Analysis
Mandelson’s
downfall is one of fastest ever seen in British public life
Matthew
Weaver
Links to
Jeffrey Epstein have taken political operator from a vaunted position in
British diplomacy to arrest in under six months
Tue 24
Feb 2026 08.20 GMT
Just six
months ago Peter Mandelson seemed unassailable as the UK’s ambassador to the
US, one of the most vaunted positions in British diplomacy. As our man in
Washington, Mandelson appeared to have used his skill for schmoozing, learned
over years as a cabinet minister and a European commissioner, to secure a good
relationship with the tricky Trump administration. He was considered
instrumental in securing a relatively favourable US trade deal for the UK.
He was
also an influential voice in Labour politics with the ear of the prime minister
and his inner circle, notably his friend and protege Morgan McSweeney,
Starmer’s then chief of staff.
Mandelson’s
arrest on Monday marks one of the quickest and steepest descents ever seen in
British public life.
It began
when US lawmakers released some of the Epstein emails in September 2025.
In one
letter from 2003 Mandelson called Epstein “my best pal”. In a birthday message
he described Epstein as an “intelligent sharp-witted man”. It detailed what
appeared to be a close relationship and referred to Epstein’s “‘interesting’
friends”. Mandelson’s message about Epstein added: “Very occasionally, taking
you by surprise in some far off places … Or in one of his glorious homes he
likes to share with his friends (yum yum) … But wherever he is in the world, he
remains my best pal!”
And an
email from Mandelson to Epstein in 2008 said he would “fight for early release”
when the disgraced financier was facing charges of soliciting sex.
Mandelson
defended himself and said he regretted ever meeting Epstein. “I relied on
assurances of his innocence that turned out later to be horrendously false,” he
told the BBC.
But he
also conceded to the Sun that more “embarrassing” messages to Epstein were
likely to emerge.
Keir
Starmer initially backed Mandelson in the face of Kemi Badenoch’s claims that
his position as ambassador was untenable. At PMQs on 10 September, Starmer said
he had full confidence in Mandelson. But only a day later sacked him over the
Epstein messages.
Explaining
the move, the Foreign Office said the messages showed the “depth and extent of
Peter Mandelson’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein is materially different
from that known at the time of his appointment”.
But in
June 2023 the Financial Times had revealed that a JP Morgan report had found
evidence Mandelson had stayed in Epstein’s Manhattan townhouse in 2009 while
Epstein was in jail.
As
Mandelson signalled, worse was to come. The emails released in September
suggested he was in contact with Epstein until 2010. But in November new emails
released by the US House oversight committee showed he remained in close
contact with Epstein until at least 2016.
In
December 2025, as more emails began to be released, Mandelson said he thought
he was kept away from Epstein’s crimes because he is gay.
In
January this year, 3m Epstein files were released by the US Department of
Justice. They revealed that Epstein had sent thousands of pounds in bank
transfers to Mandelson and his 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
declined to apologise for his friendship with Epstein, stating he was “not
culpable” and did not know the extent of Epstein’s crime.
Mandelson
appearing on the BBC1 current affairs programme Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg on
10 January. Photograph: Jeff Overs/BBC/PA
After a
public backlash at his remarks, Mandelson then apologised for his links to
Epstein.
The
latest batch of emails from the US justice department also suggested that
Mandelson passed on market-sensitive information to Epstein while serving in
Gordon Brown’s government as trade secretary.
In a 2009
email Mandelson told Epstein the Treasury was “digging in” on potential new
taxes on bankers’ bonuses. Two days later, Epstein asked whether Jamie Dimon of
JP Morgan should call the chancellor, Alistair Darling. In reply, Mandelson
said he should “mildly threaten” the chancellor.
Another
2009 email appeared to be tipping off Epstein about £20bn of saleable assets by
the UK government. He also gave Epstein the heads-up on Gordon Brown resigning
as prime minister in 2010.
These
revelations infuriated Brown and others. Writing in the Guardian, the former
prime minister said they were “a betrayal of everything we stand for as a
country”.
The
communities secretary Steve Reed said Mandelson had “a moral obligation” to
testify to US Congress about what he knew about Epstein.
Faced
with mounting pressure, Mandelson resigned his membership of the Labour party
on 1 February. There were also widespread calls to strip him of his peerage.
A week
later on 8 February, McSweeney resigned as Starmer’s chief of staff. In a bid
to take the heat off Starmer, McSweeney said he took full responsibility for
Mandelson’s appointment as ambassador.
Last week
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public
office when he was trade envoy. It was Mandelson who secured the then Prince
Andrew the job in 2001, according to his biographer Andrew Lownie.
Today
Mandelson was arrested on suspicion of the same offence. He denies any
wrongdoing. The first batch of the Epstein emails cost Mandelson his job. The
last batch may yet cost Mandelson his liberty.
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