Peter Mandelson has resigned his membership of the Labour party to avoid causing it “further embarrassment” after fresh revelations about his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The former UK ambassador to the US stood down on Sunday evening, following the release of US Department of Justice documents linking him to financial payments from Epstein.
The documents, made public on Friday, appear to show that Epstein sent Mandelson $75,000 in three separate payments of $25,000 from JP Morgan bank accounts around 20 years ago. Mandelson said he had “no record or recollection” of receiving the sums and questioned the authenticity of the documents, but reiterated his regret for associating with Epstein and apologised to the victims.
The housing secretary, Steve Reed, urged Mandelson to testify before the US Congress, stating he had a “moral obligation” to share what he knew. The Conservative party called for an independent investigation into Mandelson’s appointment as ambassador, accusing Keir Starmer of lacking the backbone to expel him. Mandelson, who was sacked as US ambassador last year due to his Epstein links, has been on leave from the House of Lords and does not hold the Labour whip.
In his resignation letter to Labour general secretary Hollie Ridley, Mandelson wrote: “Allegations which I believe to be false that he made financial payments to me 20 years ago … need investigating by me. While doing this, I do not wish to cause further embarrassment to the Labour party.” He added that he was acting in the party’s best interests.
