How could Peter Mandelson be appointed ambassador to Washington in 2024, despite known links to the convicted sex offender financier Epstein?
The government in London has promised to release hundreds of thousands of documents about Mandelson, and the first 147 pages have now become public.
It states that Prime Minister Keir Starmer was warned by security advisers before the appointment, not least because of the connections to Epstein. The country's reputation was said to be at risk, among other things, according to the BBC .
Sought close to 7 million
According to the documents, a security adviser also reacted that the appointment "felt stressed out."
The documents also include emails showing that Mandelson tried to arrange a meeting between Epstein and then-Prime Minister Tony Blair in 2002, where Epstein was described as a "friend of" Bill Clinton and close to the Duke of York, then Prince Andrew.
Mandelson also tried, when he was dismissed as ambassador to the US last year, to demand the equivalent of 6.8 million kronor in severance pay. According to Sky News, he received "only" just under a million kronor.
Lord Peter Mandelson, who has held several ministerial posts in Labour-led governments, has been a central player in Labour for decades. Among other things, he laid the foundations of "New Labour" together with Tony Blair and Gordon Brown that led to Blair's landslide victory in 1997.
Leaked bailout package
At the same time, he has had close contacts with Jeffrey Epstein and has faced similar allegations to those involving former Prince Andrew, the Duke of York. According to previously released emails, he is said to have informed Epstein in advance of a bailout package for the euro in 2010.
Mandelson, 72, was arrested in February on suspicion of misconduct in public office but has been released on bail. He has left Labour and his seat in the House of Lords, but has retained the title of Lord - which can only be taken away from him by a decision of Parliament.
Keir Starmer's chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, resigned in February as a direct result of scandals revealed in the Epstein files.
