Keir Starmer has sharply escalated his criticism of former Labour minister Lord Peter Mandelson amid fresh scrutiny of Mandelson’s alleged relationship with Jeffrey Epstein and the way Mandelson was vetted before being appointed Britain’s ambassador to Washington. The dispute has intensified since the first waves of “Epstein files” were made public, prompting renewed questions about what British officials knew, when they knew it, and whether key concerns were addressed.
In December 2024, Starmer’s government moved to bolster ties with the incoming Trump administration by appointing Mandelson as British Ambassador to the United States. The decision was announced by then-foreign secretary David Lammy, according to the account summarized in a dedicated dossier on the Mandelson–Epstein relationship on Wikipedia. The appointment was framed as strengthening the government’s relationship with President-elect Donald Trump, setting the stage for Mandelson’s role as a senior diplomatic figure in Washington.
But by September 2025, as early releases of the Epstein material began to circulate, the British government claimed that newly published emails offered “materially different” information about the extent of Mandelson’s relationship with Epstein. In that phase of the controversy, the government dismissed Mandelson from the ambassadorial post, stating that the evidence now available indicated a different picture from what had been previously understood. News Source
Starmer’s reaction turned more pointed in February 2026, when he addressed MPs in the House of Commons. He accused Mandelson of conduct he described as disloyal and dishonest, asserting that Mandelson “betrayed our country, our Parliament, and my party” and that he “lied repeatedly.” Starmer also said he regretted appointing Mandelson in the first place, linking the appointment decision to what he alleged were misrepresentations during the vetting process.
Central to Starmer’s argument was not only the disputed nature of Mandelson’s connections to Epstein, but also the claim that Mandelson mischaracterized those connections during the security and vetting stage. In the account summarized by Wikipedia, Starmer said Mandelaon’s alleged actions—specifically including leaking sensitive information during the 2008 financial crisis—amounted to a betrayal of the country, Parliament, and the Labour Party. News Source
Starmer also put potential legal consequences on the record. He told the House of Commons that material had been referred to the police, and that an active criminal investigation had been launched to examine potential misconduct. That confirmation shifted the controversy from political censure to an issue that could carry serious criminal implications, depending on what investigators determine.
Yet the scandal has also widened into an internal process fight—about whether the government’s vetting system and communications were handled correctly. According to reporting from the BBC, there were political calls for Starmer to go, with opponents arguing that the prime minister had been misled about the vetting outcome for Mandelson. The BBC reported allegations that Mandelson’s vetting had failed and that there were tensions between security advice and decisions that permitted Mandelson to proceed.
The BBC said Keir Starmer was “furious” after he learned, in a sequence of revelations tied to documents under review, that Mandelson had failed vetting. The broadcaster also reported that documents came available as part of a process of selecting material relating to Mandelson’s appointment that was due to be released to MPs, and that the timing meant the full picture reached the prime minister only after the relevant disclosures. News Source
In that reporting, the BBC further noted that when asked whether the prime minister had been lied to, a spokesperson for the Labour leadership denied that the Foreign Office had informed Starmer in advance that officials had granted developed vetting status to Mandelson against the advice of security and vetting processes. The BBC also said it understood David Lammy—the foreign secretary at the time—did not learn about the overrule until later, suggesting that multiple senior figures may have received incomplete or delayed information. News Source
Meanwhile, additional document releases have continued to complicate the political narrative. In coverage by PBS NewsHour, the publication of more Mandelson files was described as bringing “more bad news” for Starmer, after lawmakers demanded documents related to Mandelson’s appointment and conduct. PBS reported that among the extensive paperwork—more than 1,000 pages—was a note written by Mandelson to Lammy before his appointment, in which Mandelson pledged that the government would “never regret” giving him the job.
PBS also reported that it later became clear Mandelson had been approved for the ambassador role despite failing security checks. The revelation triggered blame-trading between Starmer and senior civil servants overseeing security vetting, underscoring how the controversy has become as much about internal governance and process failures as it is about the allegations surrounding Epstein. PBS noted that files released included emails and text messages involving Mandelson and ministers and advisers. News Source
With Starmer having confirmed that police referrals have been made and that a criminal investigation is underway, the political and diplomatic consequences appear likely to extend well beyond Mandelson’s immediate removal. As more documents are released and as scrutiny intensifies around the security vetting pipeline, the case is poised to become a long-running test of accountability within the government—especially around what was known, what was withheld, and what was represented to MPs and the public during the ambassadorial selection.
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