How the Epstein files unravelled a senior British politician's career — and now threaten PM Starmer's job
CBC
When it comes to British diplomatic political appointments, Washington has always been a key post, keeping the so-called special relationship running smoothly between the two countries, no matter which U.S. president is in office.
It was a surprise, then, to British politics watchers when Prime Minister Keir Starmer shipped veteran Labour politician Peter Mandelson off to Washington in February 2025 to assume the post. Mandelson already had a history of scandal-plagued resignations from positions in previous Labour governments, with one involving an undeclared loan and for his speculated involvement in what's known as the Hinduja cash for passports affair.
As the U.K.’s ambassador, Mandelson lasted eight months until Starmer sacked him over his resurfaced connections to Jeffrey Epstein. He also resigned as a member of the Labour Party on Sunday.
That resignation came after the U.S. Department of Justice released three million more files related to the convicted sex offender on Friday. The latest drop revealed more details about Mandelson's relationship with Epstein.
Their friendship was no secret, but it's only now that the true depth of their ongoing communication is being exposed. Meanwhile, Starmer confirmed for the first time on Wednesday, after fiery questioning from the Opposition leader, that he had known about Mandelson's longer ties with Epstein before appointing him U.S. ambassador. Starmer said Mandelson had "lied repeatedly" about the extent of their contact.
Now, the prime minister's judgment is under close scrutiny.
"This is especially problematic for him," Steven Fielding, a professor emeritus of political history at the University of Nottingham in central England, told CBC News.
"It involves questions of his competence."
Peter Mandelson, a 72-year-old veteran politician, is a former Labour spin doctor who turned the party into an electoral force after years in the wilderness in the 1980s. He spearheaded former prime minister Tony Blair’s landslide election win in 1997, joining both his government and the cabinet of his successor, Gordon Brown.
"He made connections with the rich and the powerful," said Fielding.
Recently revealed emails between Mandelson and Epstein appear to suggest that in 2009, while he was then-prime minister Brown’s business secretary and de facto deputy prime minister, he shared market-sensitive government information and confidential Downing Street emails with Epstein.
The same year, Mandelson told Epstein he was "trying hard" to change government policy on taxing bankers' bonuses, suggesting that the then-JP Morgan boss should mildly threaten the British chancellor of the exchequer, the now-deceased Alistair Darling.
Other emails point to Mandelson allegedly tipping off Epstein about a multibillion-dollar bailout from the European Union to save the euro, amid concerns about Greece’s debt crisis widening.
In 2010, Mandelson reportedly helped Epstein’s friend secure a deal with a U.K. business.
Buckingham Palace said on Monday it is ready to support any police investigation into King Charles's younger brother after emails suggested Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor might have shared confidential British trade documents with Jeffrey Epstein.
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When it comes to British diplomatic political appointments, Washington has always been a key post, keeping the so-called special relationship running smoothly between the two countries, no matter which U.S. president is in office.
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