The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, , is still involved in the case of , the American pedophile who still has reputations ahead of him almost seven years after committing suicide. Just when it seemed to be achieving some stability, new documents have emerged that reveal that the premier He was warned of the risks of appointing him as British ambassador to the United States. A man close to the sexual criminal who has been arrested for it and remains under police investigation.
The publication of the first batch of documents that covers the background investigation of the diplomat, who allegedly leaked government documents to Epstein to debate between powerful lords, increases the pressure on the Labor Party because it makes it clear that knowing, knowing and doing, did not do.
The more than 100 pages of documents suggest that concerns were raised about the “reputational risks” of Mandelson’s appointment as head of the legation in Washington, due to his friendship with Epstein, but also because of his previous resignations from the Government and his support for a
Starmer sacked Mandelson from what is considered the most prestigious post in the British diplomatic service last September, as his deep relationship with the convicted child molester began to become apparent.
What the papers say
After bowing to pressure from the opposition Conservative Party last month to publish the documents, the Government published the first part on Wednesday but suggested that more revealing exchanges could not yet be obtained due to the police investigation.
Still, there are already important headlines. A document titled “Notice to Prime Minister, checks made 4 December 2024” said: “Following Epstein’s first conviction for pimping a minor in 2008, their relationship continued between 2009 and 2011, beginning when Lord Mandelson was Chancellor of the Exchequer and continuing after the end of the Labor government. Mandelson reportedly stayed at Epstein’s home while he was in prison in June 2009”.
In a summary of a fact-finding call between Starmer’s general counsel and national security adviser Jonathan Powell in September, a document indicated that Powell had found the appointment process “strangely rushed,” it said. He even calls it “unusual.”
Powell raised concerns about Mandelson’s “reputation” in conversations with Morgan McSweeney, then Starmer’s chief of staff. Another document, dated December 11, 2024, indicated that Starmer’s communications director was satisfied with Mandelson’s answers to questions about his relationship with Epstein.
Government officials informed Starmer that he would be “exposed” if anything went wrong if he opted for a political appointment like Mandelson’s. “If something goes wrong, you could be more exposed as the individual has a greater personal connection to you,” officials stated before the appointment.
Lord Peter Mandelson leaves his home in northwest London, carrying his dog, on February 14, 2026.
What’s to come
Despite the defense of Starmer, who claimed that Mandelson had lied to him about the extent of his relationship with Epstein, some opposition lawmakers in parliament claimed that the documents showed that the prime minister had known about his links for some time.
“We’re supposed to believe that the prime minister, who was once the chief prosecutor of this country, couldn’t see this nonsense,” said Conservative lawmaker Alex Burghart. “It’s inconceivable.”
“We’re supposed to believe that the prime minister, who was once the chief prosecutor of this country, couldn’t see this nonsense. It’s inconceivable.”
Alex Burghart, UK Conservative lawmaker
Several lawmakers expressed shock at Mandelson’s demands for severance pay. He had requested compensation of 547,201 pounds (634,115 euros at today’s exchange rate) following his dismissal, but received 75,000 pounds (86,912 euros), in what the government described as a “reasonable settlement.”
More documents will soon be published that, according to the prime minister’s team, will show that Mandelson lied to Starmer about the extent of his relationship with Epstein before his appointment as ambassador in December 2024.
Darren Jones, Starmer’s chief secretary, told Parliament that the cabinet had learned the lesson from the appointment and had taken steps “to address the shortcomings in the system”.
a heavy weight
Mandelson, an executive minister when Labor was in power more than 15 years ago, resigned from the House of Lords, the upper house of parliament, in February over his links to Epstein. He was arrested last month on suspicion of misconduct in public office and later released on bail. The files released by the US Department of Justice in January included emails suggesting that Mandelson had leaked government documents to Epstein and that the convicted felon had recorded payments to Mandelson or his then-partner, now husband.
Mandelson has stated that he does not remember receiving payments. He has not commented publicly on the document leak allegations or responded to messages seeking comment.
Nicknamed “the prince of darkness” for his Machiavellian approach to power, Mandelson became Labour’s communications director in the 1980s. He helped transform a party, seen as rigid and dominated by unions, into times of unstoppable power about thatcherin the project known as “New Labor”, which finally won the 1997 elections by an overwhelming majority. He was one of the ideologues of the famous Third Way, a social democracy with liberal roots that convinced citizens.
As he was one of those plumbers who are needed on many fronts, he was appointed as a minister without portfolio, which allowed him to attend cabinet meetings and gave him extensive powers in the Government, but just over a year into office, he was forced to resign in 1998 for failing to declare a loan obtained from a millionaire colleague to buy a house. So, this is not his first controversy.
