#political-vetting

#political-vetting

Global politics had been turned upside down, he told the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg programme. The relationship between Britain and America was in a perilous state because of the threat of tariffs, what was happening economically, trying to repurpose and rethink the special relationship. Britain needed somebody with outstanding, singular talents, experience which was very hard to come by. And yes, a lot was known about Peter Mandelson's relationship with Epstein. He had apologised for it. And these two things were weighed up.

Keir Starmer is facing serious questions about his political judgment after he was forced to sack his US ambassador Peter Mandelson over his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein. In the second damaging departure for the government in a week, the prime minister withdrew support for Lord Mandelson over emails to Epstein from 2008 suggesting his sentence for soliciting a child for prostitution should be challenged. The scandal comes at a disastrous time for Starmer ahead of Donald Trump's state visit to the UK next week.