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Starmer admits mistake in appointing Mandelson as US envoy but resists calls to resign

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer acknowledged Monday that he made the wrong judgment when he appointed Jeffrey Epstein’s friend Peter Mandelson as UK ambassador to…

By Samantha Johnson / April 20, 2026

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer acknowledged Monday that he made the wrong judgment when he appointed Jeffrey Epstein’s friend Peter Mandelson as UK ambassador to Washington but said he would not have done so if he had known Mandelson had failed security checks.

Starmer faced a barrage of opposition calls to resign as he tried to explain why Mandelson was given the job despite failing security vetting for the UK’s most important diplomatic post. Starmer brushed aside the demands, placing blame squarely on Foreign Office officials who he says failed to tell him about the security concerns.
He said the facts about Mandelson’s vetting “could and should have been shared with me before he took up his post.”

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Starmer told lawmakers in the House of Commons that “I would not have gone ahead with the appointment” had he known. Mandelson was fired in September, nine months into the job, when new details emerged about his friendship with Epstein.

Starmer’s explanation was greeted with jeers from opposition lawmakers, incredulous that the nation’s leader had not known such a crucial piece of information.

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“I know many members across the House will find these facts to be incredible,” Starmer said. “To that, I can only say they are right. It beggars belief.”

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