Sir Keir Starmer has given his full backing to Lord Mandelson, Britain’s ambassador to the US, amid a furore over his newly revealed links to paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
Bell Ribeiro-Addy, a challenger for the deputy leadership, became the first Labour MP to call for Mandelson to be sacked and said ethics adviser Sir Laurie Magnus should investigate the ambassador.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said Mandelson was “mired in scandal” and should step down, and asked Sir Keir whether he had been aware of Mandelson’s “intimate relationship” with Epstein.
It has also emerged that the ambassador broke a business deal with Epstein even after he had been convicted of child sex offences.
Sir Keir replied: “The ambassador has repeatedly expressed his deep regret for his association with him. He is right to do so. I have confidence in him, and he is playing an important role in the UK-US relationship.”
He refused to say whether he knew of the pair’s relationship before Mandelson’s appointment but said due process was followed during that appointment.
More ‘very embarrassing’ Epstein revelations to come, Mandelson says
Peter Mandelson has admitted that more details about his relationship with Jefferey Epstein are “going to come out”.
But, asked whether there were more revelations to come about he and Esptein, Lord Mandelson said: “I have no doubt at all that there’s a lot of traffic, correspondence, exchanges between us – absolutely. And we know those are going to surface.
“We know they’re going to come out.
“We know they’re going to be very embarrassing, and they know that I’m going to profoundly regret ever having met him and been introduced to him in the first place.”
UK fires warning shot to Putin and says Poland airspace breach has ‘united’ Nato
John Healey has asked the UK armed forces to bolster Nato’s air defences over Poland after the country was forced to shoot down Russian drones in its airspace following an “extremely reckless” move by Vladimir Putin.
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Lib Dems call for Mandelson investigation
The Liberal Democrats have called for a probe into whether the British ambassador to the US has broken the diplomatic code.
Leader Sir Ed Davey said: “Lord Mandelson has serious questions to answer over his relationship with the vile sex trafficker and paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
“The Civil Service Commission needs to look into whether the ambassador has broken the diplomatic service code by failing to come clean over this sooner.
“With Trump in the White House, we cannot afford to have an ambassador to the United States who is compromised by ’embarrassing’ secrets.”
Lord Mandelson says he ‘never saw any evidence’ of Epstein’s crimes
Commenting on what he knew of Jefferey Epstein’s behaviour at the time he knew him, Lord Mandelson said: “I just would say this … during all the time I was an associate of his, I never saw the wrongdoing. I never saw any evidence of criminal activity.
“I never sought and nor did he offer any introductions to women in the way that allegedly he did for others.
“Perhaps it’s because I’m a gay man, perhaps when I knew him, perhaps when I was associated with him those years ago, as I did with my then partner and now husband, we never, ever saw any evidence or sign of this activity, which has since come to light.
“That’s why I feel so profoundly upset by what has been now revealed about what he did to women and why I feel profoundly upset that I was taken in by him and continued my association with him for far longer than I should have.”
Lucy Powell hopeful of getting 80 nominations today
The Independent’s Kate Devlin reports:
Two Labour MPs could secure the 80 nominations crucial to getting on the ballot paper in the party’s deputy leadership race today.
Sources close to Lucy Powell are hopeful she could also pass the threshold.
The Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson is expected to get the numbers later today – even before the would-be candidates make their pitch at a hustings for other MPs this evening.
Labour MPs criticise Starmer for backing Mandelson
More Labour MPs have criticised the prime minister for continuing to back Peter Mandelson.
Liverpool MP Ian Byrne, who had the Labour whip restored in February after being suspended following a vote on the two-child benefit cap, told the Independent: “MPs get suspended by the party like I did for voting against putting children and disabled people into poverty, but calling the world’s most infamous pedophile and child trafficker ‘your best pal’ amongst other comments, that’s ok!
“It stinks to high heaven.”
Lord Mandelson brokered business deal with Epstein after child sex offence conviction
It has also emerged that Epstein brokered a deal with Lord Mandelson over the sale of a taxpayer-owned business after he had been convicted of child sex offences.
An investigation by The Daily Telegraph has detailed a two-decade friendship between Lord Mandelson and Epstein, which lasted even after Epstein was jailed for a child sex offence in 2008.
Months after the late paedophile had been released from prison, he negotiated the deal alongside then Labour business secretary Lord Mandelson.
Epstein advised both Lord Mandelson and senior JP Morgan executive Jes Staley on the firm’s purchase of Sempra Commodities, a joint venture between the publicly owned Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) and Sempra Energy.
Mr Staley has since been banned from the City for misleading the Financial Conduct Authority over his relationship with Epstein.
Emails obtained by the paper show Epstein introducing Lord Mandelson to Mr Staley, setting up at least two meetings between the pair before JP Morgan’s purchase of Sempra.
After one meeting, Epstein asked Mr Staley: “Was Petie helpful?” Lord Mandelson being nicknamed “Petie” by the notorious paedophile, has been seen as a stark example of how close the pair grew.
Labour MPs turn on Starmer after PM backs Mandelson amid growing calls for him to quit over Epstein links
Sir Keir Starmer has rejected growing calls to sack the UK’s ambassador to Washington, Peter Mandelson, over his dealings with the convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
Angry Labour MPs have today joined calls for him to go. Breaking ranks, Labour deputy leadership hopeful Bell Ribeiro-Addy called for an investigation, saying “there will be a huge amount of concern, and if the outcome is that he should resign, he should”.
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Starmer says he has confidence in Mandelson
The Prime Minister has said he has “confidence” in Lord Mandelson after it emerged the British ambassador to the US had described paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein as his “best pal”.
At Prime Minister’s Questions, Sir Keir Starmer said “due process was followed” during the appointment of Lord Mandelson.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch asked whether he had been aware of the pair’s “intimate relationship” when he appointed Lord Mandelson to be the UK ambassador in Washington.
Sir Keir replied: “As she and the House would expect, full due process was followed during this appointment, as it is with all ambassadors.
“The ambassador has repeatedly expressed his deep regret, he is right to do so, he’s now playing an important part in the US-UK relationship.”
The Tory leader further pressed the Prime Minister on whether it was “tenable” for Lord Mandelson to remain in post.
Sir Keir replied: “The relationship between the US and the UK is one of our foremost relationships, and I have confidence in the ambassador in the role that he is doing.”
Labour MP joins clamour for Mandelson to be sacked
A Labour deputy leadership contender is the first MP in her party to call for Lord Mandelson to be sacked.
Bell Ribeiro-Addy said the US ambassador should face an investigation by the prime minister’s ethics adviser, Sir Laurie Magnus.
Ms Ribeiro-Addy was asked by the i paper whether Lord Mandelson should remain in post.
She replied: “No… I think that’s going to disturb quite a few people.”
Ms Ribeiro-Addy added: “There should definitely be an investigation into it because there will be a huge amount of concern and if the outcome is that he should resign, he should.”
