LONDON, U.K.: Documents released on March 11 have revealed that Prime Minister Keir Starmer was warned of the risks in appointing Peter Mandelson as Britain's ambassador to Washington.

This information was in the first set of documents released by the government about checks done before appointing Mandelson, currently being investigated by police for allegedly leaking documents to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

More than 100 pages of documents show that officials had raised concerns about the "reputational risks" of appointing Mandelson. These concerns were mainly about his friendship with Epstein, but also about his past resignations from government and his support for closer relations with China.

Starmer removed Mandelson from the diplomatic post in September, after more details about his friendship with Epstein became public.

The government agreed to release the documents after pressure from the opposition Conservative Party last month. However, officials said some more sensitive information cannot be released yet because of the ongoing police investigation.

One document from December 4, 2024, said that Mandelson continued his relationship with Epstein even after Epstein was first convicted in 2008 for arranging prostitution involving a minor. The relationship reportedly continued from 2009 to 2011. The document also said Mandelson stayed at Epstein's house in June 2009 while Epstein was in jail.

Another document summarizing a phone call between Starmer's lawyer and national security adviser Jonathan Powell said Powell felt the appointment process was "strangely rushed." Powell also said he had concerns about Mandelson's reputation and shared them with Morgan McSweeney, who was Starmer's chief of staff at the time.

A separate document dated December 11, 2024, said Starmer's communications director was satisfied with Mandelson's answers about his relationship with Epstein.

Even though Starmer said Mandelson misled him about the extent of his ties with Epstein, opposition lawmakers said the documents suggest the prime minister had known about their relationship for some time.

Several lawmakers were also shocked by Mandelson's request for severance pay after his dismissal. He had asked for £547,201 (about US$733,523), but the government gave him £75,000, calling it a "reasonable settlement."

The government said more documents will be released later. Starmer's team believes those documents will show that Mandelson lied about how close he was to Epstein before being appointed ambassador in December 2024.

Documents released by the United States Department of Justice in January included emails suggesting Mandelson may have leaked government documents to Epstein. The files also suggested Epstein recorded payments to Mandelson or to his then-partner, who is now his husband.

Mandelson said he did not remember receiving any payments. He has not publicly responded to the accusations that he leaked documents and did not reply to requests for comment.