Labour veteran Peter Mandelson’s bombshell decision comes after Keir Starmer called for his former ambassador to be kicked out of the Lords and said he had let the country down
Labour veteran Peter Mandelson is stepping down from the House of Lords after facing a fresh wave of fury over his links to Jeffrey Epstein.
Announcing the move, the Speaker of the Lords told peers today: “Given the public interest and for the convenience of the House, I’ve decided to inform the House that the clerk of the Parliaments has today received notification from Lord Mandelson of his intention to retire from the House, effective from February 4. I will formally notify this to the house tomorrow in the usual way.”
Lord Mandelson’s decision comes just after Keir Starmer called for his former ambassador to be kicked out of the Lords and said he had let the country down over the scandal. Earlier No10 said the Cabinet Office had also referred material to the police following a review of the Jeffrey Epstein files.
It found they contained “likely market sensitive information” and official handling safeguards had been “compromised” in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crash. Emails released on Friday suggested the Labour veteran may have passed market-sensitive information to Epstein while he was Business Secretary under Gordon Brown.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “An initial review of the documents released in relation to Jeffrey Epstein by the US Department of Justice has found that they contain likely market sensitive information surrounding the 2008 financial crash and official activities thereafter to stabilise the economy.
“Only people operating in an official capacity had access to this information and strict handling conditions to ensure it was not available to anyone who could potentially benefit from it financially. It appears the safeguards were compromised. In light of this information, the Cabinet Office has referred this material to the police. As we said yesterday, it is right for the police to determine whether to investigate. And as the Prime Minister has indicated at cabinet this morning, the Government stands ready to provide whatever support and assistance the police need.”
Mr Starmer told the Cabinet on Tuesday morning that Mandelson “had let this country down” as he piled pressure on him to quit the Lords. The PM said the public would find it “gobsmacking” a senior politician saying they couldn’t recall receiving significant sums of money.
On Sunday, after the documents indicating he had received three payments of $25,000 from Epstein came to light, Mandelson insisted: “I have no record and no recollection of receiving these sums and do not know if the documents are authentic.”
Mandelson was sacked as ambassador to the US in September after emails revealing he had coached Epstein came to light. Cross-party talks have been launched over new legislation that could see him and other disgraced peers removed from the House of Lords.
