Former envoy to the US Peter Mandelson is seeking to avoid “further embarrassment” after documents suggested the late child sex offender sent him $75,000
Lord Peter Mandelson © Oli Scarff / Getty Images
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.