Labour urged to expel Mandelson from party after fresh Epstein links
Labor has been urged not to allow Peter Mandelson to become the party whip if he returns to the House of Lords after new allegations emerged this weekend about his links to pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
Mr Mandelson has been on leave from the House of Lords since taking up his post as US ambassador; which means he is not currently a member of the Labor Party. But the party refused to say whether that status would be reinstated if it applied to return to the Lords.
If the party withdraws, he will be effectively expelled from the party and will have to serve independently.
It comes after some of the newly released documents, part of the so-called Epstein files, claimed the convicted sex offender sent £10,000 to Lord Mandelson’s husband Reinaldo Avila da Silva.
According to the email exchange released by the US Department of Justice (DoJ), Mr. da Silva asked Epstein for money to fund an osteopathy course and other related expenses in September 2009.
The presence of his name or picture in the Epstein files does not imply any crime or wrongdoing.
On Friday, Lord Mandelson, who married Mr. da Silva in 2023 after a relationship dating back three decades, issued a statement apologizing to Epstein’s victims. She insisted that she was unaware of Epstein’s crimes and that she “learned the true truth about him after his death.”
Last year, Britain’s ambassador to the US was fired from his post in September following mounting pressure over his ties to Epstein, who was jailed for 18 months from 2008 to July 2009 after pleading guilty to charges of promoting prostitution.
Labor MP Andy McDonald said the party now needed to “make it clear beyond doubt” that it would not enjoy a Labor whipping if Mr Mandelson returned to the Lords.
“It’s the right thing to do. He is acknowledged to be one of the associates of the most prolific sex trafficker in history… There is very much an attitude in the Labor Party towards protecting Peter Mandelson,” he said. Independent.
Mr McDonald added: “The party was too quick to expel its members and councilors for having the audacity to like a tweet they deemed politically unacceptable – and yet Peter Mandelson continues to tolerate this. It’s time to put an end to this.”
Meanwhile, Labor MP for York Central Rachael Maskell questioned “whether this is what the Labor Party stands for”.
He said: “It’s quite extraordinary that new revelations are still coming to light about decisions made by the rich and powerful. I’m just asking whether that’s what Labor stands for.”
“I have always believed that the sole purpose of our party is to defend the interests of the working class, who have no political vote, against the interests of the rich and powerful. This, of course, should be a condition for having the privilege of the Labor whip.”
In recent releases shown by the U.S. Department of Justice on September 7, 2009, Mr. da Silva sent a message to Epstein saying: “Last week I sent you several emails regarding my osteo course expenses, including fee, anatomical models, and laptop if you could help me with this. I hope you have received them.”
“I have just managed to speak to the osteo school fees office and confirmed that my annual fee is £3,225.”
He later explained that the school accepted the wire transfer and provided his account details, and then thanked Epstein “with anything you can help me with.”
The financier responded later the same day: “I will transfer your loan amount immediately (sic).”
Mr da Silva sent a further email referring to a £10,000 transfer. He said: “I just sent Rich an email with my personal bank details regarding £10,000.
“I would like to clarify whether this amount includes my school fees or whether the £3,225 (school fees) will be sent directly to the school.”
Before Mr da Silva sent him another email days later thanking him for the cash, Mr Epstein told him: “included (sic)”.
“Just a quick note to thank you for the money that came into my account this morning,” he wrote.
The newly revealed exchanges come after Lord Mandelson apologized to Epstein’s victims earlier this month for continuing his friendship with the pedophile financier following his conviction.
Lord Mandelson told the BBC that Epstein was “on the fringes” of his life. Emails released in a previous installment of the Epstein files last September showed Lord Mandelson telling Epstein to “fight for early release” shortly before he was sentenced to 18 months in prison.
In his statement on Friday Independent, She said: “It was a mistake to believe and continue to associate with Epstein after his conviction. I publicly apologize for doing so to the women and girls who suffered.
“I was never a party to his crimes. Like everyone else, I learned the truth about him after his death.
“But his victims knew what he was doing, their voices were not being heard, and I regret that I was among those who believed him instead.”
The Labor Party has been contacted for comment.
