Overview

• Prime Minister Keir Starmer asked the foreign secretary to withdraw Mandelson, and the Foreign Office confirmed his removal with immediate effect in a Commons statement.
• Officials said the correspondence changed their understanding of the depth and extent of Mandelson’s ties to Jeffrey Epstein at the time of his appointment.
• The Sun published emails in which Mandelson urged Epstein to fight for early release before his 2008 sentence and wrote, "I think the world of you."
• House Oversight Democrats released Epstein’s 2003 50th‑birthday album featuring a note attributed to Mandelson calling Epstein "my best pal."
• The move reverses Starmer’s public backing the previous day and complicates government optics ahead of President Donald Trump’s planned state visit.