United News of Bangladesh

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday apologised to victims of disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein after acknowledging that he appointed Peter Mandelson as the UK’s ambassador to the United States despite Mandelson’s close ties to Epstein. Starmer said Mandelson had downplayed his relationship with Epstein, presenting him as someone he barely knew. Speaking publicly, the prime minister said he was sorry for having accepted those assurances and for making the appointment on that basis. Mandelson was dismissed from the ambassadorial post in September after emails emerged showing that he had maintained contact with Epstein even after the financier’s 2008 conviction for sex offences involving a minor. Epstein later died in a US jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal charges alleging he sexually abused dozens of girls. Starmer said he had never met Epstein and is not accused of any wrongdoing, but he has faced mounting pressure since new documents shed further light on Mandelson’s relationship with the financier. He said he had been misled about the nature of those ties. While it had long been publicly known that Mandelson and Epstein were acquainted, Starmer said the extent and seriousness of their relationship were not previously understood. British police are now investigating Mandelson over possible misconduct in public office, though he has not been accused of any sexual offences. Recently released documents by the US Department of Justice include material suggesting Mandelson shared sensitive government information with Epstein following the 2008 global financial crisis. The files also contain numerous informal and friendly messages indicating a far closer relationship than Mandelson had earlier acknowledged. The documents further suggest that between 2003 and 2004, Epstein made three payments totalling $75,000 to accounts linked to Mandelson or to his partner, Reinaldo Avila da Silva, who is now his husband. Mandelson, 72, has been a prominent and controversial figure in the Labour Party since the 1990s. He previously resigned twice from senior government roles amid controversies related to money and ethics. He was selected as ambassador to Washington due to his experience in trade, extensive international contacts and reputation as a skilled political operator, qualities seen as useful in dealing with the administration of President Donald Trump. However, critics argue that Mandelson’s links to Epstein made the appointment a serious misjudgment. Labour lawmaker Paula Barker said the episode raised concerns about the prime minister’s judgement and warned that rebuilding trust with the public and within the party would take significant effort.