London —

Peter Mandelson was fired as Britain’s ambassador to the United States on Thursday after his ties to the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein became another unwelcome problem for the embattled Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

Mandelson had been under mounting pressure over his relationship with Epstein after US lawmakers on Monday released a “birthday book,” in which Mandelson had penned a handwritten note describing Epstein as “my best pal.”

Despite the revelation, Starmer forcefully defended his ambassador on Wednesday, telling parliament that Mandelson had his “full confidence.”

Hours later, the scandal snowballed after Bloomberg published a trove of emails between Mandelson and Epstein, in which Mandelson expressed support for his friend and offered to discuss his infamous

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