Mandelson-Epstein latest: Ex-minister insists he won’t ‘hide under a rock’ despite ‘shocking’ email revelations

Lord Mandelson has insisted he will not be “hiding under a rock” despite “shocking” email revelations about his relationship with pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.

“Hiding under a rock would be a disproportionate response to the handful of misguided historical emails I sent, and I deeply regret sending them,” he said. Times On Monday.

“If it weren’t for the emails, I’d still be in Washington. The emails sent all those years ago didn’t change my relationship with this monster.”

“I feel the same way about the recently downloaded Epstein files; none of this implies any wrongdoing or wrongdoing on my part.”

A government minister said it was “a shame” that Lord Mandelson remained a member of the House of Lords, but that legislating to remove him would be complicated.

Health secretary Karin Smyth said the Government wanted cross-party consensus on a way to remove the former US ambassador after the publication of emails suggesting he leaked sensitive information to pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.

Ms Smyth told Times Radio: “It’s disgraceful. It’s embarrassing to politics and that’s why the Prime Minister has made it clear that he doesn’t think Peter Mandelson should continue to be lord.”

“But this is not a direct gift from the government. It requires primary legislation, and that also requires it to go through the Lords. We don’t have a majority in the Lords, so the issue needs to be approached on a cross-party basis.”

He added: “This needs to be careful legislation, so it is important that this is done on a cross-party basis to make sure it gets passed.

“So it’s the right thing to do, and I hope all parties come together to do it, because it would bring shame to the institution.”

Political correspondent Millie Cooke reports:

Baroness Harman has joined calls for Lord Mandelson to be removed from the Privy Council and prevented from returning to the House of Lords.

He told BBC Radio 4’s Today program that he believed Labour’s manifesto commitment to remove disgraced members from the House of Lords would be “understood”, adding: “In the meantime, I think the Prime Minister might advise the King to stop him from becoming a privy councilor.”

“I also think that he is currently on leave from the House of Lords, that he has left the House of Lords to become our ambassador, and I think it would be good for the Lords to pass a motion that he should not reapply to return.”

Baroness Harman said she had believed Lord Mandelson to be untrustworthy since the 1990s but “never believed” he would leak information while he was a cabinet minister.

He said: “I was of the view that Peter Mandelson was unreliable from the 1990s onwards, but he was appointed by Tony Blair, appointed by Gordon Brown and appointed again by Sir Keir Starmer.

“But even I, who thought he was untrustworthy, could never believe that because Gordon Brown appointed him to the cabinet, he would sit in the cabinet and leak information while the government was trying to protect the country from the global financial crisis.

“Even I was shocked at the extent of his wrongdoing.”

Baroness Harman said Lord Mandelson had “tainted” politics following accusations that he leaked sensitive government information to pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.

Baroness Harman, who was leader of the House of Commons and deputy leader of the Labor Party when Lord Mandelson was business secretary, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “The most appalling thing about what Peter Mandelson has done is that it has played into people’s perception that politicians are all the same, that we are all in it for ourselves, we are all in it for the money.

“That is not the case, but what Peter Mandelson has done is to tarnish not just this Government but politics as a whole. I am sure that the Government has absolutely no doubt as to the seriousness of this and will take action and Peter Mandelson will be held accountable.”

Political correspondent Millie Cooke reports:

Lord Mandelson should testify in the US after new revelations about his links to Jeffrey Epstein emerged this week, a government minister has said.

“We’ve been very clear that anyone with any evidence regarding the Epstein matter should go and give evidence,” Karin Smyth told Sky News.

Asked specifically whether Lord Mandelson should go and give evidence, he said: “It’s a yes, isn’t it, because anyone with information should support the investigation and be as open as possible.”

The Metropolitan Police has received “a number of reports of alleged misconduct in public office” following the release of millions of documents relating to pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.

Commander Ella Marriott said: “We are aware of the release of millions more court documents related to Jeffrey Epstein by the United States Department of Justice.

“Following this statement and subsequent media reports, the Met has received a number of reports regarding allegations of misconduct in a public office. All of the reports will be examined to determine whether they meet the criminal threshold for investigation.

“As with any matter, if new and relevant information is brought to our attention we will consider it and investigate as appropriate.”