Mandelson’s downfall is one of fastest ever seen in British public life | Peter Mandelson

Just six months ago Peter Mandelson seemed unchallenged. The UK’s ambassador to the US is one of the most lauded positions in British diplomacy. As our man in Washington, Mandelson appeared to have used the gift of gab he learned during his years as a cabinet minister and European commissioner to forge a good rapport with the rogue Trump administration. He was thought to have been instrumental in securing a relatively advantageous US trade deal for the UK.

He was also an influential voice on Labor Party policies, having the ear of the Prime Minister and his inner circle, particularly his friend and protégé Morgan McSweeney, Starmer’s then chief of staff.

Mandelson’s arrest on Monday marks one of the steepest and steepest declines ever seen in British public life.

It all started when US lawmakers released some of the Epstein emails in September 2025.

In a 2003 letter, Mandelson described Epstein as “my best friend.” In his birthday message, he described Epstein as a “brilliant, sharp-witted man.” It detailed what appeared to be an intimate relationship and referred to Epstein’s “interesting” friends. Mandelson’s message about Epstein added: “Very occasionally he surprises you in faraway places… Or in one of his stately homes that he loves to share with his friends (yum yum)… But wherever he is in the world, he remains my best friend!”

And a 2008 email from Mandelson to Epstein said he would “fight for early release” while the disgraced financier was facing sex solicitation charges.

Mandelson defended himself and said he regretted meeting Epstein. “I relied on assurances of his innocence, which later turned out to be horribly false.” he told the BBC.

But he also admitted to the Sun that more “embarrassing” messages directed at Epstein were likely to emerge.

Keir Starmer initially backed Mandelson in the face of claims from Kemi Badenoch that his position as ambassador was untenable. At the PMQs on September 10, Starmer said he had full confidence in Mandelson. But just one day later, she fired him over Epstein’s messages.

Announcing the move, the State Department said the messages showed “the depth and extent of Peter Mandelson’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein differed materially from what was known at the time of his appointment.”

However, in June 2023, the Financial Times revealed that a JP Morgan report had found evidence that Mandelson had stayed at Epstein’s Manhattan townhouse in 2009 while Epstein was in prison.

As Mandelson pointed out, worse was to come. Emails released in September showed she was in contact with Epstein as far back as 2010. But new emails released by the US House oversight committee in November showed that she remained in close contact with Epstein until at least 2016.

As more emails began to be released in December 2025, Mandelson He was kept away from Epstein’s crimes because he was gay.

In January of this year, 3 million Epstein files were released by the US Department of Justice. They revealed that Epstein sent thousands of pounds in bank transfers to Mandelson and her partner and now-husband Reinaldo Avila da Silva.

The money was sent in September 2009, about two months after Epstein was released from prison.

In a January 2026 interview with the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg, Mandelson initially refused to apologize for his friendship with Epstein, stating that he was “not guilty” and did not know the extent of Epstein’s crime.

Mandelson apologized for his connections to Epstein after public backlash over his remarks.

Recent emails from the US justice department also suggested that Mandelson passed sensitive market-related information to Epstein while serving as commerce secretary in Gordon Brown’s government.

In a 2009 email, Mandelson told Epstein that the Treasury was “doing research” on potential new taxes on bankers’ bonuses. Two days later, Epstein asked whether JP Morgan’s Jamie Dimon should call the chancellor, Alistair Darling. In response, Mandelson said he should “mildly threaten” the chancellor.

Another email, sent in 2009, was revealed to have provided Epstein with information about the UK government’s marketable assets of around £20bn. He also informed Epstein that Gordon Brown would resign as prime minister in 2010.

These statements infuriated Brown and others. Writing in the Guardian, the former prime minister said these were “a betrayal of everything we stand for as a country”.

Communities secretary Steve Reed said Mandelson had a “moral obligation” to testify to the US Congress about what he knew about Epstein.

Facing increasing pressure, Mandelson resigned as a member of the Labor Party on 1 February. There were also widespread calls for him to be stripped of his nobility.

A week later on February 8, McSweeney resigned as Starmer’s chief of staff. In an attempt to defuse Starmer’s anger, McSweeney said he took full responsibility for Mandelson’s appointment as ambassador.

Last week Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested on suspicion of abusing public office while he was trade ambassador. According to biographer Andrew Lownie, it was Mandelson who secured the job for then-Prince Andrew in 2001.

Today, Mandelson was arrested on suspicion of the same crime. He denies any wrongdoing. The first batch of Epstein emails cost Mandelson his job. The final party could cost Mandelson his freedom.