The latest tranche of Epstein files released by the U.S. Department of Justice revealed that Mandelson — the former British ambassador to the U.S. who was cut loose in September over his ties to the deceased sex trafficker — directly informed Epstein of confidential government tax plans while his partner separately received wired payments.
“My lords, given the public interest, and for the convenience of the house, I have decided to inform the house that the clerk of the parliaments has today received notification from Lord Mandelson of his intention to retire from the house effective from 4 February,” Lord Speaker Michael Forsyth announced Tuesday.
Mandelson was pressured to step down by Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who said Tuesday morning that the longtime Labour ally had “let his country down.”
Emails released over the weekend indicate that Mandelson received $75,000 from Epstein and offered the convicted sex trafficker insights on affairs while serving in former Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s Cabinet.
Sensitive information shared with Epstein includes forewarning of a multibillion-dollar bailout for the European Union, over $27 billion in asset sales, Labour tax plans, and even Brown’s resignation.
Reinaldo Avila da Silva — Mandelson’s partner, whom he married in 2023 after a decadeslong relationship — was wired tens of thousands of dollars by Epstein. The first of these payments was made to fund da Silva’s alternative medicine endeavors, with recurring payments of multiple thousands of dollars afterward.
Voices on the British Right have used the scandal as a cudgel against Labour and Starmer in particular.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch questioned how Mandelson — who has been nicknamed the “Prince of Darkness” for his lack of scruples in politics — “came to be appointed in the first place” when “there are vetting procedures which would have stopped him from ever being appointed.”
“Labour have been covering this up,” she alleged on Monday. “It is now time for us to look into that, and we will explore every possible avenue to make sure we understand how it was that the Prime Minister allowed himself and the Government to be embroiled in this scandal.”
Mandelson was hand-selected by Starmer and his chief of staff, Labour strategist Morgan McSweeney, reportedly pushed hard for him to represent the United Kingdom to the United States, urging Starmer not to fire him.
Zia Yusuf, the head of policy for Reform UK, called for Starmer to step down over the scandal.
“Let’s not forget Keir Starmer himself appointed Peter Mandelson not that long ago to be Britain’s ambassador to the United States of America,” Yusef told GB News in an interview. “He did so in defiance of advice from the United Kingdom’s intelligence agencies. I think Keir Starmer has a serious question to answer, and personally, I think Keir Starmer needs to resign.”
Downing Street is going scorched earth on the situation in a bid to clearly separate themselves and the Labour Party from the disgraced former ambassador.
The situation was apparently top-of-mind at the British Cabinet’s meeting the same day, where Starmer reportedly told his ministers that he was “appalled at the information that had emerged over the weekend” regarding “the alleged passing on the emails of highly sensitive government business.”
He also voiced a lack of confidence that “the totality of the information had yet emerged.”
In addition to seeking Mandelson’s withdrawal from the House of Lords, Starmer has sought to strip him of his peerage — a somewhat Herculean task that can only be done through an act of parliament.
“The prime minister has asked officials to draft legislation which allows Peter Mandelson’s peerage to be removed as quickly as possible,” a spokesperson told the press, communicating the prime minister’s deep frustration with the logistics of taking away Mandelson’s barony.
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“The prime minister believes there is a broader need for the House of Lords to be able to remove transgressors more quickly,” the spokesperson said. “The prime minister regards it as ridiculous that a peerage cannot be removed except with primary legislation, something that has not happened since 1917.”
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the brother of King Charles III, who was stripped of his princely and ducal status by the monarch last year over his Epstein ties, is also facing renewed calls for punishment with the latest file dump.
Photos of Andrew posed over a young woman lying on the floor of a home were included in the new cache from the Justice Department, fanning the flames of critics demanding Mountbatten-Windsor be interrogated.
Starmer said earlier this week that Andrew should testify before the U.S. Congress on the Epstein investigation if called to do so.
“Anybody who has got information should be prepared to share that information in whatever form they are asked to do that,” he said. “You can’t be victim-centered if you’re not prepared to do that.”
Andrew maintains his innocence on all counts, though he has apologized for showing a lack of prudence in continuing his relationship with Epstein following the latter’s conviction on sex crime charges.
