Lord Peter Mandelson has publicly refused to apologise to the victims of Jeffrey Epstein for maintaining a friendship with the convicted paedophile financier, describing his continued association as a 'most terrible mistake' born of 'misplaced loyalty'.
'Misplaced Loyalty' and a 'Calamitous' Price
In his first broadcast interview since being sacked as the UK's ambassador to the United States in September last year, the former minister told BBC One's Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg that he had paid a 'calamitous' price for his ties to the 'evil monster' Epstein. He was dismissed from his diplomatic post in Washington after the extent of their communications became public.
Lord Mandelson stated he never witnessed any suspicious behaviour during his visits to Epstein's homes. 'I never saw anything in his life when I was with him... that would give me any reason to suspect what this evil monster was doing,' he claimed. He also suggested that being a gay man in Epstein's circle kept him 'separate from what he was doing in the sexual side of his life'.
A Partial Apology and a Firm Defence
When pressed for an apology, Lord Mandelson offered one only for systemic failures. 'I want to apologise to those women for a system that refused to hear their voices,' he said. However, he firmly declined to apologise for his personal friendship with Epstein after the financier's 2008 conviction for soliciting prostitution and a minor.
'If I had known, if I was in any way complicit or culpable, of course I would apologise... but I was not culpable, I was not knowledgeable for what he was doing,' Lord Mandelson asserted. He admitted he believed Epstein's excuses at the time, a decision he now deeply regrets.
Emails Reveal Depth of Ongoing Friendship
This defence comes despite email evidence revealing the depth of their relationship after Epstein's conviction. Correspondence showed Lord Mandelson encouraged Epstein to 'fight for early release' just before his 18-month prison sentence began. He is also reported to have told Epstein 'I think the world of you' the day before he entered jail.
Reacting to the interview, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said it displayed 'at best, deep naivety' from Lord Mandelson. She argued a direct apology would have gone a long way for the victims and confirmed that the Prime Minister acted swiftly last September when the full nature of the emails emerged.
Lord Mandelson conceded he understood why Sir Keir Starmer sacked him but stated he was now 'moving on'. Jeffrey Epstein was found dead in his Manhattan jail cell in August 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges; his death was ruled a suicide.
