LONDON (AP) — Peter Mandelson assured the British government it would “never regret” appointing him as U.K. ambassador to the United States, according to documents released on Monday. His pledge was dramatically proven wrong within months.
More than 1,500 pages of files relating to the appointment of Mandelson, a friend of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, as envoy to Washington at the start of U.S. President Donald Trump's second term were released by the government to comply with a demand by lawmakers.
They shed new light on the contentious decision and heap more embarrassment on beleaguered Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Among the documents is a note from Mandelson to then Foreign Secretary David Lammy in November 2024, before his appointment, pledging that the government would “never regret” giving him the post.
Starmer fired Mandelson after nine months when new details emerged about his friendship with Epstein, and fallout from the misjudged appointment has left the prime minister fighting for his job.
