London, United Kingdom. Former MP Peter Mandelson said he has resigned as a member of Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labour Party after new reports linked him again to late U.S. sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Mandelson said he did not want to cause further embarrassment to the party.
Resignation letter and payment allegations
Mandelson said in a letter to the Labour Party, shared with British media, that he had been “further linked this weekend” to the furore surrounding Epstein and that he felt “regretful and sorry” about it. He said allegations of financial payments to him by Epstein, published by British media based on files released by the U.S. Justice Department, were false and that he would investigate them.
The Financial Times reported that the files showed accounts connected to Mandelson had received $75,000. Mandelson wrote that while investigating the claims, he was stepping down from party membership to avoid causing further embarrassment to Labour.
Government reaction
Olivia Bailey, a minister in Britain’s Department for Education, told Times Radio on Monday that it was “right” Mandelson was no longer a member of the Labour Party.
Previous dismissal and political record
Mandelson was dismissed last year as Britain’s ambassador to the United States after earlier revelations about his connections to Epstein. He came under scrutiny when U.S. lawmakers released documents including a letter in which he called Epstein “my best pal,” which led to his dismissal as Britain’s envoy in Washington.
Mandelson played an important role in Labour’s electoral success in the late 1990s as Tony Blair became prime minister. His earlier domestic political career included resignations in 1998 as trade minister over a loan from a fellow minister to buy a house following questions over conflict of interest, and in 2001 after being forced out over alleged involvement in a passport scandal involving an Indian billionaire. He was later cleared of acting improperly.
What do you think the resignation means for Labour’s handling of reputational issues involving senior figures?
