Lord Mandelson to face criminal investigation over Epstein emails | Politics | News
A criminal investigation has been launched against Peter Mandelson due to allegations that he gave sensitive information to pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
It comes after mounting pressure on Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to take action against the man he appointed as US ambassador amid questions about his relationship with Epstein.
Files released by the US Department of Justice show Lord Mandelson gave sensitive market information to the disgraced financier while he was business secretary in the Labor administration led by Gordon Brown.
Cabinet Office officials passed the material to the Met after a review of US-released documents found they contained “information likely to be market sensitive” and that official action measures had been “compromised”.
It is understood the Met will officially announce the criminal investigation on Wednesday, confirming that the peer is being investigated on suspicion of misconduct in public office.
Lord Mandelson will also resign from his seat in the House of Lords on Wednesday.
On Tuesday the Prime Minister slammed his peer, saying he had “let his country down” and confirmed he had asked authorities to draft new laws that would strip him of his nobility.
But critics said this was not enough and the Conservative Party demanded the release of official investigation files into the former ambassador.
Former prime minister Gordon Brown also wrote to the Met on Tuesday, calling for an investigation.
He wrote: “Today I wrote a letter to Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley containing information relating to his investigation into Lord Mandelson’s disclosure of market-sensitive and confidential government information to American financier Jeffrey Epstein.”
Mr. Brown called it an “inexcusable and unpatriotic act.”
He appears to have sent extensive correspondence to the Commissioner.
Following the former US ambassador’s resignation from the House of Lords, a Downing Street spokesman said: “It is true that Peter Mandelson will no longer be a member of the House of Lords.”
Epstein was reportedly sent details of internal conversations from the heart of the UK Government in the wake of the global financial crisis.
Lord Mandelson appeared to have told Epstein in 2009 that he would lobby ministers over a tax on bankers’ bonuses and that he would approve an imminent bailout of the euro the day before it was announced in 2010.
In June 2009, he appears to have conveyed what Mr Brown’s adviser Nick Butler called an “interesting memo to the Prime Minister”, his assessment of potential policy measures including an “asset sale plan”.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said: “Five months ago Mandelson was ambassador to the UK with the full confidence of the Prime Minister.
“Today he is no longer Labour’s ambassador or colleague.
“The scandal, the vulgarity and the speed of his decline only heighten the scrutiny on Starmer and McSweeney’s decision to send him to Washington.”
