The Labour aide who signed off Lord Mandelson’s US ambassador role was later forced out of the Party over his own links to a paedophile, it has emerged.
Yesterday, files released by the Government showed Prime Minister Keir Starmer had taken a minimal role in the appointment of Peter Mandelson as the UK’s ambassador to the US – not even speaking to Mandelson personally before giving him the job.
This despite being presented with evidence that the New Labour architect’s friendship with paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein continued after he was jailed, and warnings from senior officials.
Now it has been revealed that the person who did sign off Mandelson’s influential position was none other than Lord Doyle – Sir Keir Starmer’s former communications director who was suspended from the Labour Party under investigation last month, after it emerged he campaigned on behalf of a child sex offender.
The peer, who was close to Lord Mandelson for over two decades, approved Mandelson’s controversial appointment, the Telegraph reported.
The news threatens to undermine the Prime Minister, who has repeatedly claimed Lord Mandelson lied to No 10 about his links to Epstein, and said he was not aware of his full relationship to the paedophile.
Lord Doyle, one of Sir Keir’s most senior aides at the time, is also being asked to address questions about Mandelson’s relationship with Epstein during the vetting process.
Last night, Tory leader Kemi Badenoch accused the Prime Minister of a ‘dereliction of duty’, after No 10 admitted he did not speak to Peter Mandelson before making him US ambassador.
Sir Keir with Mandelson during a welcome reception at the US ambassador’s residence on February 26, 2025 in Washington DC. It emerged this week that Sir Keir Starmer did not personally speak to Mandelson before his appointment
Lord Doyle (pictured) is currently under investigation by the Labour Party over his own links to a paedophile
Downing Street said there was ‘no requirement’ for the PM to interview the disgraced peer before handing him the most high-profile and sensitive post in the diplomatic service.
Kemi Badenoch said on Friday: ‘The fact Keir Starmer did not even meet with Peter Mandelson before appointing him as Britain’s ambassador to Washington is a total dereliction of duty.
‘Starmer likes to tell everyone how much of a hot-shot lawyer he was, yet he was handed a dossier clearly showing Mandelson’s close links to Epstein and didn’t even bother to interrogate the man he was about to appoint to high office.
‘These latest releases show yet again the appalling judgment of this weak, distracted Prime Minister. The country deserves so much better.’
Documents made public this week reveal that the Prime Minister was warned in writing that Mandelson’s ‘particularly close’ friendship with Epstein continued for years after the financier’s conviction for child-sex offences in 2008.
But despite this, Sir Keir allowed Lord Doyle and Morgan McSweeney, the Prime Minister’s then-chief of staff, to handle the process in Downing Street instead.
Mr McSweeney resigned last month over his role in the appointment.
Mr McSweeney stated that he asked Mandelson just three questions as part of the vetting process.
Mandelson was asked to explain why he had stayed in touch with Epstein after the New York financier’s conviction for sex offences in 2008, why he had stayed at one of Epstein’s homes, and why he had associated with a charity founded by Ghislaine Maxwell – who is currently jailed for child sex trafficking.
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said on Friday: ‘The fact Keir Starmer did not even meet with Peter Mandelson before appointing him as Britain’s ambassador to Washington is a total dereliction of duty’
A sensational new photo also emerged on Friday of what is thought to have been Peter Mandelson’s first meeting with Jeffrey Epstein. The former peer and disgraced former prince Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor were both pictured in bathrobes next to the paedophile financier
But both men are known to be proteges of Mandelson. Former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith said it was ‘an absolute absurdity’ to leave the scrutiny of Mandelson’s links to Epstein to two of his friends.
There is no evidence that Sir Keir asked any follow-up questions, despite being told that Mandelson stayed at Epstein’s New York mansion while the paedophile was in prison for soliciting a minor for prostitution.
Asked whether Sir Keir spoke to Mandelson before appointing him to Washington in December 2024, the PM’s spokesman replied: ‘The full process at the time of the appointment was followed. There was no requirement for a formal interview with the PM as part of that process.’
The spokesman added: ‘It is clear there are lessons to be learned from this… shortcomings have been highlighted.’
Sir Keir Starmer has previously said Mandelson lied in his answers and that the further information about their friendship was only revealed months later.
Mandelson denies this and says his responses during the vetting process were honest and not misleading. The exchange between Mr McSweeney and Lord Mandelson has not been made public due to concerns it could be prejudicial to the investigation.
Meanwhile, Lord Doyle, who is currently suspended from the Labour Party under investigation over his links to convicted paedophile Sean Morton, said he was ‘satisfied’ with Mandelson’s responses and approved them. Sir Keir was then advised that the appointment could proceed.
The Mandelson files also revealed Lord Doyle had socialised with Mandelson in December 2024 – the same month his appointment as ambassador was approved. The pair have been friends for decades after serving under Sir Tony Blair’s government.
In the past few years, Lord Doyle has also attended dinners at Global Counsel – Lord Mandelson’s now-closed lobbying firm.
In March last year, Lord Doyle resigned from his Downing Street role following criticism of the Government’s communications strategy.
He was made a life peer in December, but was later forced to resign from the Labour Party whip over his links to Sean Morton – a former Scottish Labour councillor who admitted possessing indecent images of children in 2018 and was later convicted.
Doyle apologised ‘unreservedly’ for campaigning in support of Morton after he was charged, saying Morton was maintaining his innocence at the time.
Sir Keir was criticised for granting Lord Doyle a peerage even though Downing Street had been aware of his connection to Morton. A No 10 investigation into the issue was signed off by Tim Allan, Lord Doyle’s successor as communications director, instead of civil servants.
Tory frontbencher Alex Burghart has already written to the PM’s standards adviser, Sir Laurie Magnus, asking him to investigate whether Sir Keir misled Parliament in making the claim to MPs.
Sir Keir told MPs last month that Lord Doyle ‘did not give a full account’ of his association with Morton to Mr Allan, in what some have called a similar response to his answer over Mandelson’s vetting.
But Sir Laurie last night rejected the calls, saying he was satisfied that the ‘relevant process’ had been followed. The first batch of the Mandelson files, released this week, showed that national security adviser Jonathan Powell advised against the appointment and complained that it was ‘weirdly rushed’.
Tory justice spokesman Nick Timothy said: ‘Keir Starmer told Parliament he had followed ‘full due process’ when he appointed Mandelson. It’s now beyond clear that this wasn’t true.’
The Prime Minister has also previously said a police investigation into Lord Mandelson prevented the Government from releasing further details, including his full responses to the Epstein questions.
Lord Mandelson is under investigation after emails appeared to show he shared confidential information about Gordon Brown’s government with Epstein. He denies any wrongdoing.
The news of Sir Keir Starmer not personally meeting with Mandelson before his appointment followed the bombshell release of a sensational new photo that was revealed in the Epstein files this week.
The photo appeared to show what is thought to have been Mandelson’s first meeting with Jeffrey Epstein, alongside disgraced former prince Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.
The image, believed to have been taken in the US at the turn of the century, shows a smiling Mandelson and Mr Mountbatten-Windsor sitting barefoot and dressed in bathrobes at a table with Epstein.
Labour is also facing allegations of a ‘cover-up’, with Mrs Badenoch claiming that key files setting out the PM’s thinking are ‘missing’ or have ‘been removed’.
The files include the ‘due diligence’ document sent to Sir Keir which sets out Mandelson’s links to Epstein, plus accounts of his two previous Cabinet resignations and details of his business links to China and Russia.
But the space where the PM’s comments and instructions should be recorded is blank.
In a letter to the PM’s chief secretary Darren Jones, Mr Burghart set out a list of 56 files that appeared to be missing. Mr Burghart said the documents were ‘relevant to the Prime
Minister’s decision-making’ and said failure to provide them to Parliament could be a breach of the ministerial code.
Downing Street has denied claims of a cover-up. But the PM’s spokesman yesterday refused to say whether Sir Keir and key aides communicated through personal email accounts and phones to avoid their conversations being released.
