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The UK’s ambassador to the US, Peter Mandelson, has said more “very embarrassing” details of his friendship with the paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein will come out, as he said he had never seen any “wrongdoing”.
His admission comes after US lawmakers released a 50th “birthday book” Epstein, in which Mandelson called him “my best pal”, in a handwritten note.
In his first public comments since the revelation Lord Mandelson said he “never sought, nor did [Epstein] offer” any introductions to women in the same way as he had done for others, “perhaps it’s because I’m a gay man”.
The Labour peer sought to defend himself in his first public appearance since the revelations, as he told the Harry Cole Saves the West podcast that Epstein was a “charismatic criminal liar”, adding that he regretted “very, very deeply indeed carrying on that association with him for far longer than I should have”.
“I feel a tremendous sense of sympathy for those people, those women, who suffered as a result of his behaviour and his illegal criminal activities,” Mandelson said.
“And secondly I regret very very deeply indeed carrying on that association with him for far longer than I should have done, and I regret very very much that I fell for his lies. 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.”
He went on to describe the extent of his regret as feeling “like an albatross around his neck since his [Epstein’s] death”, adding: “I feel a tremendous sense of regret, not only that I met him in the first place, but I continued the association, and I took that at face value.”
Since the bundle of correspondence was published by the main investigating committee in the US House of Representatives, Downing Street has repeatedly said Keir Starmer continues to have full confidence in him, adding the government was “focused obviously on our relationship with the US, with President Trump coming for an unprecedented second state visit next week”.
But the education minister Josh MacAlister went further, warning against finding people “guilty by association” with Epstein.
When asked about Mandelson’s comments that he didn’t see criminal activity suggesting it could be because of his sexuality, MacAlister minister told ITV’s Good Morning Britain: “Again, I don’t know the history and the details. I haven’t seen the interview.
“But the whole way in which these people operate and are able to continue their abuse is often by being highly manipulative. So we need to be careful not to make everybody guilty by association.”
In Mandelson’s 2003 missive, he refers to Epstein as an “intelligent sharp-witted man”.
It reads: “Once upon a time, an intelligent, sharp-witted man they call ‘mysterious’ parachuted into my life … you would spend many hours just waiting for him to turn up … And often, no sooner were you used to having him around, you would suddenly be alone again … Leaving you with some ‘interesting’ friends to entertain instead … Or just some dogs to keep you company (he wasn’t always so keen on them) … But then he would parachute back in … Very occasionally, taking you by surprise in some far off places … Or in one of his glorious homes he likes to share with his friends (yum yum) … but wherever he is in the world he remains my best pal.”
Epstein killed himself while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges in August 2019.
The birthday book was turned over to the House oversight committee in response to a subpoena issued by its Republican chair, James Comer, and a letter from the Democrats Sylvia Garcia and Ro Khanna urging Epstein’s estate to produce the materials.
