The claim
“The UK government's No 10 was warned prior to appointing Peter Mandelson as US ambassador about his links to Jeffrey Epstein.”
Our verdict
Mostly True
Multiple sources confirm that warnings about Peter Mandelson's links to Jeffrey Epstein were communicated to No 10 prior to his potential appointment as US ambassador.
What we found
The vetting process flagged these links.
The evidence
2 sources, all background: none settles the claim either way.
- Background
Civil servants in the Government's propriety and ethics department warned the Prime Minister personally that his links to Jeffrey Epstein were a concern before Mandelson's appointment to the UK's top diplomatic role in Washington.
msn.com· No 10 warned about Mandelson's Epstein links - Background
Sir Keir Starmer explicitly asked Lord Mandelson about his links to convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein before deciding to appoint him as the UK's ambassador to the US. These questions came after initial vetting of the peer flagged his relationship with Epstein.
bbc.co.uk· Mandelson questioned on Epstein links before appointment
How we checked
We reviewed 2 relevant sources.
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