LONDON: UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has ordered an pressing inquiry into the ties between London’s former ambassador to Washington, Peter Mandelson, and the late US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in the course of the politician’s time as a authorities minister, Downing Road mentioned Monday (Feb 2).
Starmer additionally believes Mandelson must be stripped of his title as a lord and not sit within the higher chamber of parliament, the Home of Lords.
The overview, which will likely be led by Cupboard Secretary Chris Wormald, comes after newly launched US paperwork revived scrutiny of Mandelson’s shut connection to the disgraced financier.
He’ll study “all accessible data relating to Peter Mandelson’s contacts with Jeffrey Epstein throughout his interval as a authorities minister”, the spokesman mentioned.
Mandelson – a back-room architect of Labour’s revival as an electoral power within the Nineteen Nineties beneath Tony Blair – stop the social gathering on Sunday to keep away from inflicting it “additional embarrassment”.
Financial institution data launched on Friday by US authorities steered that in 2009, Mandelson, who was then enterprise secretary, forwarded an financial briefing to Epstein supposed for then-leader Gordon Brown, captioning it: “Attention-grabbing notice that is gone to the PM”.
Epstein additionally appeared to have transferred a complete of US$75,000 in three funds to accounts linked to the highest Labour politician between 2003 and 2004.
Starmer’s official spokesman mentioned the prime minister “believes that Peter Mandelson shouldn’t be a member of the Home of Lords or use the title”.
“Nevertheless, the prime minister doesn’t have the ability to take away it,” he added.
