By William Schomberg and Elizabeth Piper
London — Prime Minister Keir Starmer called on Monday for Britain’s former ambassador to the US, Peter Mandelson, to be removed from parliament’s upper chamber after new reports emerged of his ties with the late US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Mandelson, a prominent figure in Starmer’s Labour Party for decades, was fired from his envoy role last year after previous revelations about his connections to Epstein.
Late on Sunday the former minister under Labour’s 1997-2007 government of Tony Blair quit the party after more documents were released, saying he did not wish to cause “further embarrassment”.
The newly released documents from the US justice department showed Mandelson pictured in his underwear, an image that circulated widely in British media on Monday. The Financial Times said the files also show that accounts connected to Mandelson received $75,000 from Epstein, prompting opposition politicians to call for a full investigation.
Time to go
Mandelson said in a letter to the Labour Party that he is sorry to be linked once again to the “understandable furore surrounding Jeffrey Epstein”. But he believes that allegations about financial payments to him by Epstein are false and he will investigate.
Starmer’s spokesperson said on Monday that Mandelson should not be a member of the House of Lords but added that the prime minister does not have the power to remove him.
“He [Starmer] is calling on those in the Lords to work with the government to modernise disciplinary procedures to allow for the easier removal of lords who have brought the House into disrepute,” the spokesperson said, adding Starmer has instructed the cabinet secretary to review all available information regarding Mandelson’s contacts with Epstein.
Many MPs said Starmer should go further and launch an official inquiry into allegations over financial payments.
“We need a full cabinet office investigation into how Mandelson and his husband took money from the paedophile Jeffrey Epstein while he was a Labour minister, and why Mandelson was appointed ambassador in the first place,” Kemi Badenoch, the leader of Britain’s opposition Conservative Party, said on X.
Disciplinary action
Mandelson could choose to retire from the House of Lords but ousting him would require the government to propose and pass a piece of legislation. He is currently on a leave of absence.
A spokesperson for the Labour Party said on Monday it was right that he quit the party and added that disciplinary action was already been underway prior to the resignation.
During the late 1990s, Mandelson played a central role in Labour’s electoral success as Blair became prime minister.
Mandelson, also a former EU trade commissioner, came under scrutiny last year when US legislators released documents including a letter in which he called Epstein “my best pal”, leading to his dismissal as Britain’s ambassador.
Mandelson also had a turbulent earlier career in domestic politics. In 1998, he quit as trade minister over a loan he received from a fellow minister to buy a house. A second stint in the cabinet ended in a resignation in 2001 when he was forced out over his alleged involvement in a passport scandal involving an Indian billionaire. He was later cleared of acting improperly.
Separately, Starmer said on Saturday that Britain’s former Prince Andrew should testify before a US congressional committee following new revelations about his links to Epstein.
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