Britain sacks its ambassador to U.S. over Epstein ties

Britain’s ambassador to the United States, Peter Mandelson, was fired after recent disclosures of his close friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, British Minister of State Stephen Doughty said on Thursday.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer asked his foreign secretary to dismiss Mandelson a day after Bloomberg published emails the ambassador sent to Epstein. Starmer was previously unaware of the depth of Mandelson’s relationship with Epstein, Doughty said.

Mandelson stayed at Epstein’s house while the wealthy hedge fund manager was in prison for a child prostitution conviction, according to records of Parliament members’ discussion of the emails. He also suggested that Epstein’s conviction was wrong and told him to fight for an early release, they said.

How did Mandelson respond to the situation? He relied on assurances of Epstein’s innocence that later proved false, according to the BBC. He regretted his relationship with Epstein, he said.

Who will replace Mandelson? James Roscoe, former deputy head of mission at Britain’s Washington embassy, took over as interim ambassador, according to a government website. Doughty didn’t name a candidate to officially replace Mandelson on Thursday, but said Britain’s U.S. embassy had a great diplomatic team. U.S. President Donald Trump is set to make a state visit to Britain next week.

Dig deeper: Read my report on the House Oversight Committee’s release of Epstein-related documents and a birthday book compiled for him.