Mandelson Issues Full Apology For Continuing Friendship With Epstein
Lord Mandelson has publicly apologised to the victims of Jeffrey Epstein for staying friends with the disgraced financier after his 2008 conviction, days after facing heavy criticism for refusing to do so.
The former cabinet minister and UK ambassador to the US had sparked outrage during a BBC interview on Sunday when he expressed regret about failures in the system that let victims down, but refused to apologise for his own decision to maintain contact with Epstein. That stance drew sharp criticism from politicians across parties, with one cabinet minister calling his remarks “horrendous and toe curling”.
By Monday evening, Mandelson had shifted his position. In a statement to BBC Newsnight and Sky News, he accepted personal responsibility for his actions and addressed Epstein’s victims directly.
“Yesterday, I did not want to be held responsible for his [Epstein’s] crimes of which I was ignorant, not indifferent, because of the lies he told me and so many others,” he said. “I was wrong to believe him following his conviction and to continue my association with him afterwards. I apologise unequivocally for doing so to the women and girls who suffered.”
Mandelson has consistently denied knowing about Epstein’s abuse at the time, saying he was misled and kept away from the financier’s sexual activities. He has argued that he was neither “culpable nor complicit” and only learned the full truth after Epstein’s death in a New York jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
However, recently released emails revealed Mandelson remained in contact with Epstein after his first conviction in Florida, where Epstein pleaded guilty to soliciting prostitution, including from a minor, and was sentenced to 18 months in prison as part of a plea deal. The messages showed Mandelson offering support and advice, undermining earlier claims that their relationship had been limited.
The revelations led to Mandelson being dismissed as ambassador to Washington last September, with Downing Street citing “new information” about his links to Epstein. In a letter to embassy staff at the time, he said he felt “utterly awful” about the association and about the suffering of Epstein’s victims.
Mandelson’s latest statement went further than his weekend comments, acknowledging that while he believed Epstein’s denials, the victims “did know what he was doing, their voices were not heard and I am sorry I was amongst those who believed him over them.”
Despite the apology, calls are growing for further consequences. The SNP has renewed demands for Mandelson to be stripped of his seat in the House of Lords, arguing that his conduct has damaged public trust.
