UK leader Keir Starmer sacked his ambassador in Washington Peter Mandelson on Thursday following "reprehensible" fresh revelations about the diplomat's friendship with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Dubbed the "Prince of Darkness" during his years as a media spin doctor, Mandelson was twice forced to resign from Tony Blair's Labour government in the late 1990s and early 2000s over allegations of misconduct.

His dismissal as US envoy causes a political and diplomatic headache for the British prime minister as he prepares for next week's visit of US President Donald Trump, who is himself facing questions over his ties to Epstein.

It is the second high-profile departure from the UK government in the past week, after Starmer's former deputy Angela Rayner resigned last Friday for underpaying

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