Keir Starmer was sent a detailed briefing about Lord Mandelson’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein months before appointing him as Britain’s ambassador to Washington, according to reporting by Tony Diver of The Telegraph.
Civil servants included a January 2024 Telegraph investigation in a due diligence dossier prepared on Lord Mandelson and delivered to the Prime Minister in late 2024.
The file was compiled by the Cabinet Office Propriety and Ethics Team and circulated to Sir Keir, officials in his No 10 private office and Morgan McSweeney, then his chief of staff.
Keir Starmer has previously said he did not understand the “depth” of the disgraced peer’s connection to Epstein before confirming the appointment. Critics have since questioned that account, arguing the contents of the dossier undermined that claim.
Starmer told reporters last week that officials had carried out routine vetting ahead of the December 2024 announcement and said the system “needs to be looked at again”. Downing Street had maintained that while the Prime Minister knew of some association between the two men, he believed Lord Mandelson’s assurances that they were not close.
The Telegraph article, which formed part of the briefing, set out publicly available evidence about the friendship between Lord Mandelson and Jeffrey Epstein. It reported that the peer had stayed in Epstein’s New York apartment after the financier’s conviction for soliciting child prostitutes and noted that Epstein used the nickname “Petie” for him.
The piece also described photographs of the pair shopping together in St Barts, near Epstein’s private island, and said Lord Mandelson was a “founding citizen” of TerraMar, a conservation project run by Epstein’s associate Ghislaine Maxwell. Other links included dinners at Epstein’s home in 2002 and images of the two men celebrating a birthday at Epstein’s Paris apartment in January 2007, a year after Epstein faced prostitution charges.
The most serious allegation cited in the report came from a JP Morgan investigation, which found that Lord Mandelson had stayed at Epstein’s New York property in 2009 while Epstein was serving a prison sentence for child sex offences. The bank’s inquiry also concluded the two men remained in contact afterwards, including in March 2010 when Lord Mandelson sought information on new United States banking rules and in January 2011 when Epstein told an associate that “Petie” was with him in Paris.
While the full contents of the due diligence file have not been published, The Telegraph reported last week that it also covered Epstein’s case and Lord Mandelson’s lobbying firm, Global Counsel.
After reviewing the dossier, Mr McSweeney contacted Lord Mandelson to seek assurances about his relationship with Epstein that could be passed on to the Prime Minister. It is understood the peer denied having a close connection, and that both Mr McSweeney and Sir Keir accepted those explanations.
Mr McSweeney resigned on Sunday amid the controversy, acknowledging an error of judgment. The disclosure that the Prime Minister had received a detailed briefing has renewed scrutiny of his earlier defence.
At a press conference last week, Sir Keir said Lord Mandelson had been questioned directly about “the nature of his relationship with Epstein”, including “whether he had stayed at Epstein’s after his conviction” and “whether he had accepted gifts and hospitality”.
He added: “The information now available makes clear that the answers he gave were lies.
“He portrayed Epstein as someone he barely knew. And when that became clear, and it was not true, I sacked him.
“Such deceit is incompatible with public service. Let me be clear, no one is above accountability and no one, however well connected, however experienced, however senior, should hold public office if they cannot meet the basic test of honesty.”
Lord Mandelson has said he regrets his association with Epstein and denies committing any crime.
Tony Diver’s January 2024 Telegraph investigation stated that the two men had been friends since at least 2002, that Lord Mandelson stayed at Epstein’s New York home while he was imprisoned, that he held a senior role in a charity linked to Ghislaine Maxwell, that he attended a birthday celebration at Epstein’s Paris apartment after prostitution charges were brought, and that Epstein continued referring to him as “Petie” years after his conviction.
Worth reading in full here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2026/02/10/starmer-was-shown-proof-of-mandelson-epstein-friendship/
Read the 2024 article here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/01/10/lord-mandelson-friendship-jeffrey-epstein-keir-starmer/
