Peter Mandelson has said he “regrets very deeply” continuing his association with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein “far longer than I should have” as their relationship comes under renewed scrutiny.
Lord Mandelson, the UK ambassador to the US, faced questions on Tuesday after it emerged he had referred to Epstein as his “best pal” in a birthday message he wrote for the convicted sex offender in 2003.
In an interview with The Sun, the diplomat said he regrets “very much that I fell for his lies… and accepted assurances he had given me about his indictment”, which saw him jailed in 2008.
Peter Mandelson. Pic: Reuters
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Lord Mandelson said: “He’s a charismatic, criminal liar we now see, and I regret very much indeed.
“I felt it like an albatross around my neck since his death in 2018 or 2019, whenever it was. I feel a tremendous sense of regret.”
This regret, the diplomat said, is not only that he met Epstein in the first place, but that he “continued that association” and took at “face value the lies that he fed me”.
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From May: Mandelson – ‘I wish I never met Epstein’
In the interview, Lord Mandelson goes on to suggest there are further email exchanges between himself and Epstein that “we know are going to surface”. However, he does not believe he is named in the Epstein files.
The diplomat said: “We know they’re going to come out, we know they’re going to be very embarrassing. And they know that I’m being profoundly to regret ever having met him and being introduced to him in the first place.
“But I can’t rewrite history. What I can do is express my profound sympathy for those who treated by him.”
His interview comes as further allegations were made by The Telegraph overnight, claiming Epstein had brokered a deal with Lord Mandelson over the £1bn sale of a UK taxpayer-owned banking business in 2010.
Jeffrey Epstein. File pic: New York State Sex Offender Registry via AP
This was allegedly negotiated while Lord Mandelson was the business secretary, and only months after Epstein had been released from prison.
It relates to the sale of Sempra Commodities – a joint venture between the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) and Sempra Energy – to JP Morgan.
The newspaper claims Epstein gave advice to both Lord Mandelson and senior JP Morgan executive Jes Staley, who has also faced scrutiny over his relationship with the financier.
There are also allegations that Lord Mandelson stayed in Epstein’s New York home while he was in prison for soliciting a minor in 2008/9.
Despite the latest claims, education minister Josh MacAlister told Sky News on Wednesday that No 10 still has confidence in the diplomat.
Richard Holden, the shadow transport secretary, said there are questions for Lord Mandelson about his judgement.
Mr MacAlister said: “He has said that he deeply regrets ever being introduced to Jeffrey Epstein. And who could blame him when you see the stories of what that man did.
“Peter is absolutely right to say he deeply regrets ever being introduced to him.”
Lord Mandelson and No 10 have both been contacted for comment on the latest allegations.
