British Prime Minister Keir Starmer apologised on Thursday to the victims of Jeffrey Epstein, who ran a sex trafficking ring involving minors, over his government’s appointment last year of Peter Mandelson as Britain’s ambassador to the United States.

Starmer made the remarks during an event in East Sussex in southern England, as political pressure mounts over questions surrounding Mandelson’s appointment and the government’s handling of the Epstein case.

“Epstein’s victims lived through trauma that most of us cannot even imagine, and were forced to relive it again and again,” Starmer said.

Starmer’s office did not say whether the government would review the appointment, and there was no immediate comment from Mandelson.