British police have opened a criminal investigation into Peter Mandelson over alleged misconduct in public office tied to his relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The Metropolitan Police said detectives reviewed reports and determined they met the threshold for a full inquiry into the 72-year-old former Cabinet minister and ex-ambassador to the U.S.
Commander Ella Marriott said the force “has now launched an investigation into a 72-year-old man, a former government minister, for misconduct in public office offenses.” The charge carries a maximum sentence of life in prison, though opening an investigation does not mean Mandelson will be arrested, charged or convicted.
The probe follows the U.S. Justice Department’s release of a trove of Epstein-related documents — more than 3 million pages — that include emails and messages between Mandelson and Epstein. British officials say those files suggest Mandelson may have shared market-sensitive information about the 2008 global financial crisis and its aftermath with Epstein, which the government passed to police for assessment.
Mandelson, who served in senior roles under past Labour governments and was appointed to the House of Lords in 2008, resigned from the Lords effective Wednesday and from the Labour Party earlier, saying he did not want to cause the party further embarrassment. The Speaker of the Lords, Michael Forsyth, said Mandelson had informed officials he would retire. The government also prepared legislation to expel him from the Lords and remove the noble title Lord Mandelson, though stripping such a title has not been done for more than a century.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who had dismissed Mandelson as U.K. ambassador to Washington in September over his ties to Epstein, told his Cabinet he was “appalled” by the new revelations and concerned more details may emerge. A government spokesman, Tom Wells, said ministers had sent police an assessment that the documents contained “likely market-sensitive information” that should not have left government.
Details cited from the files include:
– Bank documents suggesting Epstein sent three payments totaling $75,000 in 2003–2004 to accounts linked to Mandelson or his partner, Reinaldo Avila da Silva. Mandelson has said he does not recall receiving the money and will investigate the documents’ authenticity.
– In 2009 Epstein paid da Silva £10,000 for an osteopathy course; Mandelson told The Times that in retrospect it was “a lapse in our collective judgment” for da Silva to accept the offer.
– Also in 2009, when Mandelson was business secretary, he appears to have told Epstein he would lobby other ministers to reduce a tax on bankers’ bonuses.
– The same year, Mandelson sent Epstein an internal government report outlining options to raise money after the global financial crisis, including selling government assets, noting: “Interesting note that’s gone to the PM.”
– In May 2010, Mandelson messaged Epstein that “sources tell me 500 b euro bailout” just hours before European governments announced a 500 billion euro deal to shore up the euro.
Epstein pleaded guilty in Florida in 2008 to state charges related to soliciting a minor and was jailed for 18 months; he maintained ties with Mandelson after that conviction, and later died by suicide in a U.S. jail in 2019 while awaiting federal sex-trafficking charges.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting said Mandelson’s continued association with Epstein after his conviction was “a betrayal on so many levels,” including a betrayal of Epstein’s victims and of two prime ministers, Gordon Brown and Keir Starmer.
An email seeking comment was sent to Mandelson via the House of Lords.