In a revealing BBC interview, Lord Peter Mandelson broke his silence regarding his controversial association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The former UK ambassador to the United States maintained he remained unaware of Epstein’s predatory activities during their friendship, claiming he never witnessed any underage girls at the financier’s multiple properties.
Mandelson’s diplomatic career abruptly ended when leaked correspondence revealed he had sent supportive messages to Epstein following his 2008 conviction for soliciting prostitution from a minor. The correspondence, which included encouragement for Epstein to ‘fight for early release’ and expressions of personal admiration, ultimately led to Mandelson’s dismissal from his ambassadorial post after mere months in office.
When pressed by interviewer Laura Kuenssberg about apologizing to Epstein’s victims, Mandelson offered a conditional response: ‘I want to apologise to those women for a system that refused to hear their voices and did not give them the protection they were entitled to expect. That system gave him protection and not them.’ He emphasized he would only offer direct apology if he had been ‘complicit or culpable,’ which he vehemently denied.
The former Labour minister presented a novel explanation for his alleged ignorance of Epstein’s crimes, suggesting his sexual orientation might have factored into his exclusion from that aspect of Epstein’s life. ‘Because I was a gay man in his circle I was kept separate from what he was doing in the sexual side of his life,’ Mandelson stated, though he acknowledged some might find this explanation unconvincing.
Regarding his much-discussed visits to Epstein’s private island, Mandelson asserted he only encountered ‘middle-aged housekeepers’ during his stays, with Epstein himself notably absent during these visits. He admitted the emails that caused his dismissal had surprised him as well, claiming they ‘no longer existed on my server’ and that he hadn’t remembered sending them.
The political fallout continued with Labour’s Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander criticizing Mandelson’s comments as demonstrating ‘at best, deep naivety.’ She emphasized that a direct apology to Epstein’s victims would have been more appropriate given the severity of their suffering.
Downing Street issued a statement clarifying that the depth of Mandelson’s relationship with Epstein, particularly his suggestion that Epstein’s conviction was wrongful, represented ‘materially different’ information than what was known during his appointment process. The government emphasized its decision considered ‘the victims of Epstein’s crimes’ directly.
In the same interview, Mandelson also addressed geopolitical matters, offering analysis on President Trump’s interest in Greenland and the growing strategic importance of the Arctic region in countering Chinese and Russian influence.