PM ‘sorry for believing Mandelson’s lies’ as he apologises to Epstein’s victims

Sir Keir Starmer has apologised to the victims of Jeffrey Epstein, saying he is “sorry for having believed Mandelson’s lies and appointed him” British ambassador to Washington, as he seeks to weather the crisis.

The Prime Minister insisted that “none of us knew the depth of the darkness” of Lord Peter Mandelson’s relationship with the convicted sex offender when he was picked for the role.

Amid growing uncertainty about his political future, Sir Keir said he shared the “anger and frustration” of colleagues about the saga but vowed to continue as Prime Minister.

He struck a defiant tone amid pressure from Labour MPs furious about his decision to hand the peer the top diplomatic job, saying: “I was elected on a mandate in 2024 to change the country for the better” and “that’s what I intend to do”.

He is facing calls from within Labour ranks for a “total overhaul of personnel” in Downing Street and to admit he made a “catastrophic error of political and moral judgment”.

Sir Keir addressed the scandal at the start of a speech on the Government’s community regeneration programme in Hastings on Thursday, and was grilled about his position after a torrid week in which more revelations about Lord Mandelson emerged in the latest tranche of the so-called Epstein files released by US authorities.

“It has been publicly known for some time that Mandelson knew Epstein, but none of us knew the depth of the darkness of that relationship,” he said.

Sir Keir said Lord Mandelson was “asked directly” about the nature of his relationship with the paedophile, whether he had stayed with Epstein after his conviction, and whether he had accepted gifts from the financier.

The Prime Minister continued: “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.”

The Prime Minister then apologised to Epstein’s victims. He said: “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.

“But I also want to say this: in this country, we will not look away, we will not shrug our shoulders, and we will not allow the powerful to treat justice as optional.

“We will pursue the truth. We will uphold the integrity of public life, and we will do everything within our power and in the interests of justice to ensure accountability is delivered.

“That is what the public expects. That is what the victims deserve, and it is what I will do.”

The Prime Minister was pressed on some of his own MPs publicly saying he should stand down to restore trust in politics.

He said: “I am angry and frustrated like them, because nobody wants to see these deceits in public life. They are angry about his association with Epstein, as am I.”

But asked whether his premiership would survive the storm, he said: “I was elected in on a mandate in 2024 to change the country for the better. That is what we’re doing.”

He said he was frustrated that “tomorrow’s front pages are unlikely to be about the pride in place project” but said “that is the change that will affect millions of lives and I will remain focused on it”.

The Prime Minister also pinned blame on the vetting process carried out independently by the security services after Lord Mandelson’s appointment was cleared.

He said: “I think we need to look at the security vetting, because it now transpires that what was being said was not true. And had I known then, what I know now, I’d never have appointed him in the first place.”

Officials have been tasked with examining that process as a priority, according to Downing Street.

There have been calls by backbenchers for the removal of Sir Keir and his chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, whom many blame for his ally Lord Mandelson’s appointment to the ambassadorship.

Labour pressure group Mainstream called for a “total overhaul of personnel, of process and of the rotten priorities that brought us here”.

“Everyone who participated in this process – from those who championed the appointment, to those who turned a blind eye, to those who silenced doubts in the name of political convenience – must be held to account,” the group said.

The Prime Minister retains “full confidence” in his right-hand man, his official spokesman told reporters.

One Labour MP told the Press Association that WhatsApp chats among backbenchers that are usually animated have gone “eerily quiet”, and that the mood is “sombre” and suggested this could signal plotting behind the scenes.

They said Mr McSweeney has “got to go”, and they were “really disappointed” that he has not already been fired.

Jonathan Hinder told the BBC the Prime Minister should acknowledge that he “cocked up” by appointing Lord Mandelson despite the information available at the time.

The Labour backbencher said Sir Keir “took the right tone this morning, but what needs to be acknowledged is that this was a catastrophic error of political and moral judgment, and I don’t think that has been addressed yet”.

There was also anger about Downing Street’s attempt to control the release of potentially explosive documents providing insight into how the decision was made, leading to the Government backing down and ceding control to Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) to decide what could be released into the public domain.

The release could be delayed because the Metropolitan Police has asked the Government not to publish documents that would “undermine” the investigation into allegations the peer passed confidential government information to Epstein in 2009, while he was business secretary in Gordon Brown’s government.

No 10 has “begun discussions with the ISC about the process for releasing these documents” and will update Parliament once it has been agreed, the Prime Minister’s spokesman said. It appears unlikely papers will be released this week.

Labour MP Simon Opher welcomed the independent body’s oversight of the publication as he said Labour “promised to put trust back into politics after years of Tory sleaze – not perpetuate it”.

Opposition parties called for a no-confidence vote in the Prime Minister.

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch told a Westminster press conference: “He will have to be dragged out of Number 10, so I am making them an offer.

“If they want the change they know the country needs, come and speak to my whips and let’s talk seriously about a vote of no confidence to force the moment.”

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said: “Let’s have a confidence vote now to see whether Labour MPs have any confidence in the Prime Minister, so the Government can get past this one way or the other and start focusing on the change our country needs.”

And Nigel Farage described the Prime Minister’s apology as “very weak” and “not quite believable”.

The Reform UK leader said: “This is the biggest scandal for 100 years. This is way bigger than the Profumo affair back in the early 60s. This is sex, money, corruption, the use of confidential information.”