The United Kingdom dismiss the ambassador to us on the relationship with Epstein – IJR

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer dismissed Peter Mandelson on Thursday, the country’s ambassador to Washington, after a email treasure revealed the extent of Mandelson’s bonds with the sex offender who was behind Jeffrey Epstein.

Mandelson had taken the growing fire after the release of Epstein’s so-called “birthday book”. The 238 -page collection, assembled by the former Epstein partner, Ghislaine Maxwell, in 2003, included a handwritten note in which Mandelson described Epstein as his “best friend”.

Starmer initially defended Mandelson, saying Wednesday in Parliament that the ambassador always had his “confidence”, according to the BBC. A few hours later, however, Bloomberg News published emails showing the continuous support of Mandelson to Epstein even after his conviction in 2008 for having requested sexual relations of a minor.

“I think the world of you and I feel desperate and furious at what happened,” Mandelson would have written in an e-mail in Epstein the day before his prison in June 2008, according to Bloomberg. “I can still hardly understand it. It just couldn’t happen in Britain. ”

The foreign office, Commonwealth and Development quickly announced the withdrawal of Mandelson after the publication of emails.

“E -mails show that the depth and extent of Peter Mandelson’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein are materially different from those known at the time of his appointment,” the office said in a statement. “In the light of this, and aware of the victims of Epstein’s crimes, he was withdrawn as an ambassador with immediate effect.”

“In particular, Peter Mandelson’s suggestion that Jeffrey Epstein’s first conviction has been unjustified and should be disputed is new information,” added the office.

Mandelson said the messages he had written in Epstein’s “birthday book” were “very embarrassing” in an interview with The Sun on Wednesday.

“I regret very much that I fell into his lies. I fell and I accepted insurance that he had given me on his indictment, his original criminal case in Florida,” Mandelson told the point of sale.

Mandelson has already been forced to leave a high operation in the middle of the scandal several times. He resigned from his post as Secretary of Commerce and Industry in 1998 for having omitted to declare a mortgage which he obtained from a rich colleague. In 2001, he was again forced to resign as secretary of Northern Ireland following allegations according to which he used his position to influence a request for British citizenship from a rich businessman.