No 10 aware of Mandelson emails before Starmer defended him
Officials at No 10 and the Foreign Office were aware of the damning emails between Peter Mandelson and Jeffrey Epstein before Starmer defended him at Prime Minister’s Questions.
The Foreign Office was allegedly sent details of the emails between the pair on Tuesday and passed them on to Downing Street, two days before Starmer withdrew Mandelson as the British ambassador to the US.
The allegations, published in the Times, will likely fuel further criticism of Downing Street’s handling of the scandal as well as Starmer’s decision to express confidence in him in Parliament despite senior aides being aware of the claims.
A government source said that Sir Oliver Robbins, the permanent under-secretary at the Foreign Office, asked Mandelson about the emails on Tuesday, but did not receive a response until the following day.
The UK is now without a permanent ambassador to the US despite President Trump arriving for his state visit next week.
Refused to resign
The row over Mandelson could cause a further headache for Starmer, as despite being dismissed, he remains a government employee after refusing to resign.
Whitehall sources told the Times that the government would have to prove that the ambassador materially misled ministers and officials about his relationship with Epstein, if they wanted to avoid paying him compensation.
One source said that there were concerns Mandelson would not “go quietly”, and his departure could end up in “some disastrous HR process”.
Pressure from the party
There is growing unease among Labour MPs and ministers about Starmer’s judgement and failure to establish all the facts about Mandelson’s relationship with Epstein before appointing him.
Clive Lewis, the MP for South Norwich, said that there was “a very dangerous atmosphere in the Labour party, and questioned Starmers future as Prime Minister.
He told the BBC: “We don’t have the luxury of carrying on this way with someone who I think increasingly, I’m sorry to say, just doesn’t seem up to the job.”
Dame Emily Thornberry, the Labour chair of the foreign affairs committee, questioned why Starmer appointed Mandelson initially, despite claims that security officials had raised concerns about it.
In a letter to foreign secretary Yvette Cooper, she said the allegations were “potentially very serious”.
The Prime Minister is now also facing pressure over the role of Morgan McSweeney, after the Downing Street chief of staff personally pushed for Mandelson’s appointment.