By Christopher McKeon Pa Political Correspondent,Emma O’neill

Copyright dailyrecord

Sir Keir Starmer is facing mounting pressure to dismiss Lord Peter Mandelson as Britain’s ambassador to the US following revelations about his ties with paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein. On Wednesday, the Prime Minister attempted to defend Lord Mandelson after it was revealed he had penned a birthday message to Epstein in 2003 describing the financier as his “best pal”. During Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday, Sir Keir insisted he retained “confidence” in Lord Mandelson and that “due process was followed” in his appointment. However, he quickly encountered demands to remove the peer amid reports he had backed Epstein whilst the financier faced investigation for sexual crimes. Coverage in both The Sun and Bloomberg exposed emails where Lord Mandelson assured Epstein he was “following you closely and here whenever you need” and advised him to “remember the Art of War” when confronting prosecutors. He allegedly encouraged Epstein to “fight for early release” just before his 18-month prison sentence, and declared “I think the world of you” the day prior to his incarceration. The emergence of correspondence between Lord Mandelson and Epstein sparked demands for the ambassador’s dismissal from politicians across both Conservative and Labour parties. Tory leader Kemi Badenoch branded the disclosures as “sickening” and declared Lord Mandelson’s position “untenable”. Questioning why Sir Keir continued to support him in the Commons, Mrs Badenoch stated: “This is a weak Prime Minister, leading a Government mired in scandal. The public deserves better. “Peter Mandelson needs to be fired now.” Labour backbenchers Richard Burgon and Nadia Whittome echoed her sentiments, demanding that Lord Mandelson be dismissed “immediately”. Both argued that the peer should never have been given his current role, with Ms Whittome adding: “We either stand with victims or we don’t.” The Conservatives also attempted to ramp up the pressure on the Prime Minister by submitting a series of parliamentary questions seeking details about what Lord Mandelson had disclosed regarding his association with Epstein during the vetting process for his diplomatic role. Meanwhile, shadow minister Alicia Kearns urged Foreign Affairs Committee chairwoman and Labour deputy leadership candidate Dame Emily Thornberry to call Lord Mandelson to testify before her committee. Lord Mandelson himself apologised for his connections to Epstein, expressing to The Sun’s Harry Cole Saves The West programme his deep regret for “very, very deeply indeed carrying on” his association with the financier “for far longer than I should have done”. When questioned if he had maintained a business or personal relationship with Epstein after he was charged with criminal offences, Lord Mandelson did not deny having some form of relationship with him, responding: “It was not a business relationship.” Don’t miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond – Sign up to our daily newsletter here. He stated that he “never saw the wrongdoing” or “evidence of criminal activity”, adding he does not believe he is “named in the Epstein files”. Lord Mandelson characterised the words he used in his birthday message as “very embarrassing to see and read”. US lawyer Gloria Allred, who represents more than 20 survivors of Epstein, suggested Lord Mandelson should voluntarily sit for questioning by investigators. In a chat with Times Radio, Ms Allred stated: “If he wants to get serious about this, if he wants to help the survivors, he should sit and allow himself to be questioned. If he has nothing to worry about, why not?”. “What can he do to help the survivors? Is he willing to do it? If not, he should resign. It’s deeds, not words that are important.” Join the Daily Record’s WhatsApp community here and get the latest news sent straight to your messages.