Government officials were aware of emails between Lord Mandelson and Jeffrey Epstein when the Prime Minister defended the peer during Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday afternoon, it has been revealed.

Sir Keir Starmer , who picked Mandelson to be the UK’s representative in Washington in February of this year, made the decision to withdraw him after supportive messages sent by the Labour grandee to the convicted sex-trafficker emerged during the week.

On Tuesday, the Foreign Office received a media enquiry outlining details of the messages, which was forwarded to No 10.

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A Government source said Sir Oliver Robbins, the permanent under-secretary at the Foreign Office, asked Lo

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