Timeline of Lord Mandelson’s controversial relationship with Jeffrey Epstein
British ambassador to US was sacked over his ties to paedophile financier
Lord Peter Mandelson has resigned his membership of the Labour Party to avoid causing “further embarrassment” after a weekend of further revelations over his links to Jeffrey Epstein.
Here is what we know about the pair’s relationship.
2002
Lord Mandelson writes a memo encouraging the then prime minister Tony Blair to meet Epstein, according to The Times.
2003
Lord Mandelson’s message to Epstein, in which he describes him as his “best pal”, is included in a “birthday book” compiled by convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell.
2006
As police in Florida suggest Epstein should be charged with four counts of unlawful sexual activity with a minor, Lord Mandelson says “I am following you closely and here whenever you need”, after Epstein tells him he is “attempting to set up another prosecutor meeting”, according to Bloomberg.
Epstein is later arrested and Bloomberg reports that Lord Mandelson asks the paedophile for updates on the same day, saying “keep me posted”.
2007
Epstein’s lawyers engage in discussion with Miami attorney Alexander Acosta about a plea bargain that would allow him to avoid prosecution.
2008
Epstein pleads guilty to soliciting prostitution and soliciting a minor and is sentenced to 18 months in a minimum-security prison.
The US attorney’s office agrees not to prosecute Epstein for more serious federal crimes in a secret arrangement.
Lord Mandelson writes emails showing support for Epstein while he is facing charges for soliciting a minor, including one that says “Your friends stay with you and love you”.
The emails, reported by The Sun, also show the former Labour minister tells Epstein to “fight for early release” shortly before his prison sentence.
2009
Lord Mandelson stays at Epstein’s Manhattan apartment while the paedophile is serving his 18-month sentence, an internal report by the JP Morgan bank suggests.
Epstein is released from prison after serving 13 months.
2010
During his time as business secretary, Lord Mandelson brokered a deal with Epstein for the sale of a UK taxpayer-owned banking business.
2019
Epstein is arrested on sex trafficking charges after lawyers in New York conclude they are not bound by the secret non-prosecution agreement.
The paedophile financier is found dead in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Centre in New York a month later.
Lord Mandelson’s affiliation with Epstein is thrown into the spotlight after a picture of him with the paedophile financier on St Barts is published.
2025
Lord Mandelson tells a Financial Times reporter to “f*** off” after being asked about his relationship with Epstein.
The House Oversight Committee in the US releases a number of documents from the Epstein estate, including the “birthday book” with Lord Mandelson’s message in it.
Lord Mandelson describes his birthday message to Epstein as “very embarrassing” during an interview with The Sun’s Harry Cole Saves the West programme.
Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer asks Lord Mandelson to stand down.
2026
Lord Mandelson features in the more than three million documents released by the US Department of Justice related to paedophile financier Epstein.
Among them were files that suggested Epstein had made $75,000 in payments to Lord Mandelson between 2003 and 2004, when he was a Labour MP.
In an email exchange from 2009, Lord Mandelson appeared to tell Epstein he would lobby ministers about a tax on bankers bonuses.
Lord Mandelson said he had written to Hollie Ridley, general secretary of the Labour Party to say he was resigning his party membership.
“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,” he said.
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