Newly released emails reveal the extent of Peter Mandelson's relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, including a message in which Mandelson appeared to celebrate 'liberation day' after Epstein's release from jail. The correspondence, published by the US justice department, shows the Labour peer exchanging intimate and business-related messages with Epstein over several years.
In one email from May 2010, hours before the UK general election, Epstein asked Mandelson about the result. Mandelson replied: 'We are praying for a hung parliament. Alternatively, a well hung young man.' The exchange came months after Epstein had been released from prison for procuring a child for prostitution.
The emails also suggest Mandelson leaked a sensitive government document to Epstein in June 2009, detailing tax plans and a £20bn asset sale. Mandelson forwarded the document with the comment: 'Interesting note that's gone to the PM.' Other messages show Mandelson seeking Epstein's advice on personal matters, including a breach of his text messages and a potential £4m loan.
Mandelson has lost his role as US ambassador-designate following the revelations. Labour leader Keir Starmer has called for him to lose his peerage and seat in the House of Lords, and has launched an inquiry into his conduct as a minister. Mandelson insists he was 'at the edge of this man's life', but the emails suggest a far closer relationship.
