A new trove of Mandelson files brings more bad news for Keir Starmer

LONDON (AP) — His poll ratings are dismal and rivals are eyeing his job. Now British Prime Minister Keir Starmer faces more embarrassment on Monday with the publication of hundreds of pages of files about former U.K. ambassador to Washington Peter Mandelson, a friend of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The government complied with a demand by lawmakers to release documents related to Mandelson's appointment to, and conduct in, the U.K.'s most important diplomatic post. Among the more than 1,000 pages of documents is a note from Mandelson to then-Foreign Secretary David Lammy before his appointment pledging the government would "never regret" giving him the job. Mandelson was fired after nine months, and fallout from the misjudged appointment has left Starmer fighting for his job. A first trove of files published in March revealed ministers had been warned that Mandelson's friendship with Epstein exposed the government to "reputational risk." It later was disclosed that Mandelson had been approved for the ambassador's job despite failing security checks, a revelation that sparked bitter blame-trading between Starmer and senior civil servants who oversaw the security vetting. The files released Monday include emails and text messages between Mandelson and government ministers and advisers. Police have asked for some documents to be withheld because they form part of a criminal investigation into Mandelson for alleged misconduct in public office. Mandelson, 72, was briefly arrested in February by detectives investigating allegations he passed sensitive government information to Epstein when he was a minister in the British government a decade and a half ago. He has been released without bail conditions as the police investigation continues. The summary of Mandelson's security vetting is not among the documents released, as it forms part of the police investigation. Some documents have been redacted on national security grounds. Health Secretary James Murray said Monday that the release marked an "unprecedented" level of transparency from the government. "It's right we do that. We have been very clear that the appointment of Mandelson was wrong," he told Sky News. Conservative lawmaker Alex Burghart said any attempt to withhold or redact more documents than those requested by police "will be viewed by the House as a contempt of Parliament, and as a cover-up by the British public." Starmer fired Mandelson in September 2025 after an earlier release of documents showed he had maintained contact with Epstein after the financier's 2008 conviction for sexual offenses involving a minor. Critics say Starmer's decision to appoint Mandelson is evidence of bad judgment by a prime minister who has made repeated missteps since he led the center-left Labour Party to a landslide election victory in July 2024. Details about Mandelson's ties to Epstein, revealed in a huge trove of files published by the U.S. Department of Justice in January, raised new questions about Starmer's judgment, driving opponents and some Labour lawmakers to call for the prime minister's resignation. Those calls intensified after Labour suffered big losses in local elections in May. A senior Cabinet minister, Wes Streeting, resigned with the intention of challenging Starmer for the Labour leadership. Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham is running for a seat in Parliament in a June 18 special election, and also is expected to challenge Starmer if he wins.