MANDELSON RESIGNS OVER EPSTEIN FILES- Former UK minister Mandelson quits Labour after new Epstein revelations
Former British government minister Peter Mandelson has resigned from the Labour Party, the party of Prime Minister Keir Starmer, after new reports of his ties to disgraced U.S. financier Jeffrey Epstein, media reported on Sunday (February 1).
Mandelson, who was fired by Starmer as Britain’s ambassador to the United States last year after previous revelations about his connections to Epstein, said he did not wish to cause “further embarrassment” to Labour, the reports said.
Mandelson said he believed allegations that Epstein made financial payments to him, which appeared in British media based on files released by the U.S. Justice Department, were false, and that he would investigate them.
Mandelson was key to the Labour Party’s electoral success when Tony Blair was prime minister, starting in the 1990s.
He came under scrutiny last year after U.S. lawmakers released documents, including a letter in which he called Epstein “my best pal,” leading to his dismissal as Britain’s envoy in Washington.
Mandelson, a former European Union trade commissioner, is on leave of absence as a member of the upper house of Britain’s national parliament.
Separately, Starmer said on Saturday that Britain’s former Prince Andrew should testify before a U.S. congressional committee, following new revelations about his links to Epstein.
