Former UK ambassador Peter Mandelson has refused to apologise to the victims of Jeffrey Epstein for maintaining a friendship with the convicted child sex offender, stating that as a gay man he was kept separate from the financier's sexual activities. In his first broadcast interview since being sacked from the diplomatic post, Mandelson told the BBC that he paid a 'calamitous' price for his association with what he called an 'evil monster'.
The Labour peer was removed as US ambassador in September after it emerged he had sent emails to Epstein suggesting the 2008 conviction for soliciting a minor for prostitution was wrongful. Mandelson admitted he had believed Epstein's excuses out of 'misplaced loyalty' and described his continued support as 'a most terrible mistake on my part'. He claimed he never saw any sign of Epstein's abuse when visiting his homes.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said Mandelson should have apologised, calling his actions 'at best deep naivety'. Labour peer Ayesha Hazarika criticised the BBC for the interview, calling it 'a slap in the face to Epstein victims'. Mandelson, however, said he apologises only to the women for a system that failed them, not for his friendship.
Emails released in September showed Mandelson wrote to Epstein after his conviction, expressing fury and encouraging him to 'fight for early release'. A handwritten note in Epstein's 50th birthday book referred to Mandelson as 'my best pal'. Mandelson acknowledged he understood why Prime Minister Keir Starmer sacked him but said he will not 'reopen or relitigate' the matter.
