Lord Mandelson says he has resigned his membership of the Labour Party as he does not want to “cause further embarrassment” by his links to the late convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
The former cabinet minister, who was sacked as US ambassador last year because of his past connections to Epstein, appeared in the latest release of files by the US Department of Justice on Friday.
Documents suggest Epstein made $75,000 (£55,000) in payments to Lord Mandelson in three separate $25,000 transactions in 2003 and 2004.
In his letter to Labour’s general secretary on Sunday, Lord Mandelson said: “I have been further linked this weekend to the understandable furore surrounding Jeffrey Epstein and I feel regretful and sorry about this.”
He added: “Allegations which I believe to be false that he made financial payments to me 20 years ago, and of which I have no record or recollection, need investigating by me.
“While doing this I do not wish to cause further embarrassment to the Labour Party and I am therefore stepping down from membership of the party.
“I want to take this opportunity to repeat my apology to the women and girls whose voices should have been heard long before now.
“I have dedicated my life to the values and success of the Labour Party and in taking my decision, I believe I am acting in its best interests.”
Earlier on Sunday, Lord Mandelson had said he did not know whether the newly released documents were authentic.
He reiterated his regret for “ever having known Epstein” and for continuing his association following the disgraced financier’s conviction, apologising “unequivocally to the women and girls who suffered”.
His former Labour colleagues have said they approve of Lord Mandelson’s decision to leave the party.
Rachael Maskell, MP for York Central, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that Lord Mandelson should refer himself to the House of Lords Commissioner for Standards, which investigates alleged breaches of the code of conduct.
Jo White, MP for Bassetlaw, said the whole episode regarding Lord Mandelson and the Epstein files had been “excruciating”.
“He’s embarrassed the Labour Party, he’s embarrassed the prime minister and he’s an embarrassment to himself to be honest,” White said.
Gordon McKee, MP for Glasgow South, told BBC Radio 4’s Westminster Hour that Epstein’s victims would be “rightly outraged” by the recent revelations.
A Conservative Party spokesman criticised Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer for “allowing Mandelson to resign from the Labour Party instead of kicking him out”.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch earlier on Sunday had called on the prime minister to suspend Lord Mandelson’s membership and launch an investigation into his ties to Epstein.
Housing Secretary Steve Reed had said the government was not aware of Lord Mandelson’s alleged financial links to Epstein, after being asked about it by Laura Kuenssberg.
Lord Mandelson has a long history with the Labour Party. His grandfather was Herbert Morrison, a cabinet minister in Clement Attlee’s 1945 government, and he began working for Labour in the 1980s.
Lord Mandelson has been on a leave of absence from the House of Lords since he was appointed UK ambassador to the US and would have to give three months’ notice that he intends to return.
He would automatically retire from the Lords at the end of the next parliamentary session, which begins in May, if he does not apply for another leave of absence nor come to parliament to swear an oath to the King.
With regards to his peerage, the government would have to propose and pass a piece of legislation specifically to remove this – which some want to happen.
Emails revealed he had been in contact with Epstein after the US financier’s 2008 conviction, sending a string of supportive messages.
Epstein’s 2008 conviction was part of a plea bargain he reached in Florida. He was sentenced to 18 months in prison after pleading guilty to two charges, including soliciting girls as young as 14 for prostitution.
In 2019, Epstein died in a New York prison cell while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
The latest documents were released by the US Department of Justice as part of millions of new files related to Epstein – the largest batch since a law mandated their release last year.
The included bank statements, first reported by the Financial Times, appear to show three separate payments referencing Lord Mandelson, who was Labour MP for Hartlepool at the time, being sent from Epstein’s JP Morgan bank accounts.
The first, dated 14 May 2003, shows a payment was sent to a Barclays bank account where Reinaldo Avila da Silva – Lord Mandelson’s partner at the time – is named as “A/C”, typically an abbreviation for account.
In that payment, a “Peter Mandelson” is named on the account as “BEN”, which is often an abbreviation for beneficiary.
The second and third payments of $25,000 were made to HSBC accounts only days apart in June 2004. In both, “Peter Mandelson” is the only person named, again as “BEN”.
It is unclear if the three payments ever made it into any of the named accounts.
Images of the former UK ambassador to the US in his underwear have also been uncovered in the latest tranche of Epstein files.
In a redacted picture, he is seen standing next to a female, whose face is not visible.
Lord Mandelson has said he “cannot place the location or the woman and I cannot think what the circumstances were”.
It is not known when or where the images of Lord Mandelson and the female were taken.
Being named or pictured in the files is not an indication of wrongdoing.
Meanwhile, emails in the files released on Friday also show Lord Mandelson tried to change government policy on a planned tax on bankers’ bonuses, following requests from Epstein.
“Trying hard to amend,” Lord Mandelson wrote to Epstein in December 2009. “Treasury digging in but I am on [the] case.”
At the time Lord Mandelson was business secretary in Gordon Brown’s government.
Lord Mandelson has told the BBC that every UK and international bank was making the same argument about the impact on UK financial services, adding: “My conversations in government at the time reflected the views of the sector as a whole not a single individual.”
Maskell said there were questions about whether Lord Mandelson broke the ministerial code and that it was “deeply concerning” to know that “somebody in such a powerful position” was trying to “lobby for favours for friends”.
The documents coming out about Mandelson are not good. Like the ex prince now hiding away in a grace and favour house both have big questions to answer.
Epstein and his madam Maxwell ran a sex for the rich and influential and one is now dead with the other languishing in jail. But the victims need justice. And for that reason both Mandelson and the ex prince Andrew should be forced to go to the US to answer questions.
That the government and the Prime Minister are not acceding to senate requests is a shame on their office. Starmer appointed Mandelson as ambassador and he knows I am sure the background to both of these individuals. One law for the rich and influential and another for the ordinary citizens. It’s the wrong message to send from a prime minister whose party is losing support and who is trying to pick up seats in the forthcoming elections. The abuse of young underage girls is alright because that is what the message says.
But I suspect people like the prime minister are oblivious to this message and all I can say is that he and Mandelson are bringing down the good name of candidates and their party going forward.
Not good.
Transpires Police are now investigating evidence that Lord Mandelson when a government minister in 2009 disclosed confidential information about governmental currency bail out to Jeffrey Epstein.
Decent members of tbe cabinet of that time must be appalled to learn of this. Behaviour like this undermines utterly all trust in politicians. The fact that Keir Starmer appointed this guy as US ambassador only a year or so ago raises big big questions.
That Mandelson has resigned his party membership is virtue signalling after being caught and does not undo the damage he has done. Scottish colleagues trying to make progress need this news like a bullet in the back of the head.
Not good, not good at all. But they did call Mandelson the ….” Prince of Darkness “