London, PM Starmer in the balance: risk of resignation over Mandelson's appointment

Within hours of the publication of the emails, on 11 September 2025, Starmer sacked Mandelson on the spot, recalling him from Washington with immediate effect, and responded to the criticism by stating that the appointment had been in order, all due diligence had been done, but that the former ambassador had lied to him and the government about his relationship with Epstein.

After a few months, during which Mandelson tried to regain visibility and credibility by granting interviews and writing commentary articles on government activities, shocking revelations emerged from new Epstein Files documents released by the US Department of Justice.

The numerous messages in fact show not only that Epstein had made donations of tens of thousands of dollars to Mandelson and his partner, but that the British politician during the financial crisis, when he was de facto deputy prime minister in Gordon Brown's government, had passed on confidential and market-sensitive information to the financier. In 2009 Mandelson had kept Epstein informed in real time about the government's moves in handling the great financial crisis and the privatisations taking place and even the EU's €500 billion bailout plan, giving the financier the opportunity to monetise the news he had received in advance.

The revelations created shock and horror in the political world and the British public. Starmer reacted by asking the police to launch an investigation, as Mandelson appears to be guilty of the offences of abuse of office, misconduct and possibly even bribery and treason.

This was not enough to appease Parliament: all opposition parties, but also numerous Labour MPs, called on Starmer to release all documents relating to Mandelson's appointment as ambassador to Washington as soon as possible.

In Parliament, the PM, under pressure, admitted that at the time of the appointment he knew that Mandelson had continued to associate with Epstein even after his first paedophile conviction - even at the time, the Financial Times had revealed that the former British minister had been a guest at the financier's home in New York when he was in prison.

The authorities are now checking which documents can be published and which must remain confidential for reasons of national security, but all MPs are lobbying for as much transparency as possible as soon as possible.

In the meantime, Starmer's position, accused of a lack of judgement and sensitivity towards Epstein's victims, is very precarious. The premier, already the least popular leader in history according to the polls and criticised for failing to deliver on his campaign promises of economic revival and transparency in politics, may not survive this latest scandal.