in polls Labor is far behind the right-wing Reform Party. Few trust him to turn things around. Politico quotes a Labor insider: “Many think Keir Starmer is a good man who is out of his depth. Wrong. He is an asshole who is out of his depth.”
The quote accurately reflects the mood – and the wrangling over Mandelson will reinforce the opinion of many that Starmer will have to step down sooner or later. The next few days will be crucial for the Prime Minister’s future.
