Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative rave leader, called the emails “sickening” and said Mandelson’s role was untenable before his sacking.
“This is a weak prime minister, leading a government mired in scandal. The public deserves better,” she said before Mandelson got the boot.
Ed Davey, the Liberal Democrat leader, demanded a civil service inquiry into breaches of the diplomatic code.
Several Labour MPs were privately furious at Starmer’s decision to appoint Mandelson earlier this year despite his known association with Epstein, who was convicted in 2008 and released in 2009.
One MP said Downing Street had treated the scandal as “a silly Internet conspiracy,” while another described it as a “boys’ club mentality.”
Gloria Allred, the U.S. lawyer who represents dozens of Epstein’s victims, said Mandelson should testify before Congress.
“These women deserve answers about how powerful figures enabled Epstein,” she said.
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