Decision to end support for US ambassador over Jeffrey Epstein links comes just before Donald Trump state visit
Keir Starmer is facing serious questions about his political judgment after he was forced to sack his US ambassador Peter Mandelson over his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein.
In the second damaging departure for the government in a week, the prime minister withdrew support for Lord Mandelson over emails to Epstein from 2008 suggesting his sentence for soliciting a child for prostitution should be challenged.
The scandal comes at a disastrous time for Starmer ahead of Donald Trump’s state visit to the UK next week. He is also facing an internal Labour battle over the deputy leadership after his deputy prime minister, Angela Rayner, had to resign last week over her tax affairs.
While No 10 was hoping the sacking would show decisive action by the prime minister, Starmer quickly became the focus of criticism over his decision to appoint Mandelson in spite of warnings about his chequered past and his defence of the US ambassador up until Wednesday.
