UK Government Releases More Documents on Mandelson's Ambassador Appointment

The UK government has published another batch of documents relating to the appointment of Peter Mandelson, a friend of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, as the country's ambassador to Washington.

Among the more than 1,000 pages of documents was a note from Mandelson to then UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy before his appointment, saying the government would “never regret” giving him the job.

The former minister was sacked as US ambassador last September when it emerged he had maintained contact with Epstein after the financier’s 2008 conviction for sexual offences.

But the ongoing saga over his appointment has led to questions over Prime Minister Keir Starmer's judgement and leadership, prompting calls for him to resign.

An initial tranche of documents was released in March, which showed Sir Keir was warned of the risks of the appointment, not just from his ties to Epstein but over Lord Mandelson's previous resignations from government and his support for closer ties with China.

The files released on Monday also included emails and text messages between Lord Mandelson and government ministers and advisers.

Police have asked for some documents to be withheld because they formed part of a criminal investigation into Lord Mandelson for alleged misconduct in public office.

The 72-year-old was arrested in February by detectives investigating allegations he passed sensitive government information to Epstein when he was a minister in the UK government a decade and a half ago.

He has been released without bail conditions as the police investigation continues.

Lord Mandelson does not face allegations of sexual misconduct.

Starmer fighting for his job

The UK prime minister's position has weakened further since the furore over Lord Mandelson.

Sir Keir has previously said he was "wrong" to appoint Lord Mandelson and expressed regret but said all proper processes were followed.

He has also criticised officials for failing to tell him that a security vetting body had advised against the appointment.

Last month, Sir Keir faced a new challenge to his leadership after dozens of Labour MPs and politicians called on him to step down after defeats in local elections.

A senior Cabinet minister, Wes Streeting, resigned with the intention of challenging Sir Keir for the Labour leadership.

And the Mayor of Manchester Andy Burnham quit to run for a seat in Parliament in a special by-election later this month and is expected to challenge Sir Keir if he wins.

Health Secretary James Murray said the release of these latest documents marked an “unprecedented” level of transparency from the government.

But Conservative MP Alex Burghart said any attempt to withhold or redact more documents than those requested by police “will be viewed by the House as a contempt of Parliament, and as a cover-up by the British public”.