Mandelson stripped of High Steward title

SACKED: Peter Mandelson, left, with Keir Starmer in Washington earlier this year. Picture credit: No 10

By Simon Bristow, Co-Editor

Peter Mandelson has been stripped of his title as High Steward of Hull as the fall-out over his friendship with paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein continues.

Mandelson, a Labour peer, was appointed to the ceremonial role in 2013, but senior figures at Hull City Council called for him to be removed after he was sacked last week by Prime Minister Keir Starmer as UK Ambassador to the US over his connections to Epstein.

A motion moved by city council leader Mike Ross to remove Mandelson from the High Steward post was unanimously passed at a meeting of the authority today.

Councillor Ross, the Liberal Democrat leader of the council, said afterwards: “Peter Mandelson is not good enough to represent our nation, and he’s definitely not good enough to represent the city in any role whatsoever.

“The revelations in recent weeks are shocking, and today we have taken action to remove Mandelson’s link to our great city.

“Keir Starmer’s judgement on this has been deeply wrong from the get-go. His Labour Government has serious questions to answer about what they knew when. They’ve let the country down.”

PAEDOPHILE: Jeffrey Epstein. Picture credit: Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Department

Starmer’s appointment of Mandelson to the top diplomatic role, and his support for him in the Commons just a day before sacking him, has prompted questions about the PM’s judgement.

Mandelson’s friendship with Epstein was public knowledge long before he was posted to Washington, but his position became untenable after emails from Mandelson to Epstein emerged suggesting Epstein’s sentence for soliciting a child for prostitution should be challenged.

Starmer later said he would never have appointed Mandelson as ambassador had he known about the content of the emails at the time.

Mandelson’s sacking presented other challenges for the PM, coming just days before US President Donald Trump’s unprecedented second state visit to the UK. Trump is facing his own questions about his connections to Epstein, both from campaigners and victims of Epstein, and is under pressure to release the so-called Epstein files.

Epstein died in prison in the US in 2019.

Mandelson’s role as High Steward was to promote the city and attract investment. The post will remain vacant until a successor is appointed.