Peter Mandelson has declined to apologise to Jeffrey Epstein's victims for maintaining a friendship with the convicted child sex offender, saying he knew nothing of the financier's sex life. In his first broadcast interview since being sacked as US ambassador, the Labour peer told the BBC he had paid a "calamitous" price for his association with the "evil monster".
Mandelson was removed from his diplomatic post in September after No 10 said it had been unaware of emails showing his support for Epstein following the financier's 2008 conviction for soliciting a child for prostitution. In the interview with BBC One's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, Mandelson said he had believed Epstein's excuses and continued to support him out of "misplaced loyalty", describing it as "a most terrible mistake on my part".
He sought to distance himself from Epstein, saying he was "at the edge of this man's life", despite "toe-curlingly embarrassing" emails and a handwritten note in Epstein's 50th birthday book calling him "my best pal". Asked whether he wanted to apologise, Mandelson said he wanted to apologise to the women for a system that "refused to hear their voices", but he did not apologise for the friendship itself, insisting he was "not culpable" and "not knowledgeable" about Epstein's actions.
His comments drew criticism from within his own party. Transport secretary Heidi Alexander said Mandelson should have apologised, adding that "at best" his behaviour showed "deep naivety". Labour peer Ayesha Hazarika said she was "disappointed with the BBC" for airing the interview, which she described as a "slap in the face to Epstein victims".
Mandelson said he understood why he had been sacked and did not intend to "reopen or relitigate" the issue. "I understand why [Keir Starmer] took the decision he did," he said. "But one thing I'm very clear about is I'm not going to seek to reopen or relitigate this issue. I'm moving on."
