In brief
Sir Keir Starmer has issued an apology to the victims of Jeffrey Epstein, acknowledging the pain caused by his past dealings and the allegations surrounding Lord Mandelson's role as former US ambassador. Amid rising tensions within his party, Starmer's address comes as he faces increasing scrutiny and calls for accountability from various political factions.
Sir Keir Starmer has apologised to the victims of Jeffrey Epstein for believing Lord Mandelson's lies and appointing him as the UK's ambassador to the US. The prime minister began a planned speech on funding to improve local communities by addressing the growing anger over how he had dealt with the issue. While he acknowledged it had been publicly known for some time that Lord Mandelson knew Epstein, he stated: None of us knew the depths and the darkness of that relationship.However, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has claimed that the PM's position is untenable, while the Liberal Democrats called for a confidence vote to gauge Labour MPs' support for him. Starmer is currently facing pressure from some of his own MPs to resign, with concerns being raised privately among other members of the party.Starmer, in a heartfelt part of his speech, expressed: I am sorry, sorry for what was done to you, sorry that so many people with power failed you. Sorry for having believed Mandelson's lies and appointed him and sorry that even now you're forced to watch this story unfold in public once again.The prime minister assured that files would be released to substantiate his claims about Mandelson's deception regarding his ties to Epstein, following pressure from Labour backbenchers after the government initially aimed to withhold sensitive materials. As the dissatisfaction within the Labour ranks grows, Starmer insists he remains focused on the mandate he received in 2024 to lead the country toward positive change.
