Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer talks with members of the audience after delivering a speech at Horntye Park Sports Complex in St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex, England, Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026. PETER NICHOLLS / AP
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, battling for his political future, apologized Thursday, February 5, to the victims of Jeffrey Epstein for appointing disgraced Peter Mandelson, a friend of the sex offender, as US ambassador.
Starmer, who also indicated he would not resign over the scandal, issued the apology after being dogged for days by his decision to send veteran politician Mandelson to Washington last February despite his ties to Epstein.
The latest crisis to hit his struggling government follows fresh allegations about the ex-envoy's cozy ties to late sex offender Epstein, which emerged in newly-released files last Friday.
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