Fact Check: Epstein Files Show Limited UK Leader Mentions in Newsletters
Sonja Tutty Wednesday 04 February 2026 10:35 GMT
A viral social media post has circulated claiming to detail how many times UK political party leaders were "mentioned in the Epstein files," sparking widespread discussion and speculation. The post listed figures such as Nigel Farage at 37 mentions, Sir Keir Starmer at 26, Jeremy Corbyn at four, Kemi Badenoch at two, and Sir Ed Davey at one.
Evaluation: Mentions Do Not Indicate Wrongdoing
Being mentioned within the vast Epstein document repository is not an indicator of any misconduct or personal involvement with the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. A thorough analysis of the US Department of Justice's Epstein Library reveals that the appearances of these politicians' names are overwhelmingly confined to newsletters, news articles, article links, and news briefings that were merely discussed or forwarded in email chains.
Furthermore, the DoJ has explicitly stated it "erred on the side of over-collecting materials," leading to numerous duplicate entries. This means a single email conversation can appear as multiple results in a search, artificially inflating the mention counts presented in the social media claim.
The Facts: What Are the Epstein Files?
The United States Congress passed the Epstein Files Transparency Act in November of last year. This legislation mandates the Department of Justice to publish all unclassified records, documents, communications, and investigative materials pertaining to the investigation and prosecution of Jeffrey Epstein.
To date, in compliance with the Act, the DoJ has released a staggering 3.5 million pages of material. This includes 2,000 videos and 180,000 images, with the most recent publication occurring on January 30. A statement accompanying the latest release cautioned that the production "may include fake or falsely submitted images, documents or videos," as all material sent to the FBI by the public was included.
How UK Party Leaders Are Actually Mentioned
While searches in the Epstein Library do return results for the names "Nigel Farage," "Keir Starmer," "Jeremy Corbyn," "Kemi Badenoch," and "Ed Davey," the context is crucial. Analysis by the Press Association shows these mentions are primarily incidental.
- Nigel Farage: Of the 21 mentions analysed, all stem from a single 2018 email conversation between former White House strategist Steve Bannon and Epstein. Farage's name appears within a translated news article attached to that email, and the conversation is duplicated across several files.
- Sir Keir Starmer: All results for the Prime Minister are from 2024 and 2025, years after Epstein's 2019 death. Sixteen mentions are duplicate versions of a redacted 2025 email chain. One other mention is in an FBI daily news briefing that included a headline about "anti-immigrant riots" posing a test for Starmer.
- Jeremy Corbyn: His name appears in a newsletter included in emails discussing his Labour leadership at the time. Additionally, "Corbyn" is referenced in a personal email to Epstein from a redacted sender who joked about moving to Portugal if Corbyn became Prime Minister.
- Kemi Badenoch: The Conservative leader is not directly mentioned. Her name appears only within the web link to a news article contained in a large set of emails, with a second result showing the same conversation.
- Sir Ed Davey: The Liberal Democrat leader's name is found on page 26 of a lengthy newsletter sent to Epstein in 2013, noting his attendance at a UN climate change conference in his then-role as energy secretary.
The evidence is clear: the mentions of UK political leaders within the Epstein files are almost entirely contextual, appearing in third-party news content shared via email. The duplicate nature of the document collection has contributed to misleading counts, and there is no suggestion of any direct association or implication of wrongdoing by these figures.
