Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has said Peter Mandelson misled him about the extent of his friendship with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein before he was appointed US ambassador.
Emails released by the US Department of Justice illustrate the depth of that friendship and appear to confirm that it continued, and even flourished, after Epstein's 2008 conviction.
In April 2009, while Epstein was still serving a prison sentence, he messages Lord Mandelson to say: "ahh... here we go again".
A few minutes later, Lord Mandelson picks up his Blackberry and replies: "Meaning? At least I am not involved."
Epstein replies: "Your romantic complexities".
