UK’s former US ambassador faces scrutiny over Epstein ties, leaked briefing
UK police review reports of alleged misconduct by Peter Mandelson after the latest Epstein files release by the US Justice Department
Britain’s former US ambassador, Peter Mandelson, received money from Jeffrey Epstein and leaked a confidential government briefing to him, newly released files appeared to show, renewing scrutiny of his conduct in public office.
Late on Sunday, Mandelson left the Labour Party to prevent “further embarrassment”, after he was fired from his envoy role last year after revelations about his connections to the late convicted sex offender.
He said he had no recollection of any payments after the files appeared to show he had received donations of US$25,000 from Epstein. The Financial Times said he received US$75,000 in total.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Mandelson should be removed from parliament’s upper chamber. Separately, the British police said they were reviewing “a number of reports” of alleged misconduct in a public office to determine if they meet the threshold for a criminal investigation.
Among the latest batch of documents released by the US Justice Department, an email suggested Mandelson had shared a confidential government briefing with the financier.