British politician Peter Mandelson had a long-standing friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, despite claiming he barely knew him. Emails released as part of the latest tranche of Epstein files reveal that Mandelson stayed at Epstein’s Manhattan mansion multiple times and passed along sensitive government information to his friend.
Mandelson’s close relationship with Epstein began in 2009, when the politician was still secretary of state for business. The emails show that they discussed everything from politics to personal matters, including a Christmas Day exchange where Mandelson mentioned wanting to acquire knowledge and networks “in time” to participate in real deals.
The news has sparked outrage among some who accuse Prime Minister Keir Starmer of being too trusting of Mandelson’s claims. Others have criticized the government for not doing enough to investigate Mandelson’s ties to Epstein earlier.
As part of an agreement with Parliament, thousands of internal documents relating to Mandelson’s appointment as ambassador to the US are set to be released in the coming weeks. The latest revelations raise questions about the vetting process and whether Mandelson was genuinely unaware of his friend’s history with sex trafficking charges.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/10/world/europe/ties-peter-mandelson-jeffrey-epstein.html