Britain's Business Secretary Peter Mandelson arrives at 10 Downing Street in London, on January 13, 2009. SHAUN CURRY, SHAUN CURRY / AFP
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday, September 11, fired the UK's ambassador to the United States, Peter Mandelson, over his links to the convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. In a statement in the House of Commons on Thursday, Foreign Office Minister Stephen Doughty said the decision came after the publication this week of emails Mandelson sent to Epstein.
Dubbed the "Prince of Darkness" during his years as a media spin doctor, Mandelson was twice forced to resign from Tony Blair's Labour government in the late 1990s and early 2000s over allegations of misconduct. His dismissal as US envoy causes a political and diplomatic headache for the British prime minister as he prepares for next week's visit of US President Donald Trump, who is himself facing questions over his ties to Epstein.
It is the second high-profile departure from the UK government in the past week, after Starmer's former deputy Angela Rayner resigned last Friday for underpaying a property tax. Starmer, meanwhile, is attempting to reboot his increasingly unpopular government.
