Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown has asked the cabinet secretary to investigate whether Peter Mandelson, then business secretary, leaked highly sensitive government information to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The request follows the release of US justice department files revealing that Mandelson forwarded a confidential economic briefing to Epstein in June 2009, during the global financial crisis.
The email, sent by Brown's special adviser Nick Butler, detailed potential policy measures and suggested the government had saleable assets. Mandelson forwarded it to Epstein with the note: 'Interesting note that's gone to the PM.' Epstein replied asking what 'salable assets' were, and a redacted response said: 'Land, property I guess.'
Brown stated: 'I have today asked the cabinet secretary to investigate the disclosure of confidential and market sensitive information from the then business department during the global financial crisis.' He also requested a wider inquiry after earlier attempts to find departmental records failed. Brown insisted the results be published as soon as possible.
Nick Butler, who wrote the memo, said he was considering reporting the matter to the police, expressing disgust at the breach of trust. Labour leader Keir Starmer suggested Mandelson should resign from the House of Lords and that the upper chamber should modernise its disciplinary procedures to strip him of his peerage. Mandelson resigned from the Labour Party on Sunday.
The released documents also show that an analysis of business lending drawn up by minister Shriti Vadera in August 2009 was sent to Epstein, and Mandelson appeared to have lobbied ministers over a bankers' bonus tax and confirmed an imminent euro bailout package a day before its announcement in 2010. Downing Street confirmed Starmer has asked cabinet secretary Chris Wormald to conduct an investigation.
