- Sir Keir Starmer is facing renewed scrutiny over his judgment after documents revealed he was warned about Lord Peter Mandelson's "close ties" to Jeffrey Epstein before appointing him as US ambassador.
- The files indicate that Starmer ignored these warnings, despite concerns raised by senior officials and the National Security Agency about the "reputational risk" associated with the appointment.
- Lord Mandelson was sacked from the ambassadorial role and received a £75,000 taxpayer-funded payout, which was agreed to avoid a protracted legal challenge, after he had initially sought over £500,000.
- Among the revelations, it emerged that Lord Mandelson was a "founding citizen" of an ocean conservation group established by Ghislaine Maxwell and funded by Epstein.
- Opposition parties have criticised Starmer's decision and called for Lord Mandelson to return the payout, while a second, potentially more damaging batch of papers is expected to be released pending a police investigation.
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