Former British politician Peter Mandelson resigned from the Labour Party and was dismissed as US Ambassador following the release of Epstein files alleging financial transfers and revealing a controversial photo.
Dismissal Following Email Revelations
A British politician appeared in the Epstein files and was relieved of his duties as ambassador. In September of last year, media revealed emails Peter Mandelson allegedly sent to Jeffrey Epstein. When the financier was charged with inciting the rape of a minor, the British politician reportedly wrote: “Your friends are with you and love you.” Following the disclosure of this content, Prime Minister Keir Starmer dismissed Peter Mandelson from his position as Ambassador to the USA.
Allegations of Payments and Controversial Photos
Mandelson is leaving the Labour Party. “I regret that I knew Epstein at all.” The politician’s name also appeared in the latest files published on Friday (January 30). They indicate that Epstein transferred $75,000 to Mandelson in three tranches between 2003-2004. He also appeared in a photo in his underwear, next to a woman dressed in a bathrobe. In light of this, the former ambassador resigned his membership in the Labour Party.
In a letter, he wrote that “this weekend he became even more associated with the understandable confusion surrounding Jeffrey Epstein.” He added that he “feels regret and is sorry about this.” He emphasized that allegations regarding transfers, “which are not in the documentation and which he does not remember,” “require investigation.”
Resignation from the Labour Party
“I do not want to cause the Labour Party further embarrassment and therefore I am resigning my membership. I would like to take this opportunity to apologize once again to the women and girls whose voices should have been heard much earlier. I have dedicated my life to Labour Party values and believe that by making this decision, I am acting in its best interests,” he added.
Earlier, Peter Mandelson stated that he did not know if the published documents were authentic. He emphasized that he regrets that he “knew Epstein at all” and that he continued cooperating with him after the verdict. He also apologized to “the women and girls who suffered.”
Conservatives Criticize Prime Minister
A Conservative Party spokesman criticized Prime Minister Keir Starmer for “allowing Mandelson to resign from the Labour Party instead of throwing him out.” The group also called on the head of the British government to launch an investigation into his connections with Epstein.
US Department of Justice Document Release
At the end of January, the US Department of Justice published three million pages of documents, two recordings, and 180,000 photos regarding Jeffrey Epstein. This is the largest batch of files released by US authorities to date. The files contain, among other things, unverified reports passed to law enforcement, as well as mentions of famous people who maintained contact with Epstein. The documents include the names of President Donald Trump, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and billionaires Bill Gates and Richard Branson.