"Sir Keir Starmer has said he would "never" have appointed Peter Mandelson as his ambassador to the US if he had known the full details of his relationship with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. In his first comments since sacking Lord Mandelson, Sir Keir said the Labour peer went through a proper due diligence process before his appointment, but he added: "Had I known then what I know now, I'd have never appointed him.""
"Sir Keir gave public backing to Lord Mandelson at Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday only to sack him the following day. It came after emails reported by Bloomberg showed supportive messages Lord Mandelson sent to Epstein in 2008 following his guilty plea."
Sir Keir Starmer said he would never have appointed Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the US had he known of his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. Starmer said Mandelson underwent proper due diligence before the appointment. Starmer publicly backed Mandelson at Prime Minister's Questions and then sacked him the next day. Bloomberg reported emails showing supportive messages Mandelson sent to Epstein in 2008 after Epstein pleaded guilty. The emails raised concerns about Mandelson's suitability for the diplomatic role. Starmer said possession of those details at the time would have prevented the appointment.
Read at www.bbc.com
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