UK fires US Envoy Mandelson over Epstein links

Shafaq News – London

On Thursday, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer dismissed Peter Mandelson, the British ambassador to the United States, over his links to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The decision followed the release of Epstein’s so-called “birthday book,” in which Mandelson appeared as his “best pal,” and a tranche of newly surfaced emails that revealed a far closer relationship than previously acknowledged.

Foreign Office Minister Stephen Doughty told Parliament that one email in particular raised concern: Mandelson suggested Epstein’s first conviction was “wrongful” and should be challenged. “In light of that, and mindful of the victims of Epstein's crimes, he has been withdrawn as Ambassador with immediate effect," Doughty declared.

The British Embassy in Washington has not commented on the dismissal.

The fallout from the Epstein disclosures extended beyond Mandelson. A letter and drawing that appeared to bear US President Donald Trump’s signature also surfaced, prompting backlash. The White House denied that Trump authored the material, while analyses by The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times described the handwriting as consistent with his style in the 1990s and 2000s.