LONDON — For decades, Peter Mandelson was a central architect of Britain’s Labour establishment. This week, the party he helped build appeared to finally sever ties with him.
Senior Labour figures moved swiftly to condemn Britain’s former ambassador to the United States on Tuesday after newly released documents suggested Mandelson shared sensitive government financial discussions with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in 2009.
David Blunkett, a former home secretary under Tony Blair, said the allegations went far beyond past controversies. “The latest revelations are materially different to the unpleasant sleaze of previous revelations,” he told POLITICO. “This is about conduct in a public office, betrayal of colleagues and a dereliction of duty.”
Geoff Hoon, Blair’s former defence secretary, described the claims as “very disturbing” on GB News, while Labour veteran Harriet Harman told BBC radio: “I was of the view that Peter Mandelson was untrustworthy from the 1990s.”
Prime Minister Keir Starmer dismissed Mandelson — long nicknamed the “prince of darkness” — from his role as Britain’s envoy to Washington in September, as scrutiny intensified over his relationship with Epstein. But former colleagues said Monday’s disclosure, alleging Mandelson leaked internal emails, marked a decisive turning point and could spell the end of his public career.
Mandelson declined to comment. He has previously acknowledged that maintaining ties with Epstein was wrong and has offered an “unequivocal” apology to Epstein’s victims.
Starmer initially said over the weekend that he had “nothing more to say” on the matter. By Tuesday, amid mounting public anger, he told his Cabinet that the new allegations were “disgraceful.”
Mandelson, 72, resigned his lifetime seat in the House of Lords on Tuesday after Starmer — who had earlier resisted the move — announced plans for legislation that would strip him of the title. Later that evening, the Metropolitan Police confirmed they had launched a criminal investigation.
Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who returned Mandelson to government in 2008, issued a statement describing the revelations as “shocking.” Brown said he had instructed civil servants to examine Mandelson’s communications with Epstein in September and confirmed he contacted police on Tuesday.
