Newly released papers from the National Archives show that Sir Tony Blair met Jeffrey Epstein in Downing Street in 2002 after a recommendation by Peter Mandelson. The meeting took place on 14 May 2002, following an email from Lord Mandelson to Blair's then chief of staff, Jonathan Powell, describing Epstein as a 'friend' and 'safe'.
At the time, Mandelson was a backbench Labour MP but remained a trusted ally of Blair. In his email, Mandelson wrote that Epstein was 'young and vibrant' and 'has his finger on the pulse of many worldwide markets and currencies'. He also noted that former US president Bill Clinton had wanted to introduce Epstein to Blair.
A briefing memo by senior civil servant Matthew Rycroft described Epstein as a friend of Mandelson and Clinton, as well as being close to Prince Andrew. The meeting lasted less than 30 minutes, according to a spokesperson for Blair, who said it was 'long before his crimes were known of'.
Epstein pleaded guilty to soliciting prostitution from a minor in 2008 and died in prison in 2019. The release of the documents had been blocked over concerns it might affect UK-US relations, but was granted following a freedom of information request.
