Sir Keir Starmer has apologized to the victims of Jeffrey Epstein for believing Lord Mandelson's 'lies' and appointing him as the UK's ambassador to the US. The prime minister began a planned speech on funding to improve local communities by addressing the growing anger over how he had dealt with the issue.
While he acknowledged it had been publicly known for some time that Lord Mandelson knew Epstein, he said: None of us knew the depths and the darkness of that relationship.
However, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said the PM's position was 'untenable', while the Liberal Democrats called for a confidence vote to see if Labour MPs supported him. Starmer is facing calls from some of his own MPs to stand down after Mandelson's association with Epstein came to light.
Sir Keir's former political director Luke Sullivan stated, I don't think you can understate how serious the situation and the peril is that the prime minister finds himself in. Seeking to defuse the row, Starmer expressed regret about his appointment of Mandelson, asking for forgiveness from Epstein's victims. He stated: 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.
Starmer pledged to release files that he believes will prove Mandelson lied during the vetting process for his ambassadorship. The government faced pressure to disclose sensitive documents that could undermine national security or diplomatic relations. Following a Commons vote, it agreed to pass the documents to Parliament's Intelligence and Security Committee.
Starmer's leadership is now under intense scrutiny, with even loyal Labour MPs expressing their frustrations over his decisions. He has shown that his judgement is questionable, remarked MP Paula Barker, while others described Mandelson's appointment as a 'catastrophic error of political and moral judgement.' Amid this controversy, Starmer remains determined to continue his mandate to bring change to the country.
While he acknowledged it had been publicly known for some time that Lord Mandelson knew Epstein, he said: None of us knew the depths and the darkness of that relationship.
However, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said the PM's position was 'untenable', while the Liberal Democrats called for a confidence vote to see if Labour MPs supported him. Starmer is facing calls from some of his own MPs to stand down after Mandelson's association with Epstein came to light.
Sir Keir's former political director Luke Sullivan stated, I don't think you can understate how serious the situation and the peril is that the prime minister finds himself in. Seeking to defuse the row, Starmer expressed regret about his appointment of Mandelson, asking for forgiveness from Epstein's victims. He stated: 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.
Starmer pledged to release files that he believes will prove Mandelson lied during the vetting process for his ambassadorship. The government faced pressure to disclose sensitive documents that could undermine national security or diplomatic relations. Following a Commons vote, it agreed to pass the documents to Parliament's Intelligence and Security Committee.
Starmer's leadership is now under intense scrutiny, with even loyal Labour MPs expressing their frustrations over his decisions. He has shown that his judgement is questionable, remarked MP Paula Barker, while others described Mandelson's appointment as a 'catastrophic error of political and moral judgement.' Amid this controversy, Starmer remains determined to continue his mandate to bring change to the country.
