It added that the correspondence showed "the depth and extent" of Mandelson's ties to Epstein were "materially different from that known at the time of his appointment." The disclosures included emails in which Mandelson expressed sympathy for Epstein and offered to discuss his 2008 Florida case with political contacts. The Foreign Office said Mandelson's suggestion that Epstein's conviction was wrongful constituted "new information." Mandelson's appointment last year was initially seen as a political coup for Starmer. But the scandal has now left Starmer without two senior officials in one week, after Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner resigned Friday over tax issues.