U.K. PM admits mistake in appointing Epstein friend as envoy to U.S. but resists calls to resign

Epstein filesU.K. PM admits mistake in appointing Epstein friend as envoy to U.S. but resists calls to resignKeir Starmer said he would have withdrawn the appointment if he'd known Peter Mandelson had failed security checks.Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00Add NBC News to GoogleU.K. releases documents showing PM Starmer knew risk of appointing Epstein’s friend as ambassador 04:03Get more newsLiveonShareAdd NBC News to GoogleApril 20, 2026, 4:14 PM EDTBy The Associated PressLONDON — British Prime Minister Keir Starmer acknowledged Monday that he made the wrong judgment when he picked Jeffrey Epstein 's friend Peter Mandelson as U.K. ambassador to Washington, batting away a barrage of calls to resign over a scandal that has left his leadership teetering.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.Starmer said he would have withdrawn the appointment if he'd known Mandelson had failed security checks, as he tried to explain why Mandelson was given the U.K.'s most important diplomatic post. Starmer placed blame squarely on Foreign Office officials who he said failed to tell him about the security concerns and approved Mandelson's appointment despite them.Starmer told lawmakers in the House of Commons that "I would not have gone ahead with the appointment" had he known the truth. He called it "frankly staggering" that officials didn't tell him about the failed vetting."At the heart of this, there is also a judgment I made that was wrong," Starmer added. "I should not have appointed Peter Mandelson.Peter Mandelson and Jeffrey Epstein in an undated image from his 50th birthday book. via House Oversight Committee"I take responsibility for that decision, and I apologize again to the victims of the pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, who were clearly failed by my decision."Starmer fired Mandelson in September, nine months into the job, when new details emerged about his friendship with Epstein, a convicted...