Diplomat who stood in for Lord Mandelson in Washington suddenly steps down

A diplomat who stood in for Lord Peter Mandelson in Washington after he was sacked has abruptly stepped down.

James Roscoe, 49, replaced Mandelson for several months after the latter was removed from his post over links with the late convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

Staff at the British embassy in the US capital were reportedly told of the decision but were not offered any explanation for Mr Roscoe’s sudden departure.

Stopping short of offering a reason for the change, a Foreign Office spokesperson said: ‘James Roscoe has left his post.’

Employees are expected to find out the reason Mr Roscoe has left later today.

It is understood Mr Roscoe is now facing questions over a leak of classified information relating to the Iran war, though it has not been suggested that this is the reason for his departure.

Foreign Office sources have confirmed a number of senior embassy officials are being probed over the breach, The Times reported.

According to the outlet, the breach is said to involve verbatim comments about the conflict made by UK cabinet ministers.

Mr Roscoe was a key diplomat and played a crucial role both in Donald Trump’s state visit to the UK last September and King Charles’ more recent state visit to the US.

It had been suggested he could take the top role of ambassador after stepping in for Mandelson, but the position was ultimately offered to Sir Christian Turner.

During his time in Washington, he was responsible for the day-to-day running of the embassy, and his departure is said to have proven shocking to staff members.

Mandelson was sacked as the UK’s ambassador to the US in September of last year after the true extent of his reportedly close friendship with Epstein was revealed in files released by the US Department of Justice.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer has come under fire for appointing Mandelson in the first place.

Apologising to Epstein’s victims, Starmer said he was ‘sorry for having believed Mandelson’s lies’ and maintained that he had been unaware of Mandelson’s close ties with the late disgraced financier.