Starmer was warned Mandelson was 'particularly close' with Epstein before ambassador appointment

Sir Keir Starmer was warned Peter Mandelson was "particularly close" with Jeffrey Epstein and there was a "general reputational risk" before he appointed him as ambassador to the US.

The government on Wednesday released the first tranche of correspondence and documents relating to Lord Mandelson's appointment and his sacking last year, due to his relationship with the paedophile financier, after the Conservatives demanded it did so. Politics latest: Starmer warned Mandelson was a 'reputational risk' They reveal the prime minister was informed as part of a "due diligence" report that Lord Mandelson appeared to "maintain a particularly close relationship" with Epstein from 2002 and continuing through the 2000s - including after Epstein was first convicted of procuring an underage girl in 2008.

It says Lord Mandelson stayed in Epstein's house while he was in jail in 2009. Mandelson has previously denied any wrongdoing in relation to his relationship with Epstein.

Sir Keir was also informed Lord Mandelson agreed to be a "founding citizen" in 2014 of an ocean conservation group founded by Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's girlfriend, and funded by Epstein. It flagged that all these connections could be a "general reputational risk.