Keir Starmer knew Peter Mandelson had a 'strong relationship' with disgraced paedophile billionaire Jeffrey Epstein but made him US ambassador' anyway because of his 'talents', a senior minister admitted today.
Peter Kyle said that Lord Mandelson's potential ability to handle President Trump meant it was 'worth the risk' of appointing him, despite questions already being raised about his links to child sex abuser Epstein.
The new Business Secretary refused to admit in broadcast interviews that the decision had been a mistake by Sir Keir, amid questions over his judgement.
Labour grandee Lord Mandelson was sacked on Thursday after emails were published showing he sent supportive messages even as Epstein faced jail for sex offences.
Mr Kyle told Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips on Sky News it was not correct that Lord Mandelson was appointed ambassador to the US before security checks were completed.
But he added that there had also been an additional 'political process', saying: 'Both of these things turned up information that was already public and a decision was made that based on Peter's singular talents in this area, that the risk of appointing knowing what was already public was worth the risk.
'Now of course we have seen the emails which were not published at the time, were not public and not even known about, and that has changed the situation.'
Peter Kyle said that Lord Mandelson's potential ability to handle President Trump meant it was 'worth the risk' of appointing him, despite questions already being raised about his linked to child sex abuser Epstein.
Mr Kyle told Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips on Sky News it was not correct that Lord Mandelson was appointed ambassador to the US before security checks were completed.
Labour grandee Lord Mandelson was sacked on Thursday after emails were published showing he sent supportive messages even as Epstein faced jail for sex offences.
At the same time the siblings of Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre said Mandelson should 'absolutely not' have been appointed UK ambassador to the US in the first place.
Asked on Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg if Lord Mandelson should have been given the Cabinet role, Giuffre's brother Sky Roberts said: 'Absolutely not. He should not have been given the position in the first place.'
Giuffre's sister-in-law, Amanda Roberts, added: 'Why does it take us to have to pull out the skeletons for people to be held accountable?
'Our governments have allowed these people to hold their status and their title without shame, and so part of me is like, we should have done something sooner. He should have never been given that title.'
Some Labour MPs fear the stories that have appeared since Lord Mandelson's sacking hint at the danger he could pose to the Prime Minister.
A report in Saturday's Times stating that Downing Street was already aware of damning emails between the peer and convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein when Sir Keir Starmer stood up in the Commons to express his 'full confidence' in Lord Mandelson bore all the hallmarks of his 'allies'.
Despite the embarrassingly gushing content of the messages to his 'best pal', in which he expressed his love and support for Epstein and urged him to apply for early release after his conviction for child sex offences, Lord Mandelson is said to feel 'hung out to dry' by the PM - a dangerous state of mind given how deeply embedded he was in Sir Keir's inner circle and how privy he was to confidential information.
'He must know enough to bring down Keir if he wanted to,' said one MP.
Lord Mandelson refused to resign and remains on the government payroll, meaning he could be in line for a six-figure taxpayer-funded payout for his dismissal from the £200,000-a-year job as ambassador to the US.
Sir Keir did not speak to Lord Mandelson before his dismissal - just 24 hours after backing him in the Commons. The speed with which events moved meant that employment law does not appear to have been followed.
The Government could have to prove that the former ambassador materially misled ministers and officials about his relationship with Epstein if they wanted to avoid paying him compensation.
The Foreign Office was sent details of the cache of emails early on Tuesday, more than 30 hours before they were published by Bloomberg and 24 hours before the Prime Minister gave Lord Mandelson his support in Parliament.