His UK counterpart Peter Mandelson has resigned from the Labor Party over his association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, while Prime Minister Keir Starmer has hinted he could be stripped of his “king” title.
Mandelson appeared in the recent release of the Epstein files, which led to an investigation into his conduct while working under former UK prime minister Gordon Brown in 2009.
The UK cabinet secretary will investigate Mandelson’s actions during Labour’s last term in power, Downing Street announced on Monday.
Newly released documents show Epstein made three separate payments of US$25,000 to Mandelson in 2003 and 2004, according to the BBC.
Emails in the Epstein files also suggest that, while serving as business secretary under Brown in 2009, Mandelson sent internal government emails from Brown’s policy adviser, Nick Butler, about the ailing UK economy to Epstein.
In a letter to the Secretary General of Labor on Sunday, Mandelson resigned, writing, “I was once again connected this weekend with the understandable anger surrounding Jeffrey Epstein and I feel remorse and apologize for this.”
“The allegations, which I believe are false, that he paid me money 20 years ago, and which I have no history or recollection of, need to be investigated by me. As I am doing this, I do not want to embarrass the Labor Party again, so I am withdrawing from being a member of the party.
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“I want to take this opportunity to once again apologize to women and girls who should have been heard.
“I have dedicated my life to the plans and achievements of the Labor Party and in making my decision, I believe I am acting in its best interests.”
The latest mention of Mandelson follows the revelation last year of letters between him and the disgraced financier, including one he wrote to Epstein calling him his “best friend,” which led to his sacking as UK ambassador to the US.
Part of a note from Peter Mandelson to Jeffrey Epstein on his 50th birthday.
US Oversight Committee
Despite his earlier dismissal, the prime minister’s spokesman told the BBC on Monday that Starmer would not be able to remove Mandelson from the House of Commons.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesperson said, “The Prime Minister believes that Peter Mandelson should not be a member of the House of Lords or use this title, but the Prime Minister does not have the power to remove him.
Downing Street added that if Mandelson is called to testify before the US Congress, he must commit.
Stripping Mandelson of his title would be a complicated, lengthy process that would require an amendment to the law, which has not been done in 100 years. Under current law, those appointed to the House of Lords inherit a peerage for life, but can resign voluntarily.
Starmer believes that modernizing disciplinary procedures will make it easier to remove disgraced members, including introducing a committee to look into the conduct of the upper house of government.
“The prime minister has always said that anyone with information should be prepared to share that information,” a Downing Street spokesman said. “You can’t focus on abuse if you’re not willing to do it.”
When new details of Mandelson’s relationship with Epstein emerged last year, a Labor colleague said he regretted “very, very much” his friendship with the late New York City businessman.
“I fell for his lies,” he said during an interview with British journalist Harry Cole.
“I fell and accepted the assurances he gave me about his indictment, his first felony conviction in Florida. Like most people, I took that for granted,” Mandelson continued, referring to Epstein’s 2009 conviction for soliciting minors.
Mandelson said at the time that he expected more correspondence between himself and Epstein to appear in various releases of the “Epstein files”.
“We know that they will leave, we know that they will be very disappointed, and they know that I will regret very much that I ever met him, and that I was introduced to him in the first place, but I will not be able to rewrite history,” he said.
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