Lord Mandelson has been withdrawn as Britain's ambassador to the US after emails revealed the depth of his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.
Sir Keir Starmer, who picked the Labour grandee to be the UK's representative in Washington, made the decision after emails showed the peer sent supportive messages even as the paedophile financier faced jail for sex offences.
The Foreign Office said the emails showed 'the depth and extent of Peter Mandelson's relationship with Jeffrey Epstein is materially different from that known at the time of his appointment'.
Lord Mandelson is reported to have told Epstein to 'fight for early release' shortly before he was jailed for 18 months, and told him, 'I think the world of you' the day before he began his sentence for soliciting prostitution from a minor in June 2008.
The Prime Minister had defended Lord Mandelson until the emergence of the emails, insisting he had gone through a proper vetting process and had helped build a successful relationship with Donald Trump's White House.
