“It is granted only to individuals who have rendered eminent services and whose conduct reflects the values and integrity of the borough.

“Recent disclosures have confirmed a longstanding and close relationship between Lord Peter Mandelson and Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted paedophile, which continued after Epstein’s conviction and until his death in 2019.

“Such an association is fundamentally incompatible with the values and dignity of this honour.”

Lord Mandelson represented the constituency from 1992 to 2004, before quitting to become Britain’s European Commissioner.

While the loss of the honour will be felt personally by Lord Mandelson, he still faces widespread calls to quit the House of Lords.

The Government has no ability to force him out of the upper chamber, however.

He was brutally sacked as Washington ambassador last month, with Downing Street claiming the move was “In light of the additional information in emails written by Peter Mandelson” to Mr Epstein.

The emails revealed that Lord Mandelson believed Mr Epstein’s first conviction for child sexual abuse was “wrongful and should be challenged” in the US courts.

Lord Mandelson was hand-picked by Sir Keir to represent the UK in Washington. Usually, an experienced diplomat would get the job, but the Prime Minister picked a Labour politician despite well-known concerns about his relationship with one of the world’s most famous sex offenders.

Sir Keir Starmer said “had I known then what I know now, I’d have never appointed [him]”

“Let me talk this through with you, because it’s important to appreciate what happened when. And I understand that obviously the post, the diplomatic post of American ambassador (is a) really important post.

“And Peter Mandelson, before he was appointed, went through a due diligence process. That’s the propriety and ethics team. He went through a process, and therefore I knew of his association with Epstein.

“But had I known then what I know now, I’d have never appointed him, because what emerged last week were emails, Bloomberg emails which showed that the nature and extent of the relationship that Peter Mandelson had with Epstein was far different to what I had understood to be the position when I appointed him.

“On top of that, what the email showed was he was not only questioning but wanting to challenge the conviction of Epstein at the time that for me, went and cut across the whole approach that I’ve taken on violence against women and girls for many years, and this Government’s approach.

“On top of that, what emerged last week, on Wednesday evening late, were Peter Mandelson’s responses to questions that have been put to him by Government officials. I looked at those responses, and I did not find them at all satisfying.

“And therefore, on the basis of those three things, the nature and extent of the relationship being far different to what I’d understood to be the position at the point of appointment, the questioning and challenging of the conviction, which, as I say, goes to the heart and cuts across what this Government is doing on violence against women and girls and the unsatisfactory nature of responses from Peter Mandelson last week to the inquires made of him by Government officials, I took the decision to remove him.”