UK will release files about Mandelson’s ambassador appointment as anger mounts over Epstein

The UK government agreed Wednesday to release documents detailing Peter Mandelson’s appointment as US ambassador, following revelations about his relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Prime Minister Keir Starmer faced intense scrutiny from opposition lawmakers and members of his own Labour Party over the controversial appointment.

During a heated House of Commons session, Starmer admitted he knew about Mandelson’s friendship with Epstein at the time of the appointment but claimed ignorance of the relationship’s extent. “Mandelson betrayed our country, our Parliament and my party,” Starmer said. “I regret appointing him. If I knew then what I know now, he would never have been anywhere near government.”

The controversy erupted after the US Justice Department released documents last week revealing Mandelson maintained contact with Epstein after the financier’s 2008 conviction for sex offenses involving a minor. Epstein died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal charges of sexually abusing dozens of underage girls.

Starmer fired Mandelson, 72, in September after emails surfaced showing their continued friendship following Epstein’s conviction. The decision to appoint Mandelson to Britain’s most important ambassadorial post has raised serious questions about Starmer’s judgment, particularly as the position involves representing UK interests to the Trump administration.

Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch rejected Starmer’s explanation, demanding the release of all communications related to Mandelson’s appointment. “The prime minister is talking about national security. The national security issue was appointing Mandelson in the first place,” she said.

After hours of parliamentary debate, the government conceded to pressure and agreed that the Intelligence and Security Committee—comprised of cross-party parliamentarians—would determine which documents should be published, rather than leaving the decision to a senior civil servant as Starmer had initially proposed. The timeline for the documents’ release remains unclear.

The newly released US government files contain damaging revelations about Mandelson’s conduct. Documents suggest he may have shared sensitive information with Epstein during his time as a government minister approximately 15 years ago. In 2009, Mandelson apparently told Epstein he would lobby government colleagues to reduce a tax on bankers’ bonuses and shared an internal government report discussing potential sales of UK government assets. Evidence suggests he also tipped off Epstein about the European single currency’s imminent bailout in 2010.

Financial impropriety allegations have also emerged, with files indicating Epstein sent three payments totaling $75,000 to accounts linked to Mandelson or his partner Reinaldo Avila da Silva (now his husband) between 2003 and 2004.

The scandal has ended Mandelson’s lengthy political career. He has resigned from the House of Lords and now faces a police investigation for alleged misconduct in public office—an offense carrying a maximum life sentence. London’s Metropolitan Police have urged the government to withhold certain documents that could compromise their investigation.

Starmer announced the government is working on legislation to strip Mandelson of his noble title. He will also be removed from the Privy Council, a committee of senior officials advising King Charles III, for bringing “the reputation of the Privy Council into disrepute.”

The repercussions extend beyond Britain’s borders. The European Union has launched its own investigation into Mandelson’s activities during his tenure as the bloc’s trade commissioner between 2004 and 2008, when the UK was still an EU member.

European Commission spokesperson Balazs Ujvari confirmed the investigation, stating, “We will be assessing if, in light of these newly available documents, there might be breaches of the respective rules with regard to Peter Mandelson. We have rules in place, emanating from the treaty and the code of conduct that commissioners, including former commissioners, have to follow.”

Requests for comment from Mandelson through the House of Lords have not received a response.