LONDON — British police have opened a criminal investigation into Peter Mandelson over alleged misconduct in public office tied to his relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
London’s Metropolitan Police said detectives reviewed reports and concluded they met the threshold for a full investigation. Commander Ella Marriott said the force “has now launched an investigation into a 72-year-old man, a former government minister, for misconduct in public office offences.” The charge carries a maximum sentence of life in prison; an investigation does not mean Mandelson will be arrested, charged or convicted.
The probe follows the release by the U.S. Justice Department of more than 3 million pages of Epstein-related documents. British officials say those files include emails from Mandelson — a former Cabinet minister, elder Labour statesman and, until September, U.K. ambassador to Washington — that may show he shared market-sensitive information with Epstein around the time of the 2008 global financial crisis.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer told Cabinet he was “appalled” by the revelations and concerned more details may emerge. Starmer’s office said the government sent police its assessment that the Mandelson-Epstein documents contained “likely market-sensitive information” about the 2008 crisis and its aftermath that should not have been shared outside government.
Mandelson resigned from the House of Lords effective Wednesday, the Speaker of the Lords, Michael Forsyth, said. The government prepared legislation to eject him from the Lords and remove his noble title, Lord Mandelson — a punitive step not taken in more than a century. Mandelson will retain the title after retiring unless lawmakers pass such legislation.
The released files reportedly include:
– Bank records suggesting Epstein sent three payments totaling $75,000 in 2003–2004 to accounts linked to Mandelson or his partner, Reinaldo Avila da Silva. Mandelson said he does not recall receiving the money and will investigate the documents’ authenticity. He resigned from the Labour Party, saying he did not want to cause the party “further embarrassment.”
– A 2009 payment of 10,000 pounds from Epstein to da Silva to pay for an osteopathy course; Mandelson called its acceptance “a lapse in our collective judgment.”
– In 2009, messages in which Mandelson, then business secretary, appears to tell Epstein he would lobby colleagues to reduce a tax on bankers’ bonuses.
– A 2009 internal government report Mandelson sent Epstein outlining options to raise money after the 2008 crisis, with Mandelson noting, “Interesting note that’s gone to the PM.”
– A May 2010 message from Mandelson to Epstein saying “sources tell me 500 b euro bailout” hours before European governments announced a 500 billion euro rescue.
Epstein pleaded guilty in Florida in 2008 to state charges of soliciting and procuring a minor for prostitution and served an 18-month sentence. He died by suicide in a U.S. jail cell in 2019 while awaiting federal trial on charges of sexually abusing dozens of girls.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting called Mandelson’s continued association with Epstein “a betrayal on so many levels,” saying it betrayed Epstein’s victims and two prime ministers, Gordon Brown and Keir Starmer. Mandelson was fired as ambassador by Starmer in September after his ties to Epstein surfaced.
An email requesting comment on the documents was sent to Mandelson through the House of Lords.