Starmer to face questions on Mandelson-Epstein ties at Trump press conference

Keir Starmer is set to face further embarrassment about his decision to appoint Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the United States when he holds a joint press conference with Donald Trump at Chequers this afternoon. Downing Street is braced for a barrage of questions about what he knew about Mandelson's relationship with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

The issue has been intensified by Mr Trump’s own scrutiny over his relationship with Epstein. A Whitehall source said the prime minister does not want to talk about Mandelson at all, let alone Epstein, and everyone is acutely aware that Trump does not want to talk about Epstein either. But there are obviously going to be questions, and answering them without aggravating Trump is a difficult prospect. The whole situation looks very fraught. The prime minister publicly backed Mandelson to stay on, despite his well-known friendship with Epstein, and then sacked him the following day.

The PM tried to move past the controversy in a television interview on Monday, suggesting staff failed to brief him on the extent of Mandelson’s relationship with Epstein, who Mandelson once described as his best pal. He did not fully explain why he did not seek more information after Mandelson publicly warned that there were more very embarrassing details to emerge. He subsequently admitted knowing of the pair’s friendship when he appointed Mandelson last December.

Fresh concerns were raised this week after Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper revealed that the PM announced Mandelson’s appointment before he had been vetted by the security services. Pointing to the government’s handling, Ms Cooper told MPs that the Foreign Office was not asked whether Mandelson was a fit and proper person to serve as ambassador. In a further damaging intervention, Labour peer Lord Glasman said he was told by No 10 to shut up after warning against appointing Mandelson. He recounted that Mandelson’s links with Epstein had been raised with him repeatedly in the United States and described him as the wrong man at the wrong time in the wrong place. Glasman said he was told there was trouble coming and that he should keep quiet, a directive he followed.

Trump has faced his own scrutiny over Epstein for months. Unlike Mandelson, Trump is believed to have severed ties long before Epstein’s 2008 conviction, but critics continue to press the issue. Demonstrators even beamed a photo of Trump with Epstein onto the walls of Windsor Castle as he arrived in the United Kingdom on Tuesday evening, underscoring the ongoing controversy surrounding the two figures.

As Starmer prepares to stand beside Trump at Chequers, observers expect questions about Mandelson’s appointment and Epstein’s influence to dominate the exchange. Downing Street has signaled a desire to keep the focus on policy and the broader U.S.-UK relationship, but the intertwined history surrounding Mandelson and Epstein makes it unlikely that the topic will be fully avoided. The joint appearance comes at a moment of heightened sensitivity for Starmer, who has faced significant political damage tied to his judgment on prominent appointments and the handling of sensitive background information. The outcome of the press conference will likely shape the trajectory of Starmer’s domestic and international diplomacy in the days ahead.