LONDON — Metropolitan Police detectives have opened a criminal investigation into Peter Mandelson over suspected misconduct in public office linked to his association with Jeffrey Epstein.
Commander Ella Marriott said officers reviewed reports and concluded they met the threshold for a full investigation into a 72-year-old former government minister. The force said the inquiry relates to possible misconduct in public office, an offence that carries a maximum sentence of life in prison; an investigation does not mean Mandelson will be arrested, charged or convicted.
The probe follows the U.S. Justice Department’s release of more than 3 million pages of Epstein-related material. British officials say the files include emails and other records that appear to show Mandelson — a former Cabinet minister, senior Labour figure and, until September, the U.K. ambassador to Washington — sharing information with Epstein that may have been market-sensitive around the 2008 global financial crisis.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer told Cabinet he was “appalled” by the disclosures and warned more details could surface. Downing Street said the government provided police with its assessment that the Mandelson-Epstein material contained likely market-sensitive information about the crisis and its aftermath that should not have been shared outside government.
Mandelson resigned from the House of Lords effective Wednesday, House of Lords Speaker Michael Forsyth said. The government has prepared legislation aimed at removing him from the Lords and stripping his noble title — a punitive step not used in more than a century. Unless Parliament passes such a law, Mandelson will retain the title after retirement.
Documents reported in the released files reportedly include:
– Bank records suggesting Epstein made three payments totaling $75,000 in 2003–2004 to accounts linked to Mandelson or his partner, Reinaldo Avila da Silva. Mandelson has said he does not recall receiving the money and will investigate whether the documents are authentic. He also resigned from the Labour Party, saying he did not want to cause the party “further embarrassment.”
– A 2009 payment of £10,000 from Epstein to da Silva to fund an osteopathy course, which Mandelson described as “a lapse in our collective judgment.”
– Messages from 2009 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 paper that Mandelson sent to 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,” sent hours before European governments publicly announced a €500 billion rescue package.
Jeffrey 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 allegations of sexually abusing dozens of girls.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting said Mandelson’s continued association with Epstein was “a betrayal on so many levels,” adding it betrayed Epstein’s victims and two prime ministers, Gordon Brown and Keir Starmer. Starmer dismissed Mandelson from the ambassadorial role in September after the ties emerged.
An email requesting comment on the documents was sent to Mandelson via the House of Lords.