Sir Keir Starmer has publicly admitted that appointing Lord Mandelson as Britain’s ambassador to the United States was a mistake, offering a direct apology to victims of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein as a political row over the handling of related documents intensified.
Speaking on Thursday during a visit to Northern Ireland, the Prime Minister said: “It was me that made a mistake, and it’s me that makes the apology to the victims of Epstein, and I do that.”
The admission came after the government released due diligence files on Wednesday showing Starmer was warned before confirming the appointment in December 2024 that Lord Mandelson’s links to Epstein posed a “reputational risk.” The documents included a reference to a 2019 JP Morgan report which found Epstein appeared to maintain a particularly close relationship with the peer, and noted that Mandelson had reportedly stayed at Epstein’s home while the financier was serving a jail term in June 2009.
The release of the documents has triggered fresh accusations from the Conservatives, who claimed a cover-up had taken place after two sections in the files — reserved for the Prime Minister’s written comments — were found to be blank. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said she would have expected to see notes from Starmer in those sections based on her own ministerial experience.
Downing Street rejected the allegation outright. The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said no redactions had been made and that the sections were published exactly as they were returned from the Prime Minister’s office. “I refute the suggestion of a cover up. The government has complied fully,” the spokesman said.
Questions have also been raised about the vetting process itself. Documents show Lord Mandelson was offered briefings on sensitive Foreign Office material before the department had completed formal security clearance. An email from 4 February 2025 confirmed the role required a higher level of clearance known as Strap clearance, for which a new application still needed to be submitted at that point.
Conservative shadow minister Alex Burghart described allowing access to highly sensitive information before proper clearance as “completely careless” and wrote to Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards Sir Laurie Magnus urging an investigation into a potential breach of the Ministerial Code by the Prime Minister.
The Liberal Democrats have made a similar call, with Cabinet Office spokesperson Lisa Smart claiming evidence was mounting that Starmer had misled Parliament by assuring MPs that full due process had been followed during the appointment.
Mandelson was appointed in December 2024 and took up the Washington role in February 2025. He was sacked in September after Downing Street said new information had emerged about the depth of his relationship with Epstein. He subsequently resigned from the Labour Party and was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office over allegations he passed market-sensitive government information to Epstein during his time as a minister. His bail conditions were lifted last week and he remains under Metropolitan Police investigation.
The peer has consistently maintained that he answered all written questions about his contact with Epstein truthfully, does not recall being asked about Epstein face-to-face during vetting interviews, and believes he has not acted criminally or for personal gain.
The government has since announced a review of the national security vetting system, including a commitment not to announce diplomatic appointments until security clearance has been fully completed.
