Angela Rayner warned Sir Keir Starmer not to appoint Lord Peter Mandelson as US ambassador due to concern over his links to Jeffrey Epstein, it has been reported.
The former deputy prime minister told Sir Keir in 2024 handing the job to Lord Mandelson would be a mistake due to his ties to the paedophile financier, according to reports in The Times.
Sir Keir has apologised for believing Lord Mandelson’s “lies” and vowed to hand over documents related to his vetting to parliament’s intelligence and security committee (ISC).
Former primer minister, Gordon Brown has also spoken out and said he deeply regrets bring Lord Mandelson into office and fears he could have potentially caused “huge commercial damage”.
It comes after the Metropolitan Police searched addresses in Wiltshire and Camden, north London, as part of a misconduct in public office investigation launched into Lord Mandelson.
Officers were seen leaving his London address, carrying boxes on Friday evening. The force said the alleged offences involved a 72-year-old man and confirmed that he had not been arrested.
