Mandelson Sacking was prompted by content of fresh emails, Starmer says

Keir Starmer has broken his silence on sacking Peter Mandelson over the former US ambassador's close friendship with the financier Jeffrey Epstein.

- Aletha Adu Political correspondent

Amid mounting questions over his political judgment, Starmer was asked why Lord Mandelson was appointed in the first place, given that the Labour peer's friendship with Epstein had long been public knowledge.

The prime minister said: "Had I known then what I know now, I'd have never appointed him."

Starmer backed Mandelson in the Commons on Wednesday but sacked him a day later. He was aware when he stood up at prime minister's questions last week that further revelations were due to be published about Mandelson, because the ambassador had already acknowledged that "very embarrassing" messages would surface.

Starmer knew the Foreign Office had asked Mandelson questions about those emails before PMQs, but has since insisted he did not know about the content of those emails, or Mandelson's response to the official inquiries, until Wednesday night.