Sir Keir Starmer sacked his US ambassador Lord Mandelson on Thursday morning - just hours after defending him over his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein in the House of Commons.
Downing Street, The Telegraph reports, claims the decision to sack Mandelson was made "in light of additional information", but that has not stopped criticism of the prime minister for his handling of the situation.
And figures within the Labour party are now raising concerns about Starmer's judgement, with Mandelson representing the second major departure in days, following Angela Rayner's exit amid a stamp duty storm.
The Telegraph also understands that Downing Street had been told about concerns expressed by senior members of Donald Trump’s cabinet about Lord Mandelson’s ties to Epstein.
The Times reports Starmer finally opted to sack Mandelson after reading "reprehensible" emails from Mandelson in which he defended Epstein after his first child sex conviction.
However, it's said Mandelson feels hard done by over his dismissal, with supporters suggesting he had admitted during his vetting that he had continued his association with Epstein for many years.