Starmer did not know depth of Mandelson's ties to Epstein, says Labour minister

Skills Minister Baroness Jacqui Smith told LBC she will not miss Lord Mandelson's abilities in Washington after he was removed from the role of Ambassador to the United States.

Lord Mandelson was sacked last Thursday after emails were published showing he had sent supportive messages to Epstein, even as the paedophile faced jail for sex offences.

Speaking to LBC's Nick Ferrari, Baroness Smith said: "Given what we heard last week about the detail and depth of his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein and the wholly unacceptable things that he said about trying to enable Jeffrey Epstein to get out of the original conviction that he had. I won't miss him."

"And of course, had we known this, he wouldn't have been appointed as our ambassador in the first place," she added.

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Baroness Smith insisted she is confident Sir Keir did not know the necessary background detail prior to Lord Mandelson's appointment.

She said: "When those details, and full details of the emails and the responses from the Ambassador, became available to the Prime Minister on Wednesday afternoon, he quickly made the decision to remove Lord Mandelson as our ambassador."

The Labour peer explained they were aware Lord Mandelson had a friendship with Epstein, but he had been clear he "regretted" it and had apologised.

"What we didn't know was the depth of that relationship, the nature of it, the fact that he was trying to coach Jeffrey Epstein to avoid the consequences of his actions, the impact that that understandably had on the victims of Epstein's terrible crimes," she said.

Emails published last week included passages in which Lord Mandelson had told Epstein to “fight for early release” shortly before he was sentenced to 18 months in prison.

He is also reported to have told Epstein “I think the world of you” the day before the disgraced financier began his sentence for soliciting prostitution from a minor in June 2008.

The siblings of Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre have said Lord Mandelson should never have been appointed UK ambassador to the US.

Ms Giuffre, who died in Western Australia in April aged 41, was one of the most outspoken accusers of convicted sex offenders Epstein and his former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell.

Her brother, Sky Roberts, was asked if Lord Mandelson should have been given the role in February.

Mr Roberts told the BBC: “Absolutely not. He should not have been given the position in the first place.”

Giuffre's sister-in-law Amanda Roberts said: “Why does it take us to have to pull out the skeletons for people to be held accountable?

“Our governments have allowed these people to hold their status and their title without shame, and so part of me is like, we should have done something sooner. He should have never been given that title.”