Palace officials have been ‘dismayed’ by the fact that the Lord Mandelson furore has blown up on the eve of Donald Trump‘s State visit – with King Charles himself said to have complained that it was a ‘distraction’.
Sir Keir Starmer‘s sacking of the Labour peer over his links to Jeffrey Epstein has not only left Britain without an ambassador to Washington at the crucial time, but has also shone an unwelcome spotlight on Prince Andrew’s connections with the convicted paedophile.
Ahead of the US President’s arrival on Tuesday, a diplomatic source said: ‘The Palace has been grumbling about how unhelpful it all is. Charles regards it as an unwelcome distraction.’
As the Government put the finishing touches to preparations for the visit, Downing Street sources claimed that Lord Mandelson was ‘economical with the truth’ when questioned by the Prime Minister about his relationship with Epstein.
Sir Keir was reported to have put three questions to the peer after reading a file about him prepared by the Cabinet Office’s propriety and ethics team before his appointment as ambassador to the US.
Morgan McSweeney, Sir Keir’s chief of staff, is said to have asked Lord Mandelson, on behalf of the PM, why he had continued his friendship with Epstein after the financier was convicted; why he had stayed at one of Epstein’s houses when he was in jail’; and if he was a ‘founding citizen’ of an charity Epstein had backed. The BBC reported that the peer had replied in a manner that was ‘economical with the truth’.
In other developments on Saturday: Sir Keir was battling to contain growing unrest in the Labour Party over his premiership after it was reported that he defended Lord Mandelson in the Commons more than 24 hours after the Government became aware of the contents of incendiary emails from the peer to Epstein.
Palace officials have been ‘dismayed’ by the fact that the Lord Mandelson furore has blown up on the eve of Donald Trump ‘s State visit. Pictured: King Charles and US President Donald Trump in 2019
Lord Mandelson was sacked by Keir Starmer as Britain’s ambassador to the US over his friendship with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein
The holiday snap that triggered his downfall: Lord Mandelson in a fluffy white dressing gown enjoying a chat with ‘best pal’ Epstein
Speculation grew that Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham could re-enter the Commons in a by-election in preparation to succeed Sir Keir as Prime Minister, prompting Reform UK’s Nigel Farage to warn that Mr Burnham risked an ‘epic battle’.
Sources claimed that growing tensions between Sir Keir and under-fire Mr McSweeney had spilled over into a row about the adviser’s failure to ‘protect’ him.
Lord Mandelson was described as ‘a bomb waiting to go off’ by Labour MPs because he feels ‘hung out to dry’ by the PM.
It was revealed that because the peer was sacked from the £200,000-a-year job, rather than tendering his resignation, he could be in line for a six-figure taxpayer-funded payout.
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch yesterday stepped up the pressure on Sir Keir by accusing him of ‘lying to the whole country’ about his knowledge of Lord Mandelson’s involvement with Epstein.
She said the PM had ‘very serious questions to answer’ about who knew what and when over the affair and accused Sir Keir of misleading the Commons – a charge which, if proven, usually results in a minister’s dismissal.
