Epstein survivor condemns Keir Starmer for appointing Mandelson – and claims PM is shunning paedophile financer’s victims

A survivor of Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse has lashed out at Keir Starmer over his decision to appoint Peter Mandelson as US ambassador.

In a dramatic intervention, MPs heard a statement from US survivor Lisa Phillips in which she said the Prime Minister had not listened to those who suffered at the hands of Epstein.

Ms Phillips, who was assaulted by Epstein when she was 21 and was subsequently trafficked for years, challenged Sir Keir to agree to a public inquiry into the activities of Epstein, his associate Ghislaine Maxwell and others who ‘enabled or protected’ his crimes.

The former model said: ‘As a survivor, I struggle to understand how Prime Minister Keir Starmer appointed Peter Mandelson when his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein has long been publicly known. For survivors, this raises serious questions about whether the lessons of the Epstein scandal have truly been learned.

‘I have repeatedly requested the opportunity to meet the Prime Minister but all of these requests have been ignored. ‘Now must I wait for the next Prime Minister to accept me and my surviving sisters?’

MPs sat silently as his statement was read in the House of Commons by former victims minister Alex Davies-Jones.

Sir Keir issued a public apology to Epstein survivors in February this year, saying: ‘I’m sorry, I’m sorry for what was done to you, I’m sorry that so many people in power let you down. I’m sorry that I believed Mandelson’s lies and appointed him, and I’m sorry that even now you have to watch this story publicly once again.

But Ms Phillips rejected his remarks, telling Sir Keir directly: ‘With all due respect, your apology means little without meaningful action.’

Prime Minister appoints Lord Mandelson despite warnings over his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein

He said ‘many’ of Epstein’s British victims went to police but were ‘deprived of the answers and accountability they deserve’.

Ms Davies-Jones was one of a handful of ministers who left the government last month to call on Sir Keir to set a timetable for his resignation.

Mandelson said he was “deeply frustrated” by revelations in his files that showed ministers had sought to engage with tech billionaires such as Elon Musk, while at the same time he and others had been “ignored, sidelined or dismissed” as they pressed for “stronger action against online harm”.

‘The government’s role should not be to seek approval from the world’s most powerful technology companies,’ he said. ‘We must stand behind the people we send here to serve.

‘When people look at these statements, they see a government more interested in improving relations with tech elites than listening to warnings about the harms women, girls and young people experience every day.’

Ms Davies-Jones also criticized Sir Keir and other senior ministers using the disappearing message function on their phones to automatically delete messages with Lord Mandelson. The decision left major gaps in the material published this week in response to parliamentary requests for all records relating to Lord Mandelson’s appointment.

Ms Davies-Jones said: ‘The public has the right to ask how confidence in transparency can be maintained when disappearing messages are being used at the highest levels of government.’

The Prime Minister’s chief secretary, Darren Jones, later offered to arrange a meeting with Ms Phillips and said ministers were determined to remember the ‘sad’ suffering experienced by Epstein’s victims.

Downing Street confirmed Sir Keir was using disappearing messages but refused to say how long he had been using the function or why he decided to turn it on.

No 10 claimed it was complying with Cabinet Office guidance stating that ministers must ensure their use of disappearing messages ‘does not affect your record-keeping or transparency responsibilities’.