Lord Peter Mandelson has publicly addressed his controversial association with the convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, stopping short of a direct personal apology to the financier's victims. In his first broadcast interview since being dismissed as the UK's ambassador to the United States, the Labour peer told the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg he had paid a "calamitous" price for the friendship.
A 'Most Terrible Mistake' and Misplaced Loyalty
Speaking on Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, Mandelson described Epstein as an "evil monster" but maintained he was unaware of his crimes. He attributed his continued support for Epstein after his 2008 conviction for soliciting a child for prostitution to "misplaced loyalty" and "a most terrible mistake on my part."
The peer, a former business secretary, said he had believed Epstein's excuses at the time. He sought to explain his proximity to Epstein by suggesting that "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 insisted he never witnessed anything suspicious during his visits to Epstein's homes.
The Emails That Cost Him His Post
Mandelson's diplomatic appointment by Sir Keir Starmer unravelled in September last year when emails emerged showing the extent of his support for Epstein post-conviction. Downing Street stated it had been unaware of this correspondence, which led to his swift removal from the Washington role.
In one released email, Mandelson wrote to Epstein expressing disbelief at the conviction, stating "It just could not happen in Britain" and urging him to "fight for early release." Another message, found in Epstein's 50th birthday book, described the financier as "my best pal." Mandelson conceded these messages were "toe-curlingly embarrassing" but claimed he was merely "at the edge of this man's life."
An Apology for the System, Not His Actions
When pressed by Kuenssberg on whether he would apologise to Epstein's victims for maintaining the friendship, Lord Mandelson offered a carefully worded response. He declined to apologise for his own actions, stating he would only do so if he had been "complicit or culpable," which he denied.
Instead, he expressed sorrow for a broader failure: "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." He added that he would regret this systemic failure "to my dying day."
On the subject of his sacking as US ambassador, Mandelson struck a conciliatory note. "I understand why I was sacked," he said, acknowledging Sir Keir Starmer's decision. He emphasised his intention to move on, stating, "I'm not going to seek to reopen or relitigate this issue."
The interview marks Mandelson's most detailed public account of a relationship that abruptly ended his brief tenure as a key diplomatic figure for the UK government.
