- Starmer’s government hands over Mandelson material to police.
- Former British envoy to the US accused of leaking market-sensitive material.
- Mandelson faces possible charges following emails released by the US.
British police on Tuesday launched an investigation into Peter Mandelson, Britain’s former ambassador to the United States, for alleged misconduct in public office, following allegations that he leaked market-sensitive information to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
London’s Metropolitan Police said in a statement that the investigation follows the receipt of reports of alleged misconduct in public office, including a referral from the UK government.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government handed over material to police to investigate whether Mandelson leaked information to Epstein during the financial crash.
Starmer told his ministers on Tuesday that Mandelson’s alleged leaks to Epstein were “disgraceful”. A few hours later, Mandelson said he would resign from Parliament’s upper house, the House of Lords.
“The Met will continue to assess any relevant information that comes to our attention as part of this investigation and will not be commenting further at this stage,” Chief Constable Ella Marriott said.
Separately, Thames Valley Police said in a statement that it was reviewing a new claim against the former Prince Andrew.
Mandelson, a major player in the Labor governments of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown more than two decades ago, faces possible criminal charges after emails released by the US as part of the Epstein investigation suggested he had leaked confidential government documents to the financier.
The Times newspaper, which first reported the police investigation, said officers were expected to interview Mandelson and take statements from senior Labor figures, including former prime minister Brown.
Following the announcement of the investigation into Mandelson, a government spokesman said it stood “ready to provide the support and assistance the police require.”
Emails suggest that in 2009 Mandelson sent Epstein a memo written to Brown about possible UK asset sales and tax changes, and in 2010 Epstein gave advance notice of a 500 billion euro ($590 billion) EU bailout.
Mandelson, 72, was sacked from his ambassadorial role in September, seven months after being appointed, after documents emerged showing he had been close to Epstein for much longer than he had previously acknowledged.
In one message, he appeared to tell Epstein that his previous conviction for procuring a child for prostitution was wrong and that he should fight for early release.
On Tuesday, Starmer told his cabinet that he was not sure all the information had yet come out, according to his spokesman.
His comments marked his strongest condemnation yet of the man he named ambassador to Washington last year despite his known association with Epstein, who committed suicide in prison in 2019.
“The Prime Minister said he was appalled by the information that had emerged over the weekend in the Epstein files,” his spokesman said.
Late on Sunday, Mandelson resigned from the Labor Party to prevent “further embarrassment” after a new release of millions of documents revealed details of his closeness to Epstein, including proposals for payments to Mandelson and his husband.
The scandal has raised concerns over Starmer’s decision to appoint Mandelson as ambassador rather than a career diplomat, a decision championed by his chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney.
Labor lawmaker Clive Efford, speaking in parliament on Monday, said “the key question here is who advised the prime minister?”
Mandelson has not responded to requests about the allegations. However, a spokesman has said Mandelson did not recall financial payments totaling $75,000 from Epstein, as suggested by other emails and media reports.
In an interview with the Times late last month and published on Tuesday, Mandelson said Epstein had been a “master manipulator”. He added: “I’ve had a lot of bad luck, no doubt some of it of my own making.”
Starmer, seeking to get on the front foot after some of his lawmakers said Downing Street’s initial response at the weekend was not strong enough, has ordered an inquiry into Mandelson’s links with Epstein during the Brown government.
Brown, however, brushed him off, saying he had asked officials to investigate back in September but had been told they had found no department records.
The former prime minister said on Monday that after the “shocking new information” emerged in the latest tranche of Epstein papers, he had called for “a wider and more intensive investigation to take place.”
Starmer has also called on former Prince Andrew to testify before a US congressional committee following new revelations about his links to Epstein.
Asked about the situation at a meeting in Dubai on Tuesday, Prince Edward, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s younger brother, said: “It’s really important to always remember the victims,” echoing earlier statements by King Charles and Queen Camilla.
A Thames Valley Police spokesman said the force was aware of allegations that a woman was taken to an address in Windsor, where the former prince lives, for sexual purposes in 2010.
The woman’s lawyer told the BBC at the weekend that the woman, who is not British, was in her 20s at the time and was allegedly sent to Britain by Epstein for a sexual encounter with Mountbatten-Windsor. He has always denied any wrongdoing.
“We assess the information in accordance with our established procedures,” the police spokesman said, adding that the force takes all reports of sexual offenses extremely seriously.
A report does not necessarily lead to an investigation.
