I pulled Peter Mandelson from role as US ambassador – Yvette Cooper

Yvette Cooper has said she pulled Peter Mandelson from his role as British ambassador to the United States less than a week after being appointed as Foreign Secretary.

Lord Mandelson was sacked on September 11 last year after emails were published that revealed more about his relationship with the paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.

After further information emerged in the months that followed, Lord Mandelson resigned from the Labour Party and then from the House of Lords, and the Metropolitan Police launched an investigation into his actions this week.

MPs approved on Wednesday the release of documents relating to Lord Mandelson’s appointment as the UK’s representative in Washington.

Ms Cooper said on Thursday that Lord Mandelson’s actions were “completely unforgivable” and that it is right that a police investigation has been launched.

She told MPs: “I withdrew Peter Mandelson from his role as ambassador to the United States.

“That was less than a week after being appointed as Foreign Secretary, and I’m clear that his actions were completely unforgivable.

“And given that the heart of what Epstein did was the grave abuse and trafficking of women and girls, that makes this particularly disturbing.

“And I would say something else as well, that I was the chief secretary (to the Treasury) at the height of the financial crisis, when what I saw was everybody busting a gut to rescue the savings and the livelihoods of ordinary people across this country, and the idea that a senior and experienced cabinet minister alongside us could instead be behaving the way that we have seen is truly shocking, and it is right that a police investigation is under way.”

At the time that Lord Mandelson was sacked from his role as ambassador, government sources said Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer took the decision during a meeting with Ms Cooper.

A Foreign Office spokesperson had said: “In light of the additional information in emails written by Peter Mandelson, the Prime Minister has asked the Foreign Secretary to withdraw him as ambassador.”

Ms Cooper’s comments on Thursday came after giving a statement on the war in Sudan, in which she talked about the sexual violence inflicted on women and children caught up in that conflict.

Shadow foreign secretary Dame Priti Patel asked: “How can she come to the House to talk about such barbaric sexual violence against women and girls when the Prime Minister knowingly let his friend and a friend of one of the world’s most notorious paedophiles, Peter Mandelson, into the heart of government and her department?

“Is she not ashamed and concerned that our country’s credibility and record on this issue has now been damaged because of the Government’s poor judgment and the Prime Minister’s judgment in appointing Mandelson, knowing his links to Epstein?

“With Mandelson putting his interests first, has she assessed the damage his actions have caused to the UK’s international and reputational interests, including on our essential work to address the situation in Sudan?

“To her knowledge, did he at any stage mislead our US ally on national security and foreign affairs, on key decisions such as Chagos, which impact our security partnership?

“This morning, and I’m sure she would have seen the reports, that Secretary Rubio warned the Labour Government over the appointment of Lord Mandelson.

“Can she confirm whether she or her predecessor were aware of this?

“The UK’s credibility has been damaged by the Prime Minister and her Government’s appalling judgment, and that is why answers are needed.”

Sir Keir on Thursday apologised to the victims of Epstein, saying he was “sorry for having believed Mandelson’s lies and appointed him” as British ambassador to Washington.