LONDON — British Prime Minister Keir Starmer issued a public apology to victims of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein after acknowledging that he erred in appointing Peter Mandelson as the United Kingdom’s ambassador to Washington despite Mandelson’s ties to the disgraced financier.
Speaking Thursday, Starmer said he accepted Mandelson’s assurances that his relationship with Epstein was minimal, an account that later proved untrue. “I am sorry … for having believed Mandelson’s lies and appointed him,” the prime minister said, addressing growing public and political backlash over the decision.
Mandelson was dismissed from the post in September after the release of emails showing he maintained a friendship with Epstein even after the financier’s 2008 conviction for sex offenses involving a minor. Epstein died by suicide in a U.S. jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal charges alleging the sexual abuse of dozens of girls.
Starmer emphasized that he never met Epstein and is not accused of any wrongdoing. However, the prime minister has come under intense scrutiny following the publication of newly released documents that shed further light on the depth of Mandelson’s association with Epstein.
“I was lied to,” Starmer said, adding that while it had long been publicly known that Mandelson knew Epstein, “none of us knew the depth and the darkness of that relationship.”
British police are now investigating Mandelson for possible misconduct in public office, though he has not been accused of any sexual offenses.
Documents released last week by the U.S. Department of Justice include material suggesting Mandelson shared sensitive government information with Epstein following the 2008 global financial crisis. The files also contain numerous informal and joking exchanges that indicate a significantly closer relationship than Mandelson had previously disclosed.
Additional records suggest that between 2003 and 2004, Epstein sent three payments totaling $75,000 to accounts linked to Mandelson or his partner, Reinaldo Avila da Silva, now his husband.
Mandelson, 72, has been a prominent and controversial figure in the Labour Party since the 1990s. He previously resigned twice from senior government roles amid scandals involving money and ethics. Despite this history, he was selected as ambassador due to his trade expertise, extensive international network, and reputation for political maneuvering, qualities seen as advantageous in dealings with the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump.
Critics argue that Mandelson’s known association with Epstein should have disqualified him from the role and that Starmer exercised poor judgment in the appointment.
“I think the prime minister has shown that his judgment is questionable,” Labour lawmaker Paula Barker said. “He has questions to answer and a long way to go to rebuild trust and confidence with the public, and within our party.”
Si Venus L Peñaflor ay naging editor-in-chief ng Newsworld, isang lokal na pahayagan ng Laguna. Publisher din siya ng Daystar Gazette at Tutubi News Magazine. Siya ay isa ring pintor at doll face designer ng Ninay Dolls, ang unang Manikang Pilipino. Kasali siya sa DesignCrowd sa rank na #305 sa 640,000 graphic designers sa buong daigdig. Kasama din siya sa unang Local TV Broadcast sa Laguna na Beyond Manila. Aktibong kasapi siya ng San Pablo Jaycees Senate bilang isang JCI Senator.
- Venus L Peñaflor
- Venus L Peñaflor
- Venus L Peñaflor
- Venus L Peñaflor
