Peter Mandelson reportedly admitted in his vetting interview for the role of US ambassador that he had continued his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein for many years, according to reports.
Sir Keir Starmer sensationally sacked him as US ambassador on Thursday over the growing scandal of his links to the paedophile, but The Times has reported that Lord Mandelson feels ill-treated by the Prime Minister, as allies told the paper he admitted in the vetting process that he had continued the relationship for many years and sincerely regretted it.
Lord Mandelson relayed his regrets in his resignation letter to the UK Embassy: “The circumstances surrounding the announcement today are ones which I deeply regret. I continue to feel utterly awful about my association with Epstein 20 years ago and the plight of his victims.”
Reports suggested that security services had raised concerns about Mandelson’s appointment.
Downing Street has said that Sir Keir found Lord Mandelson’s emails to Jeffrey Epstein “reprehensible” and they have no role in the vetting process.
James Roscoe has taken over from Lord Mandelson as interim ambassador while Downing Street begins the process of finding a permanent replacement.
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Mandelson-Epstein latest: Key points
- Mandelson says being UK ambassador to US has been 'privilege of my life'
- Mandelson sacked as US ambassador by Starmer
- Downing Street appoints interim US ambassador
- Starmer found Mandelson emails with Epstein 'reprehensible'
James Roscoe and Clemency Burton-Hill: Washington’s new power couple
06:00
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Bryony Gooch
Meet the ‘pawlitician’ crowned Westminster’s Dog of the Year
05:02
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Bryony Gooch
Lucy Powell vows to act as a 'bridge for all parts'
04:00
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Bryony Gooch
Labour deputy leadership hopeful Lucy Powell vowed to act as a “bridge for all parts” of the party.
In a statement after going through to the second round of the contest, she wrote: “I’m grateful to all my colleagues who have nominated me for deputy leader. This is not a contest I expected nor any of us wanted but we must use it to focus on how the new deputy leader can be a bridge for all parts of our movement and help the Government deliver the progressive change the country needs.
“I am Labour through and through. I will always fight for our party, our values and our traditions. At a time when there are forces trying to spread division and hatred, Labour must be the voice of unity and hope.
“I look forward to speaking to as many members, activists and supporters as possible to make the case about the kind of full-time deputy leader I would be; laser focused on connecting with our communities through our MPs, elected representatives and members fighting for the change our country needs.”
Watch: Labour MP's dog crowned Westminster Dog of the Year
03:00
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Bryony Gooch
Mother of woman killed by boyfriend tells Starmer justice system is ‘broken’
02:00
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Bryony Gooch
The mother of a woman killed by her boyfriend has called for the Prime Minister to meet her over the “systemic collapse” of the justice system.
Gogoa Lois Tape, 28, was detained under the Mental Health Act last week for strangling 25-year-old Kennedi Westcarr-Sabaroche in Hackney, east London, in April last year.
He was originally accused of murder, but a guilty plea to manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility was accepted by prosecutors.
Linda Westcarr, Ms Westcarr-Sabaroche’s mother, sent a letter to Sir Keir Starmer calling for an independent review of the Crown Prosecution Service’s decision, claiming the justice system is complicit in the “erasure of women’s lives” in cases of domestic violence.
“This is not an isolated failure, it is a systemic collapse,” Ms Westcarr wrote to Sir Keir.
“In a world where you say domestic abuse must be eradicated, I saw the abuse my daughter endured literally eradicated by psychiatrists behind closed doors, explaining it all away as a demonstration of his mental illness.”
No coronation for Phillipson as she faces challenge from ex-minister in race to become deputy Labour leader
01:00
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Bryony Gooch
Concerns Mandelson failed M16 vetting for US ambassador role
Friday 12 September 2025 00:00
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Bryony Gooch
Mandelson admitted continued relationship with Epstein in vetting interview - reports
Thursday 11 September 2025 23:15
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Bryony Gooch
Peter Mandelson reportedly admitted in his vetting interview for the role of US ambassador that he had continued his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein for many years, according to reports.
Sir Keir Starmer sacked him as US ambassador on Thursday over the growing scandal of his links to the paedophile.
But The Times has reported that Lord Mandelson feels ill-treated by the Prime Minister, as allies told the paper he admitted in the vetting process that he had continued the relationship for many years and sincerely regretted it.
Reports suggested that security services had raised concerns about Mandelson’s appointment.
Downing Street has said that Sir Keir found Lord Mandelson’s emails to Jeffrey Epstein “reprehensible” and they have no role in the vetting process.
Mandelson lobbying firm to cut ties with him - report
Thursday 11 September 2025 23:00
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Bryony Gooch
Global Counsel, a lobbying firm co-founded by Peter Mandelson, is preparing to cut ties with him, the Financial Times has reported.
The firm is reportedly telling clients that his stake in the business will be sold imminently to a new investor.
Lord Mandelson founded Global Counsel in 2010 with Benjamin Wegg-Prosser as an advisory firm that could help clients “anticipate regulatory and political change”.
There is no chance of Mandelson returning to Global Counsel, people close to the situation said, acknowledging the reputational risk to the firm.
Lord Mandelson stepped back from Global Counsel at the start of the year after being appointed by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer as UK ambassador to the US.
Comment: The fatal flaw that made ‘Air Miles Mandelson’ crash and burn
Thursday 11 September 2025 22:00
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Bryony Gooch
Farage urged to explain how his partner funded £885k Clacton home
Thursday 11 September 2025 21:30
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Bryony Gooch
Recap: Watch as Government says Peter Mandelson sacked 'in light of new emails' over relationship with Jeffrey Epstein
Thursday 11 September 2025 21:00
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Bryony Gooch
Multiple Labour MPs considering defecting to Greens, says Zack Polanski
Thursday 11 September 2025 20:30
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Bryony Gooch
Exclusive: Sitting down with The Independent, the new Green Party leader said he was ‘absolutely’ having conversations with Labour MPs who are considering defecting.
Millie Cooke, political correspondent, reports:
Tory leader accuses Prime Minister of 'terrible judgement'
Thursday 11 September 2025 20:20
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Rebecca Whittaker
Questions are being asked of the prime minister’s judgment after it emerged that security services had raised concerns before Lord Mandelson was appointed.
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch described the overruling of MI6 warnings to appoint a political ally as “unforgivable”.
She said: “These latest revelations point yet again to the terrible judgement of Keir Starmer and why it is imperative that all documents relating to Peter Mandelson’s appointment are released immediately.
“If it is true that Starmer or his chief of staff Morgan McSweeney overruled the security services, as has been alleged, they need immediately to explain to the public why they did so.”
No coronation for Phillipson as she faces challenge from ex-minister in race to become deputy Labour leader
Thursday 11 September 2025 20:10
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Rebecca Whittaker
The race to succeed Angela Rayner as deputy leader of the Labour Party has become a head-to-head battle between education secretary Bridget Phillipson and former Commons leader Lucy Powell.
The first stage of the contest drew to a close on Thursday evening, with Ms Phillipson and Ms Powell being the only two candidates reaching the required threshold of 80 nominations from fellow Labour MPs.
Read more here from political correspondent Millie Cooke:
Watch: Labour MP's dog crowned Westminster Dog of the Year
Thursday 11 September 2025 20:00
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Bryony Gooch
Sultana issues scathing comment on Starmer's phase two plan amid Mandelson sacking
Thursday 11 September 2025 19:45
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Bryony Gooch
Former Labour MP Zarah Sultana has criticised the government for the hiring of Peter Mandelson as US Ambassador after he was sacked by Sir Keir Starmer.
Responding to a post on X from Starmer at the start of this month ushering in “phase two” of the Government’s plan, Ms Sultana said: “Was phase two meant to start by sacking your US Ambassador because - as you were warned - he was “best pals” with a prolific n**ce? Just checking.”
Was phase two meant to start by sacking your US Ambassador because - as you were warned - he was “best pals” with a prolific nonce?
— Zarah Sultana MP (@zarahsultana) September 11, 2025
Just checking. https://t.co/9SKfgq62cb
Phillipson promises to give Labour members 'strong voice at the Cabinet table'
Thursday 11 September 2025 19:40
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Bryony Gooch
Labour deputy leadership frontrunner Bridget Phillipson promised to give party members a “strong voice at the Cabinet table”.
In a video message posted on X after the ballot was announced, the Education Secretary said: “The Labour deputy leadership contest is a crucial moment, not just for the future of our party, but also for our country. And I’m so proud to have received the most nominations from Labour MPs and from seats right across the country.
“My message to members is simple: I want to unite our party and our movement, deliver the change our country needs and beat Reform.
“I want a mandate from our members to deliver more hope, more opportunity for working people, and more of the transformative policies that you, our members and trade unionists, and working people want to see.”
Watch: Labour MP’s office charred to ground after building destroyed in fire
Thursday 11 September 2025 19:20
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Bryony Gooch
Lucy Powell to go head-to-head with Bridget Phillipson in Labour deputy leadership race
Thursday 11 September 2025 19:15
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Bryony Gooch
Former Commons leader Lucy Powell has secured enough MP nominations to go head-to-head with Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson in Labour’s deputy leadership race.
Recap: James Roscoe to take over from Lord Mandelson as interim ambassador
Thursday 11 September 2025 19:00
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Bryony Gooch
James Roscoe will be the interim ambassador to the US after Lord Mandelson was sacked from the role.
Mr Roscoe has taken over with immediate effect, Downing Street has confirmed.
He was made deputy head of mission at the British Embassy in Washington in July 2022 and before that was UK ambassador to the UN General Assembly from 2019.
Analysis: Mandelson’s sacking has left one big question – and it has nothing to do with Epstein
Thursday 11 September 2025 18:45
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Bryony Gooch
Lord Mandelson is part of a long list of key appointees that Sir Keir Starmer has been forced to sack for predictable problems, which poses big questions about his judgment, as David Maddox explains.
Read more here:
Watch: Steve Darling on guide dog Jennie's fame in the House of Commons
Thursday 11 September 2025 18:30
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Bryony Gooch
Mandelson says being UK ambassador to US has been 'privilege of my life'
Thursday 11 September 2025 18:15
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Bryony Gooch
Lord Peter Mandelson has said that serving as the UK’s ambassador to the US has been the “privilege of my life”, according to a letter to embassy staff reported by the BBC.
In the letter he thanked staff for their professionalism, saying it was “superb, more so than I have experienced in any public role”.
The letter added: “The circumstances surrounding the announcement today are ones which I deeply regret. I continue to feel utterly awful about my association with Epstein 20 years ago and the plight of his victims.
“I have no alternative to accepting the Prime Minister’s decision and will leave a position in which I have been so incredibly honoured to serve.”
Before signing off with thanks from his husband and dog, he added that the UK-US relationship was in “a really good condition, with a magnificent State Visit and the new US-UK technology partnership – my personal pride and joy that will help write the next chapter of the special relationship – set for next week”.
Mandelson feels 'utterly awful' about association with Epstein - reports
Thursday 11 September 2025 18:00
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Bryony Gooch
Peter Mandelson has written to British embassy staff after his sacking, according to The Sun.
The letter reportedly says: "I continue to feel utterly awful about my association with Epstein twenty years ago and the plight of his victims.
"I have no alternative to accepting the Prime Minister's decision."
Bell Ribeiro-Addy exits deputy leadership contest
Thursday 11 September 2025 17:38
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Bryony Gooch
Labour backbencher Bell Ribeiro-Addy has said she was unable to secure the required 80 MP nominations to make it into the second round of the deputy leadership contest.
It currently appears that the highly-coveted position will come down to education secretary Bridget Phillipson and ex-Commons leader Lucy Powell as the first stage of the contest draws to a close.
‘Arson attack’ on MP’s office wrecks charity and veterans’ mental health unit
Thursday 11 September 2025 17:30
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Bryony Gooch
A suspected arson attack on an MP’s office has also wrecked a charity base and an NHS mental health service for veterans, it has emerged.
A man has been arrested on suspicion of arson and criminal damage after the major fire at Washington and Gateshead South MP Sharon Hodgson’s office at Vermont House in Concord, Washington, Tyne and Wear, in the early hours of Thursday.
Aerial images show the roof in one corner has been destroyed and much of the building damaged.
Graffiti on a wall read: “328 days blood on your hands.”
It is understood to have been daubed on the wall last September and is believed to be a reference to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Last week a brick was thrown at a window of Vermont House, it was understood.
The small charity Niemann-Pick UK (NP UK), which supports patients and families with an extremely rare and life-limiting group of genetic diseases, was also based at Vermont House.
Its offices were destroyed in the fire and a spokesperson said there had been a number of attacks on the MP’s office in recent months.
Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear (CNTW) NHS Foundation Trust said its Op Courage unit, which helps people leaving or who have left the armed services with their mental health, was based in Vermont House.
King Charles approves three new ministers in reshuffle
Thursday 11 September 2025 17:13
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Millie Cooke, Political Correspondent
The King has been pleased to approve the following appointments:
- Michael Shanks MP as Minister of State in the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.
- Chris McDonald MP as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and the Department for Business and Trade.
- Liz Lloyd CBE as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, and the Department for Business and Trade, and Baroness in Waiting (Government Whip).
Too many people silent on Charlie Kirk killing, Irish deputy premier says
Thursday 11 September 2025 17:00
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Tom Watling
Too many people “have remained silent” over the killing of US political activist Charlie Kirk, Ireland’s deputy premier has said.
Mr Kirk, a 31-year-old ally of US president Donald Trump, was shot dead at an event at Utah Valley University on Wednesday.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Simon Harris said there needs to be “consistent” condemnation of political threats and violence.
He said: “Too many people use the word ‘but’ in relation to what happened overnight.
“It’s extraordinarily easy to condemn violent acts against somebody with whom you share their views.
“It is much more important that we are consistent in terms of calling it out when it’s against somebody whose work, whose views differ to us.”
The Tanaiste’s comments come after a spate of violent threats against him and his family, including bomb threats made in relation to his family home.
Breaking ground at a development of 395 homes in Lucan, Dublin, Mr Harris condemned the assassination of the father-of-two as “appalling”, “horrifying” and “deeply disturbing”.
Concerns that Mandelson did not pass MI6 vetting for US ambassador role – but was appointed anyway
Thursday 11 September 2025 16:39
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Tom Watling
Cleverly slams Starmer and Lammy over hiring of Mandelson
Thursday 11 September 2025 16:18
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Tom Watling
Tory shadow minister James Cleverly has slammed Sir Keir Starmer and former foreign secretary David Lammy for hiring Lord Peter Mandelson despite clear warnings about his past.
I’ve been Foreign Secretary, I’ve done senior ambassadorial appointments. Let me explain why the Mandelson situation is even worse than it first appears.
— James Cleverly (@JamesCleverly) September 11, 2025
The Foreign Secretary has a huge amount of power when it comes to appointing Heads of Missions. Head of Mission is the…
Multiple Labour MPs considering defecting to Greens, Zack Polanski claims
Thursday 11 September 2025 16:01
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Millie Cooke
The Independent’s Political Correspondent Millie Cooke reports:
The Green Party's new leader claims he has had multiple conversations with Labour MPs about defecting to his party as they become increasingly unhappy with the direction of Sir Keir Starmer's government.
In an interview with The Independent, Zack Polanski said the number of Labour MPs he has spoken to who are dissatisfied with the party was in “double figures”. He added that the Greens would “absolutely” welcome disillusioned MPs, as long as they share the party’s values.
Mr Polanski named Labour left-wingers Clive Lewis and Nadia Whittome as “obvious” examples of the MPs he would welcome into the fold.
Mandelson-Epstein emails made me very uncomfortable, says Sarwar
Thursday 11 September 2025 15:34
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Tom Watling
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar has said emails between Lord Peter Mandelson and paedophile Jeffrey Epstein made him “very, very uncomfortable”, as he backed the peer’s sacking as US ambassador.
Speaking to journalists in Holyrood, Mr Sarwar said the Prime Minister had made the right decision.
“The details that came to light were deeply, deeply concerning, they made me feel very uncomfortable,” he said.
“I think there’s legitimate questions that the public will want answers to and I think, ultimately, the Prime Minister has made the right decision.”
Asked if the decision suggests issues with the Prime Minister’s judgment, Mr Sarwar drew parallels with the previous Tory administration in the UK.
“If you compare it to the years under the Conservatives, it was dither, delay, not even referring to the Standards Commissioner, often defending the indefensible,” he said.
“(The Prime Minster has) actually taken swift action, there was swift action in terms of the resignation of (former deputy prime minister) Angela Rayner and the swift action in terms of the removal of Peter Mandelson as the ambassador to the US.”
Eight in 10 Britons think politicians should publish how much tax they pay
Thursday 11 September 2025 15:13
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Tom Watling
Starmer tells Israeli president Qatar airstrikes ‘unacceptable’ and ‘do nothing to secure peace’
Thursday 11 September 2025 14:50
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Tom Watling
Man arrested after attack on MP's offices
Thursday 11 September 2025 14:36
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Tom Watling
A man has been arrested on suspicion of criminal damage and arson after a fire at Washington and Gateshead South MP Sharon Hodgson’s office.
A Northumbria Police spokesperson said: “Shortly after 12.20am today, we were alerted to a fire at a premises on Woodland Terrace in the Washington area.
“Emergency services attended and no-one is reported to have been injured in the incident.
“A man in his 20s has subsequently been arrested on suspicion of criminal damage and arson.
“He remains in police custody at this time.”
Watch: Government says Peter Mandelson sacked 'in light of new emails' over relationship with Jeffrey Epstein
Thursday 11 September 2025 14:20
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Rebecca Whittaker
Who could replace Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the US?
Thursday 11 September 2025 14:10
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Rebecca Whittaker
James Roscoe has taken over from Lord Mandelson as interim ambassador while Downing Street begins the process of finding a permanent replacement.
While there is not yet any suggestion yet that Mr Roscoe will hold the position permanently, the career diplomat has a strong CV. He is currently the embassy's chief of mission, a role which sees him take over in the absence of the ambassador. He was previously deputy head of mission at the British Embassy Washington in July 2022.
Read more by political correspondent Millie Cooke here:
Analysis: Mandelson’s sacking has left one big question – and it has nothing to do with Epstein
Thursday 11 September 2025 13:55
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Rebecca Whittaker
Former Labour deputy leader describes Mandelson as ‘shameful’
Thursday 11 September 2025 13:40
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David Maddox, political editor
Speaking on Sky News’ Political Dysfunction podcast out later today, former Labour deputy leader Harriet Harman described Lord Madelson as “shameful” for not resigning.
She said: “I think he's right to sack him. I wish he'd never appointed him, but now he's gone. I think it's really shameful that Peter Mandelson didn't actually resign.
“I think he should never have put himself forward for that job, knowing what he, Peter Mandelson, knew about what was likely to come out. So I think it's been a horrible, awful episode. And the important thing is to move on.”
Peter Mandelson sacked as US ambassador after fresh revelations over his links to Epstein
Thursday 11 September 2025 13:30
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Rebecca Whittaker
'He stood up for freedom and his Christian faith,' MP said following death of right-wing political activist
Thursday 11 September 2025 13:17
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Rebecca Whittaker
Charlie Kirk was a “friend” to the UK and he “stood up for freedom”, a Conservative MP told the Commons, as he paid tribute to the Donald Trump ally.
Andrew Rosindell said he welcomed Mr Kirk to the Houses of Parliament in 2018, taking him to
