Recently, it was revealed that Lord Peter Mandelson was linked to convicted sex offender Jeffery Epstein in the Epstein files released by the U.S Department of Justice (DOJ).
This revelation has shocked the United Kingdom, and has instigated a police investigation, but who is Peter Mandelson, and what are his ties to Jeffery Epstein?
Who is Peter Mandelson?
Mandelson was a member of the Labour Party who was appointed to the role of Director of Communications by Neil Kinnock in 1985. He was then elected to the House of Commons in the 1992 general election.
Mandelson is widely recognised as Labour’s first spin doctor due to his ruthless approach to his role of Director of Communications. It was his role as spin doctor that gained him the nickname “the prince of darkness“, a nickname that has not aged well as of recent revelations.
Mandelson is often most recognised by the public for his involvement in the New Labour era in both former Prime Minister’s Tony Blair’s and Gordon Brown’s respective cabinets.
Mandelson gained his peerage in 2008 in order to return to his post as Business Secretary after his resignation from the House of Commons in 2004.
Mandelson’s involvement with Epstein
The DOJ released the section of the Epstein files containing the shocking revelation about Mandelson.
Mandelson and Epstein shared countless emails over the years when Epstein gave Mandelson fond nicknames like ‘Petie’, highlighting the close relationship the two shared. Mandelson also appeared to refer to Epstein as his friend in email exchanges included in the files released.
Many of these exchanges take place in the years after Epstein was convicted in Florida of two felony prostitution charges. Many of the email conversations were to plan in-person meetings in Paris.
In March 2010, there were email conversations that showed that Mandelson appeared to have acted directly on behalf of Epstein to lobby against the Volcker Rule that was to impose tighter restrictions on banks trading with their own money, an act known as propriety trading.
This was of particular interest to Epstein, as before he was exposed for his horrendous sex crimes, he was known for being an extremely wealthy financier acting as a financial advisor for the wealthy elite.
This lobbying was not done for free as during his relationship with Epstein, documents in the DOJ files appeared to show that Mandelson had received $75,000 (55,230.38 GBP) from Epstein.
His resignation
As of February 4, Mandelson has resigned his peerage, although he still maintains his title as lord. To strip Mandelson of his lifetime title, an Act of Parliament would have to be passed through both the House of Commons and the House of Lords. An Act the government will be eager to pass.
Mandelson also resigned his membership to the Labour Party.
The following day, current Labour Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, addressed the public with an apology to the victims of Epstein. In this apology, Starmer claims that Mandelson lied about his true relationship with Epstein. Mandelson had told Starmer that he was not that close with Epstein, something that was proved to be a lie when the emails were released.
Despite being aware that Mandelson had ties to Epstein, although not aware of the true extent of the relationship, Starmer still appointed Mandelson as US Ambassador in February 2025. He was then later sacked in September 2025 when the allegations of the true nature of his relationship with Epstein came to light.
Following anger from both senior and backbench Labour MPs, the government also agreed on Wednesday (February 4) to release all files related to Mandelson and Epstein, with any diplomatically or nationally sensitive documents to be referred to a parliamentary intelligence committee rather than being entirely exempt.
This government climbdown, alongside his initial appointment of Mandelson, has also prompted calls for Starmer to resign, with the Liberal Democrats and Conservatives calling for a no-confidence vote on Thursday (February 5).
The police investigation into Mandelson
In addition to lobbying for Epstein, there are allegations that Mandelson leaked sensitive information to Epstein. This has launched a police investigation regarding misconduct in public office. Actions that could be considered to be espionage, the act of spying to gain sensitive political information.
Emails released by the DOJ showed that he had leaked sensitive information regarding the 2008 financial crisis to Epstein while he was Business Secretary under former PM Brown.
Brown has provided the Metropolitan police with any relevant information he had in relation to Mandelson’s business with Epstein to help aid the investigation. Something the government has also said they will be willing to do when needed.
Featured Image Credit: Foregin, Commonwealth & Development Office via Wikimedia Commons
