London, 11 Sept

The UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has fired Peter Mandelson from his role as ambassador to the United States after his connections to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein came under renewed scrutiny, Al Jazeera reported.

Mandelson, a seasoned Labour politician who played a pivotal role in former UK PM Tony Blair's government, had faced questions about his ties to Epstein following the release of a birthday book that featured a letter from Mandelson calling Epstein "my best pal."

The British Foreign Ministry announced on Thursday that, in light of new emails revealing the depth of Mandelson's relationship with Epstein, Prime Minister Starmer had instructed Foreign Secretary James Cleverly to recall him from the post. The emails, according to the government, show a far closer connection than was previously known when Mandelson was appointed as ambassador.

"In light of the additional information in emails written by Peter Mandelson, the prime minister has asked the foreign secretary to withdraw him as ambassador," Britain's foreign ministry said on Thursday.

"The emails show that the depth and extent of Peter Mandelson's relationship with Jeffrey Epstein is materially different from that known at the time of his appointment," the ministry added.

One of the most damning revelations came from a report by The Sun newspaper, which published emails showing Mandelson encouraging Epstein to "fight for early release" just before the financier was sentenced to 18 months in prison in 2008 for soliciting prostitution from a minor, as per Al Jazeera.

In one email, Mandelson told Epstein, "I think the world of you," just before Epstein began his sentence.

The emails were published after the Democrats on the US House Oversight Committee released a 50th birthday album compiled in 2003 for Epstein, who at the time was a wealthy and well-connected financier. In that album, Mandelson called Epstein "my best pal" in a handwritten note, according to Al Jazeera.

The foreign ministry said the revelation of Mandelson's suggestion that Epstein's first conviction was wrongful and should be challenged was "new information."

Earlier, United States President Donald Trump had dismissed demands for transparency in the Jeffrey Epstein case, calling the push for more disclosures a "Democrat hoax," CNN reported.

"It's really a Democrat hoax, because they're trying to get people to talk about something that's totally irrelevant to the success that we have had as a nation since I have been president, said Trump, responding to reporters.

The remarks come as pressure mounts in the US Congress for the release of the full set of Epstein case files.

According to CNN, Epstein survivors have warned they may move to compile their own list of alleged abusers from Epstein's network if the government fails to make the information public.

"It will be done by survivors and for survivors," Lisa Phillips says. "No one else is involved," said Epstein survivor Lisa Phillips, according to US media reports.

Speaker of the United States House of Representatives Mike Johnson has assured that the House Oversight Committee's probe will "uncover things that have never been uncovered before."

However, critics argue the investigation may not bring much beyond what is already available in the public domain, according to CNN.