SIR Keir Starmer stood by Lord Mandelson despite knowing the ex-US ambassador's emails to Jeffrey Epstein were under investigation.

The PM admitted today that he had been informed of a Foreign Office inquiry into a trove of correspondence between the Labour peer and the convicted paedophile .

But he didn't ask for details about the content of the emails - and then went on to defend the disgraced top diplomat at PMQs last week.

Sir Keir was also aware that further damning revelations were imminent about Lord Mandelson, as the former ambassador had admitted "very embarrassing" messages were bound to emerge.

The admission is set to stoke fury among Sir Keir’s critics and Labour MPs, many of whom have been privately scathing about No.10’s handling of the controversy.

In his first remark

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