Kemi Badenoch has slammed Keir Starmer as Peter Mandelson fights for his political life as Britain’s ambassador in Washington. Ms Badenoch called on the Prime Minister to publish the vetting documents from Mr Mandelson’s appointment, as he squirms over his relationship with notorious paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
Lord Mandelson is facing calls to be sacked as Britain’s ambassador to Washington after fresh and embarrassing evidence emerged of his close friendship with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Britain’s top man in the US was included in a release of the Epstein files, published by the US House Oversight Committee. Ms Badenoch dedicated nearly all of her PMQs questions to the topic, demanding answers from Keir Starmer and branding the row a distraction to Lord Mandelson from the need to focus on Russia’s drones entering Polish airspace.
Sir Keir insisted that full due process was gone through when the appointment was made, and that he has full confidence in Lord Mandelson.
Ms Badenoch blasted: “He says the ambassador has expressed ‘full regret’, but the victims of the paedophile Jeffrey Epstein have called for Lord Mandelson to be sacked.
“In 2019 Jeffrey Epstein was convicted of child prostitution and sex trafficking that took place between 2002 and 2005 – that is the precise period that Lord Mandelson called Jeffrey Epstein his ‘best pal’.”
Asked if he was aware of this intimate relationship when he appointed Lord Mandelson, Sir Keir once again repeated the same answer that the process was fully followed, and that he was right to express “full regret”.
The Tory leader suggested that Sir Keir’s refusal to say whether or not he knew about the relationship “indicates that he probably did know”. Ms Badenoch also demanded that the Government finally come clean about Lord Mandelson’s full business interests, which are yet to be revealed.
Labour MPs have now said he should be sacked.
One anonymously briefed The Telegraph: “Mandelson has to be responsible for the associations and friendships that he forms. We can make a judgement quite legitimately on relationships that he has made.
“It’s not good enough to say: ‘Whoops, I shouldn’t be associated with him now.’ You shouldn’t have been associated with him then. The easiest way round this for Mandelson is to step down. He should put the reputation of Britain abroad first.
“He should realise the damage done and step down. If he refuses to do that, then the Prime Minister should do the right thing and sack him.”
A second added: “He ought to resign. He knows how to stand down, after all. This would be the third time at least.” This morning Lord Mandelson told The Sun that the published correspondence between him and Epstein are “very embarrassing to see and to read.”
“I feel a profound sense of sympathy for those people, those women, who suffered as a result of his behaviour and his illegal criminal activities. And secondly I regret very very deeply indeed carrying on that association with him for far longer than I should have done.”