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Lord Mandelson has announced his resignation from the Labour Party, citing a desire to avoid “further embarrassment” due to his connections to the late Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted sex offender.
The former cabinet minister, who was previously removed from his post as UK ambassador to the US last year because of past associations with Epstein, was mentioned in the recent release of documents by the US Department of Justice on Friday.
According to the documents, Epstein reportedly made payments totaling $75,000 (£55,000) to Lord Mandelson in three separate transactions of $25,000 each, dating back to 2003 and 2004.
In his letter of resignation to Labour’s general secretary, Lord Mandelson stated: “I have been further linked this weekend to the understandable furore surrounding Jeffrey Epstein and I feel regretful and sorry about this.”
He further 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 maintained that he had no record or recollection of receiving the payments from Epstein and questioned the authenticity of the documents.
He reiterated his regret for “ever having known Epstein” and for maintaining contact after Epstein’s conviction, offering an “unequivocal apology to the women and girls who suffered”.
Lord Mandelson was appointed as the UK’s ambassador to Washington by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer in December 2024, but was subsequently removed from the role the following September after additional revelations regarding his association with Epstein came to light.
Emails revealed that he had communicated with Epstein after the latter’s 2008 conviction, sending messages of support.
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”.
The time and location of the images featuring Lord Mandelson and the woman remain unknown.
It is important to note that being named or pictured in the files does not necessarily indicate wrongdoing.
Furthermore, emails released on Friday indicate that Lord Mandelson attempted to influence government policy on a proposed 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 held the position of business secretary in Gordon Brown’s government.
Lord Mandelson 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.”
The recently released 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.
Epstein’s 2008 conviction stemmed from a plea bargain reached in Florida. He received an 18-month prison sentence after pleading guilty to two charges, including soliciting underage girls for prostitution.
In 2019, Epstein died in a New York prison cell while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
He joined Tony Blair’s government in 2004, holding prominent roles in politics until his death.
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