As the Prime Minister is set to face questions over Peter Mandelson’s position in the cabinet – we take a look at the so-called Prince of Darkness’ life away from politics
Few Labour figures have loomed as controversially over modern British politics as Peter Mandelson. Dubbed the ‘Prince of Darkness’ for his ruthless media instincts, the veteran spin doctor has spent decades at the heart of power. But today that power is under a microscope as Prime Minister Keir Starmer prepares to address the Commons at 3.30pm.
The issue? How a man who failed a vital security vetting was ever allowed to be the UK’s ambassador to the US, despite his friendship with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
He was awarded the role in December 2024, before in-depth vetting took place. After starting in February 2025, he was then sacked in September after new information about his ties with Epstein emerged.
The PM, speaking to the Mirror at the weekend, said it was “outrageous” the Foreign Office did not inform him that they had overruled a recommendation for him not be appointed.
He added: “The fact that I wasn’t told when I said to Parliament that due process had been followed is unforgivable, and that’s why I intend to set out in Parliament on Monday the facts behind that, so there’s full transparency in relation to it.”
READ MORE: Livid Keir Starmer insists ‘I wasn’t told’ as he faces MPs’ grilling over Mandelson scandalREAD MORE: Keir Starmer’s Cabinet rally to PM’s defence as he faces crunch moment
Political legacy
Politics runs deep in Mandelson’s family. He is the grandson of Herbert Morrison, one of Labour’s most powerful 20th-century figures, who served as Deputy Prime Minister and held several senior cabinet roles.
He was first elected as MP for Hartlepool in 1992, quickly becoming one of Tony Blair’s closest allies and architects of New Labour’s polished image.
He served in several senior roles, including Business Secretary and Northern Ireland Secretary, but his career was twice derailed by high-profile resignations.
Despite setbacks, he repeatedly returned to frontline politics, later serving as European Commissioner for Trade and re-entering UK government under Gordon Brown before Labour’s 2010 defeat. But in the latest tranche of emails released by the US justice department, questions were raised over whether Mandelson had passed on market-sensitive information to Epstein while serving in Gordon Brown’s government as trade secretary – which he has denied.
In February, he was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office and released the same day, with police saying he remains under investigation.
His position is that he has not acted in any way criminally and was not motivated by financial gain.
Romance and ‘open’ relationship
Away from politics, Mandelson’s personal life has been defined by a decades-long relationship with Brazilian translator Reinaldo Avila da Silva.
The pair met in the mid 1990’s while both on holiday in the Caribbean, when Mandelson was in his 40s and an MP for Hartlepool. The couple were together for 27 years before marrying in October 2023. Writing about the decision, he reflected on the challenges of being a gay man in public life during a less tolerant era, revealing how his sexuality had been exposed without his consent and used against him politically. Reinaldo’s existence in Mandelson’s life became public in 1998, when he was named as ‘Peter’s friend’ by The Sunday Express.
Marriage, he said, brought a new sense of “emotional comfort and strength” after years of navigating a hostile environment against LGBTQ+ people in politics after being publicly outed in the press as well as rival colleagues who he claims used his sexuality against him.
Despite his high profile, Mandelson has generally kept his private life out of the spotlight, while his husband, who is 19 years his junior, has remained largely out of public view.
Announcing the news, he wrote in a piece for The Times that marrying Reinaldo brought him “emotional comfort” and “strength” but noted how trying to retain their privacy “has been a failure”. He said: “So I am delighted to make it a glorious failure, by declaring our love publicly through marriage. There is nothing to hide so why create the impression there is? Reinaldo, meanwhile, is going to keep his own counsel and I don’t blame him. But, for me, it is easier now to be gay and high profile and marriage has put a welcome seal on my happiness and on the past.”
But despite keeping a low profile, Reinaldo was also mentioned in the Epstein files. While it doesn’t indicate any wrongdoing, it was found the disgraced billionaire had transferred money to him in 2009 to help fund an osteopathy course.
Increased pressure was placed on Mandelson after bank statements suggested Jeffrey Epstein could have sent $50,000 to the former Labour peer across two payments in 2004.
Shortly after, the politician quit his leading role in the party for over 30 years, as he didn’t want to “cause further embarrassment”. In a letter to Labour’s general secretary, he wrote: “Allegations which I believe to be false that he made financial payments to me 20 years ago, and of which I have no record or recollection, need investigating by me.
“While doing this I do not wish to cause further embarrassment to the Labour Party and I am therefore stepping down from membership of the party. I want to take this opportunity to repeat my apology to the women and girls whose voices should have been heard long before now.”
Denying seeing girls at Epstein properties
In a statement following his sacking as Ambassador to the US last year, Lord Mandelson said: “I was wrong to believe Epstein following his conviction and to continue my association with him afterwards.
“I apologise unequivocally for doing so to the women and girls who suffered. I was never culpable or complicit in his crimes. Like everyone else I learned the actual truth about him after his death. But his 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.”
A photo released in the Epstein files allegedly captured Mandelson standing in his white pants and in a black t-shirt alongside an unknown woman. The ex-Lord said he had no recollection of where that image was taken and who that woman was, even suggesting he had no knowledge if the documents were genuine.
Inclusion in the Epstein files is not an indication of guilt or awareness of Epstein’s crimes.
In one email thread from 2012, Epstein and his associates discuss arranging for two women to come to Epstein’s house to meet Lord Mandelson while he was staying there. “Hope all is well,” Lesley Goff, an associate of Epstein wrote in an email to a woman identified as “Svetlana”.
“Jeffrey will be in NY next week and Peter Mandelson will be around as well. Jeffrey was asking if you and “your friend” could come by and meet Peter.” Lord Mandelson said: “I do not know who [Svetlana] is and I do not recall meeting her or her female friend.”
In an email exchange from 2010, Lord Mandelson chatted to Epstein about Gordon Brown’s infamous ‘bigotgate’ gaffe within an hour of it happening. During the 2010 campaign, the former PM was caught calling Rochdale pensioner Gillian Duffy a “bigoted woman” on a hot mic while driving away from a meet and greet in his car.
Less than an hour later – Mandelson sent Epstein a message from his Blackberry, which read: “GB just caught on tape describing a pensioner woman as a bigot for raising immigration with him. The election catches fire.”
Epstein replied later, giving advice for how Brown should handle it: “Whoops…I already read it. He can’t backpedal now. He repudiates. All unfairness. Wherever it is found.”
In an email from 2009, Lord Mandelson asks Epstein if he can “stay at yours Friday-Sunday this weekend.” Epstein asks “press issues?” before saying: “Your call I’m thrilled to host and sad I’m not there.” Mandelson replies that it should be OK adding: “Better ‘facilities’ at yours.” At this point, Epstein replied to someone else and copied Mandelson in, asking them to “implement” the arrangements.
