Starmer admits he ought to by no means have appointed Lord Mandelson – however says he did not find out about emails to Epstein earlier than disastrous PMQs defence

Keir Starmer today insisted he did not know about Lord Mandelson’s emails to Jeffrey Epstein before defending him at PMQs.

Finally breaking his silence since sacking the US ambassador last week, the premier struggled to address questions about what he knew and when.

He admitted he would never have appointed Lord Mandelson had he been aware of his messages to the notorious paedophile. 

Asked whether he had been briefed before his weekly showdown with Kemi Badenoch, Sir Keir told broadcasters: ‘It was only on Wednesday, early evening, that I knew the contents of the Bloomberg emails.

Keir Starmer today insisted he did not know about Lord Mandelson’s emails to Jeffrey Epstein before defending him at PMQs

‘It was only very late on Wednesday when Peter Mandelson replied to the questions that have been put to him by Government officials.

‘And it was on that, basically, I took my decision that he should be removed.

‘What I knew before PMQs was that there had been media enquiries. I didn’t know the content of the Bloomberg emails, and I knew that questions had been put to Peter that he had not yet answered, and he hadn’t answered them by the time I got to PMQs, there is, of course, a time lag in America, but I knew that there were questions that have been put to him, but I didn’t know what answers he was going to give to those questions.

‘That came later on Wednesday, and that’s why, at that point, I gave the answer I did at PMQs. And that’s the extent of what I knew at the time.’