Freshly released documents from US authorities have unveiled a series of damning email exchanges between former Labour minister Peter Mandelson and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, plunging Westminster into a deepening political crisis. The revelations show Mandelson celebrating Epstein's release from prison in 2009 with crude jokes, raising severe questions about judgment and vetting processes at the highest levels of government.
Crude Celebrations and 'Naughty Boy' Remarks
The latest document dump from the US Department of Justice includes email threads from July 2009, shortly after Epstein was released from prison having served 13 months for soliciting prostitution with a minor. In one exchange, Mandelson apparently asked the disgraced financier how they should mark his freedom.
Epstein responded with a lewd suggestion: 'With grace and modesty (those are the names of two strippers).' Mandelson, then a government minister, replied: 'From now on, grace and modesty sd [should] be discovered in London.'
Further messages show Mandelson asking 'How is freedom feeling?' to which Epstein replied: 'she feels fresh, firm, and creamy.' Mandelson's response was simply: 'Naughty boy.' In another message, Mandelson told Epstein upon his release: 'Liberation day ! X.'
Political Fallout and Criminal Investigation
The crude exchanges have prompted widespread disgust across the political spectrum, with SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn describing those involved as 'sick bastards' and Tory shadow minister Alex Burghart telling MPs he was 'shocked and disturbed' by the revelations.
Mandelson is now facing a criminal investigation and has resigned from multiple positions, including:
- Quitting the House of Lords
- Resigning from the Labour Party
- Being removed from the Privy Council
The documents can be definitively traced to Mandelson because his private email address was left unredacted in one message, and his name appears in another. While the Daily Mail has redacted most of that address in its reporting, the original US Department of Justice documents contained the identifying information.
Starmer's Judgment Under Scrutiny
The revelations have raised serious questions about Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer's judgment in appointing Mandelson as ambassador to the United States last year. At Prime Minister's Questions yesterday, Sir Keir admitted he knew about Mandelson's ongoing friendship with Epstein when making the appointment, but claimed the peer 'lied repeatedly' about the extent of their relationship.
Downing Street initially attempted to control the release of potentially explosive documents relating to the appointment decision, but faced with a mutiny from Labour MPs led by former deputy prime minister Angela Rayner, the government was forced to back down. Control has now been ceded to Parliament's Intelligence and Security Committee to determine what material can be released to the public.
Further Damaging Connections Revealed
The document release contains further damaging connections beyond the 2009 emails. Messages from 2012 appear to show arrangements for Mandelson to stay at Epstein's Manhattan townhouse, with warnings about media attention. Epstein's then-personal assistant Lesley Groff wrote in the exchange: 'Does that mean pete Mandelson is staying with Jeffrey at 71st street during his visit???' followed by: 'Oh wow. Ok. I hope the news people don't find out!'
Mandelson also appears to have advised Epstein regarding Prince Andrew, the King's disgraced brother. In a March 2011 email exchange, Epstein asked for 'suggestions' as questions mounted over Andrew's ties to the financier following publication of a photograph showing the prince with his arm around Virginia Giuffre.
Mandelson responded: 'On Sky it was reported that A (Andrew) and HMQ (Her Majesty The Queen) met to discuss JE (Jeffrey Epstein). Try and talk later. A has to sit tight.'
Psychological Analysis and Political Pressure
Writing in the Daily Mail, psychotherapist Elizabeth McKane analysed the relationship between the two men, suggesting: 'My view is that we are seeing two classic narcissists in Mandelson and Epstein... They found in one another a reflection of themselves, and it pleased and satisfied them both. It was a union in which their personalities merged so completely that a deep emotional bond was established.'
The controversy comes at a critical time for Sir Keir's premiership, with Labour MPs growing increasingly angry about his decision to approve Mandelson's ambassadorial appointment despite knowledge of the Epstein links. The Prime Minister will attempt to refocus attention today in a speech accusing rival parties of peddling 'grievance', but with crucial by-elections in Manchester and local elections approaching in May, the Mandelson scandal threatens to dominate the political agenda.
Epstein was facing charges of alleged sex trafficking when he died by suicide in jail in 2019. The continuing revelations about his connections with high-profile figures continue to send shockwaves through British politics, with Mandelson's case representing one of the most damaging episodes yet revealed.
