Mandelson saga and Epstein links cast shadow over Trump's UK trip

When Donald Trump touches down on UK soil in Air Force One on Tuesday, a two-day period of peril for the US president and British prime minister Keir Starmer will begin.

- Catherine Neilan London Hugh Tomlinson Washington

What had been anticipated as a chance for the Labour government to woo the mercurial leader of the free world on vital topics, from trade and investment to Ukraine, is now viewed with dread on both sides of the Atlantic.

After a week in which Peter Mandelson was forced out of his role as the UK’s ambassador to the US over a cache of leaked emails revealing his sympathies for convicted child sexual abuse offender Jeffrey Epstein, Washington and London still fear more repercussions. For those in the White House, the potential for the scandal to engulf Trump is particularly acute. And, just like many back in Westminster, the saga is making them question Starmer’s judgment.

Despite early misgivings - one of Trump’s election campaign advisers called Lord Mandelson “an absolute moron” - and a reluctance to part with his well-respected predecessor Karen Pierce, Mandelson had won over many sceptics in the administration. Trump even signed a “Great job!” card for the ambassador after an Oval Office photo-op. But now those around Trump are asking why he was sent to the US at all. “This makes you guys look really, really bad,” said one White House source to The Observer.