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Starmer reveals Mandelson misled him on Epstein friendship
UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has stated that Lord Peter Mandelson withheld the full extent of his relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein before his appointment as US ambassador. Newly released emails from the US Department of Justice suggest the pair maintained close contact even after Epstein's 2008 conviction.
Emails expose post-conviction exchanges
Documents show Mandelson and Epstein exchanged frequent, often jocular messages while Epstein served his sentence for soliciting prostitution from a minor. In April 2009, Epstein messaged Mandelson, then UK Business Secretary, with the phrase: "ahh... here we go again." Mandelson replied: "Meaning? At least I am not involved." Epstein's response-"Your romantic complexities"-hinted at their familiarity.
On the day of Epstein's release in July 2009, the tone turned celebratory. Epstein emailed Mandelson at 8:37 AM: "Free and home." Mandelson, then a Labour peer, asked: "How shall we celebrate?" Epstein quipped: "With grace and modesty (those are the names of two strippers)." Mandelson later joked: "From now on, grace and modesty sd [should] be discovered in London."
Political and personal advice in exchanges
The correspondence reveals Epstein offering counsel on Mandelson's career and personal life. In May 2010, after Mandelson left government, Epstein sent a "big hug" and reassured him: "You won't leave me, will you?" Mandelson sought Epstein's opinion on a draft of his memoir, The Third Man, which Epstein criticized as "gossipy and defensive." He warned the book could undermine Mandelson's future business ventures, which required "discretion, trust, handshakes, privacy."
In 2009, the pair discussed pressure on then-Prime Minister Gordon Brown to resign. Epstein advised Mandelson to tell Brown he was "loyal, first second and third," while cautioning against suggesting he step down. Mandelson replied that Brown would "immediately push the panic button."
Friendship sours by 2012
By 2012, tensions surfaced. Epstein accused Mandelson of treating their relationship as a "one-way street," listing demands he felt went unreciprocated. Mandelson defended himself, writing: "During your trials and tribulations I never left your side... I was always there with advice and moral support."
Mandelson yet to respond
Lord Mandelson has not commented on the emails or Starmer's claims. The Prime Minister's office has not provided further details on when he learned of the friendship's extent.
