Ministers have urged Prime Minister Keir Starmer to apologise to Jeffrey Epstein’s victims over his appointment of Peter Mandelson as US ambassador.
Mandelson was recently removed from his position due to new revelations around his longstanding association with Epstein, which he said he deeply regretted.
On Monday 15 September, Starmer said he was angry with Mandelson for not revealing the full extent of his past relationship with Epstein and that he would not have appointed him if all the information was available to him.
In an emergency debate on Mandelson’s appointment held on Tuesday 16 September, several ministers called on the Prime Minister to apologise to Epstein’s victims for appointing Mandelson as US ambassador despite not being aware of the extent of his association with Epstein.
Starmer was not present at the debate, a fact which was highlighted by Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch in her remarks.
Badenoch said Starmer should apologise and take responsibility for Mandelson’s appointment and publish all the relevant documents.
“Far from being the decisive man of conscience he promised to be, he has shrivelled from leadership,” Badenoch said.
“He has hidden behind others, just as he’s doing today, and he has come to this house and hidden behind process and lawyerly phrases.”
“The Prime Minister has shown no courage, no judgment, no backbone, and if he can’t see it, if they can’t see it, I can assure them that the British public can,” she said.
Calls for Starmer to apologise over Mandelson’s appointment were echoed by Liberal Democrats leader Ed Davey, who added that during Donald Trump’s upcoming visit to the United Kingdom, Starmer should ask the US president about his relationship with Epstein.
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