UK: Starmer rules out resignation after appointing ambassador with links to Epstein
The prime minister appeared in Parliament to say he will remain in office despite calls for his resignation from opposition leaders.
Peter Mandelson and Keir Starmer, February 2025.
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer ruled out resigning after the controversy sparked by the appointment of an ambassador who is linked to the Jeffrey Epstein sex offender case.
"Nothing will divert me from my mission in the service of our country," Starmer said during an appearance in Parliament. Opposition leaders have called for the prime minister's resignation on several occasions due to this controversy.
At the end of 2024, Starmer appointed Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the United States. He had previously held several high-profile positions in the U.K. government.
Months later, in September 2025, Mandelson was removed from office after it came to light that his name was in the Epstein files. They contained several emails the British official sent in 2008 to the late sex offender to thank him for his solidarity and support.
"I think the world of you, and I feel hopeless and furious about what has happened," Mandelson wrote in one of the emails he sent to Epstein.
In February this year, British authorities arrested Mandelson on charges of misconduct in public office in connection with the Epstein case.
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