Peter Mandelson resigns from U.K. Labour Party over Epstein ties

U.K. Labour peer Peter Mandelson has resigned from the Labour Party over his association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, and Prime Minister Keir Starmer has indicated that he may be stripped of his “lord” title.

Mandelson appeared in the latest release of the Epstein files, prompting an investigation into his conduct while serving under former U.K. prime minister Gordon Brown in 2009.

The U.K.’s cabinet secretary will investigate Mandelson’s actions when Labour was last in power, Downing Street announced Monday.

Newly released documents indicate that Epstein made three separate payments of US$25,000 to Mandelson in 2003 and 2004, according to the BBC.

Emails in the Epstein files also suggest that, while serving as business secretary under Brown in 2009, Mandelson forwarded internal government emails from Brown’s policy adviser, Nick Butler, regarding the U.K.’s ailing economy to Epstein.

In a letter to Labour’s general secretary on Sunday, Mandelson resigned, writing, “I have been further linked this weekend to the understandable furore surrounding Jeffrey Epstein and I feel regretful and sorry about this.”

“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.”

The latest mention of Mandelson follows last year’s disclosure of correspondence between him and the disgraced financier, including a note he wrote to Epstein calling him his “best pal,” which led to his firing as the U.K. ambassador to the U.S.

Despite his previous firing, a spokesperson for the prime minister told the BBC on Monday that Starmer cannot remove Mandelson from the House of Lords.

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The prime minister’s official spokesperson said, “The prime minister believes that Peter Mandelson should not be a member of the House of Lords or use the title. However, the prime minister does not have the power to remove it.”

Downing Street added that if Mandelson is called to testify before the U.S. Congress, he should oblige.

Stripping Mandelson of his title would be a complex, lengthy process requiring legislative amendments, which have not been made in 100 years. Under current legislation, those appointed to the House of Lords inherit life-long peerage, but can voluntarily resign.

Starmer believes modernizing disciplinary procedures would make it easier to remove disgraced members, including by introducing a committee to oversee conduct in the government’s upper chamber.

“The prime minister has always said that anyone who has got information should be prepared to share that information,” the Downing Street spokesperson added. “You cannot be victim-centred if you are not prepared to do that.”

When new details of Mandelson’s connection to Epstein emerged last year, the Labour peer said he regretted “very, very deeply indeed” his companionship with the deceased New York City businessman.

“I fell for his lies,” he said during an interview with British journalist Harry Cole.

“I fell and accepted assurances that he had given me about his indictment, his original criminal case in Florida. Like very many people, I took that at face value,” Mandelson continued, referencing Epstein’s 2009 conviction for soliciting underage prostitution.

Mandelson said at the time that he expected more correspondence between him and Epstein to emerge in the various “Epstein files” releases.

“We know they are going to come out, we know they are going to be very embarrassing, and they know I am going profoundly to regret ever having met him, and being introduced to him in the first place, but I can’t rewrite history,” he said.