An emergency debate will take place in parliament today over Sir Keir Starmer’s controversial appointment of Peter Mandelson as his ambassador to the US.
Speaker Lindsay Hoyle has agreed to allot three hours for questions about what the government, and particular the prime minister, knew and didn’t know about the depth of Lord Mandelson’s relationship with billionaire paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
Lord Mandelson was appointed in January 2025 to the UK’s most senior overseas diplomatic position – the ambassador to the US.
He had always admitted to having known Epstein, but last week the US Congress unveiled the contents of a 50th “birthday book” which revealed a much closer relationship.
Among the tributes to Epstein in it, Lord Mandelson had described him as “my best pal”.
A picture of Epstein and Mandelson together in the ‘birthday book’ released by the US Congress. Pics: US House Oversight Committee
Then, emails published by The Sun and Bloomberg were even more damning, showing the former Labour minister sympathising with the convicted sex trafficker, saying: “I think the world of you and I feel hopeless and furious about what has happened.”
Lord Mandelson was removed from his ambassadorial post on Thursday, but not before Sir Keir had defended him at PMQs the day before. He has come under fire over his handling of the issue.
I’m ‘angry’, says PM
On Monday, in his first remarks about the sacking, the embattled prime minister – who earlier this month lost his deputy Angela Rayner to a tax affairs scandal – insisted he would have “never appointed” Lord Mandelson if he’d known then what he knows now.
He told Channel 4 News he was “angry” to have ended up in a situation where he pivoted from defending him to sacking him within 24 hours, suggesting he was unaware of the “detailed allegations” before PMQs.
But questions remain about what exactly the PM – or the vetting team – knew, and the government has declined to release the details of the procedure Lord Mandelson underwent before he was appointed.
The Conservatives hope to use today’s emergency debate to increase pressure on the government to publish all the information – just hours before Donald Trump lands in the UK for a state visit.
The US president is himself embroiled in questions about his own relationship with the disgraced billionaire.
Analysis: No state visit has had a backdrop quite like this
Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle has granted the emergency debate. Pic: PA
Sir Keir was also hit by the resignation of Number 10’s director of strategy, Paul Ovenden, on Monday. He quit after it emerged he’d sent sexually explicit messages about independent MP Diane Abbott.
It’s all added up to a rotten start to the new parliamentary term for the prime minister, who just two weeks ago confidently declared “phase two” of his government was now under way.
He’s ruled out resigning, despite discontent on his backbenches and Reform UK’s sustained lead in the polls.
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Former PM Gordon Brown rallied to Sir Keir’s defence
But former prime minister Gordon Brown has come to Sir Keir’s defence.
Speaking to Sky News, he said he expected the PM to be “completely exonerated” over the Mandelson scandal.
Mr Brown, the last Labour PM before Sir Keir, said he didn’t want to criticise his judgement because he faces “very difficult decisions”.
