"Documents released by the government showed Sir Keir was warned the peer's relationship with Jeffrey Epstein posed a "reputational risk" before he was confirmed as US ambassador. A due diligence document sent to the PM on 11 December 2024 - nine days before he was confirmed as ambassador - raised a number of issues which could pose a "reputational risk"."
"Cabinet Office minister Nick Thomas-Symonds told the BBC Sir Keir "accepted making a mistake" but had responded by trying to make reforms to the "very structures of power in our society". Thomas-Symonds told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that the document "prompted the prime minister to seek assurances, to ask questions"."
"The newly-released documents show advice sent to the prime minister said Lord Mandelson and Epstein's relationship continued after the financier's conviction for procuring an underage girl in 2008. It highlighted a 2019 report commissioned by US bank JP Morgan which found Epstein appeared to "maintain a particularly close relationship" with Lord Mandelson."
Sir Keir Starmer appointed Lord Mandelson as US ambassador in December 2024, but the peer was dismissed in September 2025 after new information emerged about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. Government documents reveal that Starmer received warnings nine days before Mandelson's confirmation that the relationship posed a reputational risk. A due diligence report noted Epstein and Mandelson maintained a close relationship even after Epstein's 2008 conviction. Cabinet Office minister Nick Thomas-Symonds defended Starmer's handling, stating he accepted making a mistake and responded with structural reforms. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch questioned whether Starmer was fit to lead, accusing him of dishonesty about what he knew.
Read at www.bbc.com
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