British Prime Minister Keir Starmer was forced to admit in Parliament that he was previously made aware of disgraced former Ambassador Peter Mandelson’s relationship with convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.
Starmer, who is attempting to distance himself and the Labour government from the former ambassador and Labour titan, appeared for Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday in the House of Commons, where he was grilled mercilessly by Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch.
“I’m as angry as the public and any member of this House,” Starmer told the members of Parliament. “Mandelson betrayed our country, our Parliament, and my party. Mr. Speaker, he lied repeatedly to my team about his relationship to Epstein before and during his tenure as ambassador. I deeply regret appointing him.”
“If I knew then what I know now, he would never have been anywhere near government,” Starmer continued. “And that is why, Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the cabinet secretary, with my support, took the decision to refer material to the police, and there is now a criminal investigation.”
The Metropolitan Police of London announced on Tuesday that they were launching an investigation into a “former Government Minister for misconduct in public office offenses” following “further release of millions of court documents in relation to Jeffrey Epstein by the United States Department of Justice.”
Badenoch was not satisfied with Starmer’s defense, recalling that a journalist from the Financial Times had informed Starmer in January 2024 that Mandelson had stayed at Epstein’s house even after the financier’s conviction on child prostitution charges.
Starmer explained there had been a “due diligence” vetting process and security screening, eliciting groans as he said, “What was not known was the depth and extent of the relationship.”
Mandelson is accused of sharing sensitive government information with Epstein over the years, relating to such topics as U.K. tax and financial policy planning. The documents released by the Department of Justice also seem to assert that Mandelson and his now-husband, Reinaldo Avila da Silva, received tens of thousands of dollars in financial payments from the deceased financier.
The Labour government has promised to release material from Mandelson’s vetting to the public, though conspicuous redactions will be made on materials believed to risk national security or jeopardize security, intelligence, or trade with other nations.
Badenoch delivered the coup de grâce of her interrogation when she reminded Starmer of the specificity of her question: “Did the official security vetting [the prime minister] received mention Mandelson’s ongoing relationship with the pedophile Jeffrey Epstein?”
“Yes, it did,” Starmer responded, stuttering at multiple points as jeers and gasps filled the House of Commons. “As a result, various questions were put to him.”
He continued: “I want to make sure to this House sees the full documentation, so it will see for itself the extent to which — time and time again — Mandelson completely misrepresented the extent of his relationship with Epstein and lied throughout the process, including in the response to the due diligence.”
The prime minister confirmed at the House of Commons that King Charles III — who is suffering his own headaches in distancing himself from Epstein-tainted family members — has stripped Mandelson of his position on the Privy Council, an advisory body to the sovereign.
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly known as Prince Andrew, was already facing eviction from his Royal Lodge due to previous materials exposing his relationship with Epstein — including documents purporting to tie him to sexual misconduct with underage girls.
Mountbatten-Windsor quietly vacated the lodge on Monday night, just days after being seen riding horses in Windsor, west of London. He has reportedly relocated to a cottage in Sandringham.
His former wife, Sarah Ferguson, was also present in the latest dump of Epstein emails. In her correspondence, Ferguson called the sex trafficker her “pillar” and opened up about her feelings of depression and isolation.
“I am feeling very traumatised and alone. I am wanting to work for you at organising your houses,” Ferguson wrote to Epstein.