Police search Mandelson’s homes in Epstein probe as pressure mounts on Starmer
Police searched two homes linked to Peter Mandelson on Friday after he allegedly leaked government information to Jeffrey Epstein.
The Metropolitan Police said officers from its central specialist crime squad executed two search warrants in Camden, North London and Wiltshire in connection with an ongoing investigation into misconduct in public office offences.
The force said the alleged offenses involved a 72-year-old man and confirmed he had not been arrested.
It comes after emails released by the US Department of Justice last week suggested Lord Mandelson had leaked secret government documents to the US financier and convicted sex offender.
Emails from 2009 appear to show Lord Mandelson relaying Gordon Brown’s adviser’s assessment of potential policy measures, including an “asset sales plan”.
It was also revealed that he discussed a tax on bankers’ bonuses and approved an imminent bailout of the euro the day before it was announced in 2010.
The revelations triggered a police investigation and put pressure on Sir Keir Starmer to release all review documents relating to his wife’s appointment as the UK’s ambassador to the US.
It was revealed on Friday that senior government officials will have to hand over messages to Lord Mandelson ahead of the release of investigative files, which the independent Intelligence and National Security Committee (ISC) said would be released “very shortly”.
Writing to committee chairman Lord Beamish in a letter published on Friday, Sir Keir said: “I have asked the cabinet secretary to work with you and your committee to reach detailed agreement on how to share and review material that could harm the UK’s National Security and International Relations, taking into account the requirements of the Metropolitan Police investigation.
“The government wants, above all, to engage constructively with the ISC and ensure that parliament’s instructions are met with the urgency and transparency it deserves. I have asked the cabinet secretary to follow up on the matter.”
Lord Mandelson suffered another blow on Friday when Global Counsel, the lobbying firm he co-founded, said it had cut all ties with the disgraced former US ambassador and its chairman Benjamin Wegg-Prosser announced he would resign.
Co-founder and CEO Wegg-Prosser said he left the organization because it was “time to draw a line” between the firm and Lord Mandelson’s “actions.”
Sir Keir’s leadership was thrown into turmoil after the emails were published, as he was forced to admit he knew Lord Mandelson was involved with Epstein.
On Wednesday, members of his own party forced him into a humiliating escalation over the publication of review papers into his colleague’s appointment.
Initially, the prime minister had tried to restrict the release of the documents, arguing that some details might need to be redacted on national security grounds. But Sir Keir relented after accusations from Labor MPs that he was trying to cover up.
He told Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday that Lord Mandelson “betrayed our country, our parliament and my party”.
“He repeatedly lied to my team when asked about his relationship with Epstein before and during his tenure as ambassador,” he continued. “I regret appointing him. If I had known then what I know now, he would never have been close to the government.”
But the scandal left him under relentless pressure from all parts of his party’s political spectrum; Some insist nothing short of a “root and branch” overhaul at Downing Street’s headquarters will work.
On Thursday, Labour’s former deputy leader, Harriet Harman, warned Sir Keir he must act on the scandal or risk losing his job. Baroness Harman told Sky News: “I think this is very serious for Keir Starmer. I don’t think it’s inevitable that this will bring him down.”
“But unless he takes the action that is truly necessary for him, it will bring him down, and that is: first of all, he should stop blaming Mandelson and saying, ‘He lied to me.’ Because he really shouldn’t have thought about him in the first place.”
Ian Byrne, on Labour’s left, said Sir Keir “needs a miracle” to remain leader amid furor over Lord Mandelson’s handling of his links to Epstein.
He told Sky News that the prime minister “needs to reflect on his own position. You know, he’s a smart man.”
“And he needs a miracle. He needs something to turn the situation around.”
Others pointed the finger at chief of staff Morgan McSweeney, insisting that his ally Lord Mandelson should be appointed as US ambassador.
Labor backbencher Karl Turner added: “If McSweeney is still at 10 Downing Street, the Prime Minister is against it.”
Meanwhile, Gordon Brown has expressed regret about giving Lord Peter Mandelson a cabinet post following allegations he leaked sensitive government information to Jeffrey Epstein.
Don’t write Guard On Friday the former prime minister said he took responsibility for Lord Mandelson’s appointment in 2008, but added that he did not know about the disgraced Lord’s links to Epstein.
Metropolitan Police deputy assistant commissioner Hayley Sewart said: “I can confirm officers from the Met’s Central Crime Specialist team are in the process of executing search warrants at two addresses, one in the Wiltshire area and the other in the Camden area.
“The searches relate to an ongoing investigation into misconduct in public office offenses involving a 72-year-old man. The man has not been arrested and investigations are ongoing.”
