UK PM Keir Starmer apologises to Epstein victims amid Mandelson row

Starmer said he regretted believing what he described as "lies" conveyed by Mandelson at the time of the appointment and acknowledged the public manner in which the matter unfolded

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday apologised to victims of Jeffrey Epstein’s sexual abuse while responding to controversy surrounding the appointment of Peter Mandelson, a former Labour Party politician, as ambassador to the United States after he took office. 

 

Starmer said he regretted trusting what he described as “lies” conveyed by Mandelson at the time of the appointment.

 

Mandelson, 72, who served as a government minister when Labour was last in power more than 15 years ago, resigned from his role in Parliament’s upper chamber, the House of Lords, earlier this week following scrutiny over his links to Epstein.

 

At the start of a speech in southern England, Starmer said he had relied on information provided by Mandelson and later came to regret that decision. He said he had “no idea” about Mandelson’s connections with Epstein when the appointment was made and acknowledged that the issue had unfolded in public.

 

“The victims of Epstein have lived with trauma that most of us could barely comprehend, and they have to relive it again and again. They have seen accountability delayed and too often denied to them,” Starmer said, as quoted by The Guardian.

 

“I want to say this. I am sorry, sorry for what was done to you, sorry that so many people with power failed, sorry for having believed Mandelson’s lies and appointed him, and sorry that even now you’re forced to watch this story unfold in public once again,” he added.

 

Starmer said he entered politics with the aim of improving fairness and security in the country. “I entered politics because I wanted to change our country for the better, to make it fairer, safer, and more secure,” he said.

 

“I still believe that most people who serve in public life, whether as civil servants or elected politicians, do so for the same reason, because they believe in service, because they believe in duty, because they believe in the public good. But that is not why some people do it, and that is not why Mandelson did it,” Starmer said, according to The Guardian.  

Political fallout over Mandelson’s links to Epstein

The apology came after a tense day in the House of Commons, where Labour MPs raised the possibility of rebelling over plans to release documents related to Mandelson’s appointment following additional disclosures about his association with Epstein.

 

Reports said the risk of a parliamentary defeat led the government to change course. Ministers agreed that a parliamentary committee, rather than senior civil servants, would supervise the release of the documents.

 

The developments added pressure on Starmer’s leadership. Some MPs called for the removal of his chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, while others questioned the prime minister’s standing.

 

It is also noted that Mandelson and McSweeney have been linked through a long-standing political mentorship.

Who is Peter Mandelson?

Peter Mandelson is a former British ambassador to the United States and is widely credited with helping shape the modern Labour Party that brought Tony Blair to power in 1997. He is now facing scrutiny linked to the US Justice Department’s latest release of material connected to Epstein.

 

Mandelson is also accused of passing on market-sensitive information that was of financial interest to Epstein in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis.