U.K. PM admits mistake in appointing Epstein friend envoy to U.S.

Key Points:

• British Prime Minister Keir Starmer admitted he made a wrong judgment in appointing Peter Mandelson, a friend of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, as UK ambassador to Washington, blaming Foreign Office officials for failing to inform him about Mandelson's failed security checks.
• Starmer apologized to Epstein's victims and said he would have withdrawn Mandelson's appointment had he known the truth, but denied misleading Parliament, despite calls for his resignation from opposition parties.
• Mandelson was fired in September after new details about his Epstein friendship emerged, and British police have launched a criminal investigation into Mandelson for suspected misconduct in public office, though he faces no sexual misconduct allegations.
• Starmer dismissed his top Foreign Office civil servant, Olly Robbins, over the scandal, but Robbins' allies claim he could not have shared sensitive vetting issues with the prime minister; Robbins is set to testify to a parliamentary committee.
• The scandal has intensified criticism of Starmer's leadership amid poor poll ratings and upcoming elections, with critics highlighting it as evidence of his poor judgment and repeated policy missteps since taking office.