Epstein Files Reveal Tony Blair's 2002 Downing Street Meeting Details
Newly released documents from the Jeffrey Epstein case have shed light on a previously undisclosed 2002 meeting between the convicted paedophile financier and former Prime Minister Tony Blair at 10 Downing Street. The files, part of a trove of over three million documents released by the US Department of Justice, contain an email Epstein sent to himself in December 2018 that describes the encounter in detail.
Religious Discussions and Personal Consultations
According to Epstein's account, Blair discussed "the nature that religion plays in world conflicts" during their meeting. The financier's email, seen by the Mail, states: "I met Tony at number 10. He told me then that his future goal was to understand the nature that religion plays in world conflicts."
More strikingly, Epstein claimed Blair told him he had "a wise religioius [sic] man in Austrailia [sic] that he would consult when he needed personal advice." This appears to refer to Peter Thomson, an Australian Anglican priest Blair met while studying at Oxford University, whom the former PM has previously described as a "spellbinding" figure who awakened his interest in religion.
Mandelson's Role as Broker
The documents confirm that disgraced former US ambassador Lord Peter Mandelson brokered the meeting between Blair and Epstein. In an email to Jonathan Powell, then Blair's chief of staff, Mandelson wrote: "I think TB would be interested in meeting Jeffrey, who is also a friend of mine."
Mandelson added that Epstein was "young and vibrant" and "safe (whatever that means)", noting that Bill Clinton was "now doing a lot of travelling with him." This endorsement came despite Epstein's later conviction for sex crimes.
Official Documentation of the Meeting
Downing Street records from the time confirm the May 2002 meeting took place. Matthew Rycroft, then a foreign policy aide, wrote to Blair: "Jeffrey Epstein is seeing you at 5pm today. He is a financial adviser to the super-rich and a property developer. He is a friend of Bill Clinton and Peter Mandelson."
The note added that Epstein was "very rich" and "close to the Duke of York", Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, providing context for why the meeting was arranged despite Epstein's lack of official diplomatic status.
Timing and Context of Epstein's Account
Epstein sent the email describing his meeting with Blair in December 2018, just months before his arrest on sex trafficking charges. At the time, he was in bed with flu in Florida, complaining to friends in other emails sent the same day about being "sick in bed."
The Downing Street meeting occurred six years before Epstein pleaded guilty to soliciting prostitution from a minor in June 2008. Epstein died in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges, eight months after sending the email about Blair.
Blair's Response and Clarifications
A spokesman for Sir Tony Blair stated: "As far as he can remember, Mr Blair met with him for less than 30 minutes in Downing Street in May 2002 and discussed US and UK politics. He never met or engaged with him subsequently. This was, of course, long before his crimes were known of and his subsequent conviction."
The email contains a puzzling line where Epstein writes: "btw I am very happy to be called your friend," raising questions about whether he intended to send the email to someone else. A source close to Blair said the former PM did not say anything of the sort to Epstein during their meeting.
This is the first detailed account of the Blair-Epstein meeting to emerge publicly since its existence was confirmed in October, providing new insights into the relationships between powerful political figures and the disgraced financier before his crimes became widely known.
