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LAST UPDATE | 1 hr ago
PETER MANDELSON IS to step down from the House of Lords.
It comes amid the alleged disclosure of confidential UK government information to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein by Mandelson, a former business secretary.
The move was announced this afternoon by the speaker of the house, Michael Forsyth.
He told the upper chamber: “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 4 February.”
British prime minister Keir Starmer had threatened legislation within weeks to strip Mandelson of his title while the police are assessing information relating to alleged misconduct in public office.
The Cabinet Office has passed material to the police after an initial review of documents released as part of the so-called Epstein files found they contained “likely market-sensitive information” and official handling safeguards had been “compromised”.
It came after Starmer told his Cabinet that the alleged transmission of highly-sensitive government business to Epstein was “disgraceful” and Mandelson had “let his country down”.
Former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown yesterday called for a new investigation into the alleged disclosure of confidential government information by Mandelson.
Brown said that he had asked the current British cabinet secretary to examine the apparent transfer of “highly sensitive and market-sensitive” information from the then-business department to the disgraced financier and convicted sex offender, following the release of a fresh tranche of Epstein-related documents by US authorities.
In a statement issued to the press, Brown said he first raised concerns last September after earlier Epstein papers emerged, writing to request an investigation into communications between Mandelson and Epstein about the sale of government assets.
That inquiry, Brown said, concluded in November that no departmental record of such disclosures could be found.
“Given the shocking new information that has come to light in the latest tranche of Epstein papers, including information about the transfer to Mr Epstein of at least one highly sensitive government document as well as other highly confidential information, I have now written to ask for a wider and more intensive inquiry,” Brown said.
He added that he had asked for the results of the inquiry to be published “as soon as possible” given the level of public interest.
The latest documents appear to show Mandelson, who was business secretary and a senior figure in Brown’s government, forwarding internal government briefings to Epstein in 2009, at a time when the UK was grappling with the aftermath of the global financial crash.
One email suggests Mandelson passed on an economic memo discussing the potential sale of government assets, writing to Epstein: “Interesting note that’s gone to the PM.”
Other released material indicates Mandelson may have provided Epstein with advance notice of a major EU bailout, lobbied the British treasury over a tax on bankers’ bonuses following conversations with Epstein, and assisted an Epstein associate in securing a major deal with the UK government.
There were also consultations about how Mandelson could build his business career when Labour lost the 2010 election.
On other occasions, the contact between Mandelson and Epstein appeared to be more personal.
“Need to talk, feeling confused,” Mandelson wrote to Epstein in April 2009.
“Where r u? I miss you”, he emailed on 22 December 2010.
According to BBC reporting this morning, one of the participants in an internal government email exchange later forwarded to Epstein is believed to have been Gordon Brown himself, using a private email account.
Mandelson has said his actions in government reflected the views of the financial sector as a whole and not those of any single individual.
He has also said he has no recollection of receiving payments allegedly made to him by Epstein and has questioned the authenticity of the documents.
The Metropolitan Police are currently reviewing reports of alleged misconduct in public office linked to the disclosures, to determine whether they meet the threshold for a criminal investigation.
Mandelson resigned from the Labour Party on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Labour’s MEP for Dublin Aodhán Ó Ríordáin has called on the EU Commission to investigate Mandelson’s actions during his time as EU trade commissioner, a role he held from 2004 to 2008.
Ó Ríordáin said it is “clear from material which has been leaked that Epstein was engaged in information brokerage”.
He has submitted a written question asking the EU commision to conduct a review of the Epstein files released by the US Government to “identify all communications between Mandelson, Epstein and related parties during his period as Trade commissioner”.
He has also called on the EU Commission to conduct a review of Commission files related to Mandelson’s activities as trade commissioner to “identify behaviour or activity which would indicate a conflict of interest or any other activity breaching EU rules”.
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