Keir Starmer insisted he understood the anger of backbenchers as MPs broke cover to criticise the Prime Minister over his appointment of Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the US
Keir Starmer is battling for political survival as he apologised to Jeffrey Epstein ’s victims for believing Peter Mandelson’s lies.
The Prime Minister insisted he understood – and shared – Labour MPs’ outrage over Lord Mandelson’s friendship with the convicted paedophile. But in a make-or-break speech, Mr Starmer insisted he had no knowledge of the “depth of the darkness” in their relationship when he appointed the Labour grandee as ambassador to the US.
“It has been publicly known for some time that Mandelson knew Epstein, but none of us knew the depth of the darkness of that relationship,” he said. “The information now available makes clear that the answers he gave were lies.”
READ MORE: Keir Starmer ‘sorry’ to Epstein victims as he gives Mandelson police warning
He went on: “The victims of Epstein have lived with trauma that most of us can barely comprehend, and they’ve had to relive it again and again. I want to say this: I am sorry, sorry for what was done to you, sorry that so many people with power failed you, sorry for having believed Mandelson’s lies and appointed him, and sorry that even now you’re forced to watch this story unfold in public once again.
“But I also want to say this: in this country, we will not look away, we will not shrug our shoulders, and we will not allow the powerful to treat justice as optional.” Asked whether he should step down – as critics demanded – Mr Starmer said: “I understand their anger and frustration, I am angry and frustrated like them.”
But he said every minute not spent talking about the cost of living and fighting against Nigel Farage was wasted. The PM faces a tense wait to see if backbench fury dissipates as several left-wing MPs broke cover to call for him to go, while many more spoke out behind the scenes.
He is expected to host a group of MPs at his Chequers retreat on Thursday evening as part of a drive to boost relations with backbenchers. The row threatens to drag on as Parliament’s intelligence watchdog demanded every document relating to Mandelson’s appointment in 2024.
The Government has agreed to release papers, electronic messages and minutes to the Intelligence and Security Committee, which will review whether any details would damage national security. Details of payments to Mandelson after his sacking will also be provided.
This process, which could take several weeks, risks prolonging a crisis that puts the PM’s authority in jeopardy. Mr Starmer said the documents would definitively prove he was misled. But he voiced his frustration that police – who are investigating reports of misconduct in public office by Mandelson – have ordered him not to release them.
He said: “I will not take any step – however politically tempting, however popular – that risks justice for victims.” At the weekend the US Department of Justice released millions of documents relating to Epstein, who died in a New York prison cell in 2019.
These included more emails between Mandelson and Epstein, including messages that suggest the then-Cabinet member leaked confidential government information to the financier after the 2008 financial crash. The explosive revelations have sent shockwaves through the Government.
Labour grandee Harriet Harman said Mr Starmer had “drifted so far away” from his values by appointing Mandelson, and urged him to change course or risk disaster. She said: “He’s got to stop blaming Mandelson and saying, ‘he lied to me’.
“Because actually he should never have been considering him in the first place. And to say ‘he lied to me’ makes it look weak and naïve and gullible. So it’s just completely the wrong thing.
“He should be reflecting on why he made that appointment, not angry at the evilness of Peter Mandelson.” Downing Street said Mr Starmer has full confidence in his chief-of-staff Morgan McSweeney as some Labour MPs called for him to be booted out.
Labour MP Karl Turner said that if the PM continues to be surrounded by aides who give him shoddy advice, he will have to make a decision about his own future soon. He went on: “If McSweeney continues in No 10 Downing Street, I think the PM is up against it in a way that he doesn’t need to be.”
Ex-shadow chancellor John McDonnell claimed the PM had lost all sense of judgment and should go. He said: “We may need a caretaker leader specifically appointed for a time limited period to undertake a cleansing of our party and politics before we elect a new leader.”
Backbencher Paula Barker said the Prime Minister “has shown that his judgment is questionable.” She said: “I think he has questions to answer.
“I think he has a very long way to go to rebuild trust and confidence with the public, and trust and confidence within our party.” But Labour MP John Slinger jumped to the PM’s defence, saying calm heads must prevail. He said: “The PM acted with integrity throughout.
“Exaggerated criticism and speculation about his position as PM is what you’d expect from the opposition.” Housing Secretary Steve Reed, one of Mr Starmer and Mr McSweeney’s closest allies, said: “The person at fault here is not the Prime Minister or his team. It is Peter Mandelson, who lied, manipulated and deceived everybody.”
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar said: “It is abundantly clear Peter Mandelson was not fit to be ambassador to the US, he should not even have been considered for the job. It’s an utter disgrace and he is a shame to our nation.”
Mandelson, who resigned from the House of Lords on Tuesday, was sacked from his Washington role in September last year. Documents released on Friday indicate Epstein was sent details of internal discussions from the heart of the UK government after the global financial crisis.
Mandelson, the then-business secretary, appeared to tell Epstein he would lobby ministers over a tax on bankers’ bonuses in 2009, and to confirm an imminent bailout package for the euro the day before it was announced in 2010. Bank statements from 2003 and 2004 appeared to show he received payments totalling 75,000 US dollars from the financier, and Epstein is also said to have paid for an osteopathy course for Mandelson’s husband.
Mandelson said he had no recollection of the payments, and has denied any criminal wrongdoing. In an interview with The Times, published at the weekend, he said: “I’ve had a lot of bad luck, no doubt some of it of my own making.”
He added: “Hiding under a rock would be a disproportionate response to a handful of misguided historical emails, which I deeply regret sending. If it hadn’t been for the emails, I’d still be in Washington.”