Lord Peter Mandelson is seeking to avoid “further embarrassment” after documents suggested that the late child sex offender sent him $75,000
Former British ambassador to the US Lord Peter Mandelson has resigned from the Labour Party after newly released US documents revived scrutiny of his relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Mandelson, who was dismissed from his post in Washington last year following revelations about a ten-page “love”letter to his “best pal” Epstein, announced on Sunday that he was stepping down from party membership to avoid causing “further embarrassment.”
In a letter to Labour’s general secretary, Hollie Ridley, Mandelson denied any wrongdoing and said he believed allegations that Epstein made financial payments to him more than 20 years ago were “false,” citing his lack of any record or recollection of receiving the money.
“While investigating these matters, I do not wish to cause further embarrassment to the Labour Party and am therefore stepping down from membership,” he wrote. Mandelson also reiterated an apology to Epstein’s victims, saying their voices “should have been heard long before now.”
The US Department of Justice released a new tranche of documents on Friday under legislation mandating the disclosure of federal records linked to Epstein. The files include bank statements that appear to show three separate payments of $25,000 from Epstein’s JP Morgan accounts to bank accounts linked to Mandelson between 2003 and 2004.
The documents also include emails and photographs involving Mandelson, including redacted images showing him standing beside an unidentified woman. Mandelson said he could not place the location or circumstances in which the images were taken. The Justice Department cautioned that the files were released without context and that being named in them does not automatically imply criminal wrongdoing.
Mandelson was removed from his post as Britain’s ambassador to the United States last year after earlier disclosures revealed continued contact with Epstein following the financier’s 2008 conviction for soliciting a minor. He has previously said he deeply regretted maintaining the relationship and described Epstein as a “charismatic criminal liar.”
The latest revelations, which also include new documents and photographs featuring former Prince Andrew, have triggered renewed political backlash in London. A Conservative Party spokesperson accused Prime Minister Keir Starmer of failing to expel the “completely disgraced” Mandelson sooner. Liberal Democrat and Labour figures have also said Mandelson, Prince Andrew, and anyone with relevant knowledge of Epstein’s activities have a moral obligation to share any information they possess with US authorities.