London (CNN) — 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 ,” compiled for Epstein’s 50th birthday in 2003, in which the veteran Labour party politician 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 wh

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