Cabinet Minister Heaps Praise On 'Outstanding' Peter Mandelson Despite Sacking Over Epstein Row

Peter Mandelson speaks in front of the painting called Whistlejacket by George Stubbs when he was still UK ambassador to Washington.A cabinet minister has described Peter Mandelson as “outstanding” despite him being sacked over his close links with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.Peter Kyle, an ally of the former UK ambassador to Washington, also defended Keir Starmer’s decision to give him the job in the first place.Mandelson was sacked on Thursday morning following the publication of emails in which he told Epstein “your friends stay with you and love you” even as he was facing child underage sex charges in 2008.On Sky News this morning, business secretary Kyle admitted No.10 knew Mandelson and Epstein had “a strong relationship” before Starmer made him ambassador in February.He said: “We knew that there were risks involved, but his talent led us to believe at the time that the risk was worth it.”Peter Mandelson’s “talent led us to believe at the time that the risk was worth it”Business Sec @peterkyle says the government knew of Mandelson's "strong relationship" with Epstein, but certain emails were "not in reach" during his vettinghttps://t.co/G8gDzyqv3Qpic.twitter.com/Mt7sSfudrR— Sky News (@SkyNews) September 14, 2025Presenter Trevor Phillips asked him: “The prime minister interrogated Lord Mandelson about the relationship with Epstein himself. This is one of the country’s leading barristers. If he couldn’t have actually got the information from Peter Mandelson before the appointment, who could? Who failed here?”Kyle said: “There was a lot of information publicly, we knew there was a relationship, we knew the relationship continued after he had been convicted.“The decision was taken in the national interest to try and use the specific talents that he had, which were singular and outstanding.”Bizarrely, the business secretary went on to claim that “we only knew what the media knew” about Mandelson’s links to Epstein, despite the Labour peer having to go through so-called “deep vetting” before getting the job.Related...Peter Mandelson Has Gone – But Questions About Keir Starmer's Own Future RemainPeter Mandelson Sacked As US Ambassador Over Jeffrey Epstein RowLabour Splits Erupt Over Peter Mandelson As Minister Blasts 'Ridiculous' Peer

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