Peter Mandelson, a former British government minister, has stepped down from Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labor party in light of fresh reports concerning his ties to the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, according to media sources on Sunday.
Mandelson, who was removed from his position as Britain’s ambassador to the US by Starmer last year after previous revelations about his connections to Epstein, stated that he did not want to bring “further embarrassment” to the Labor party.
In a letter to the party, Mandelson remarked, “I regret and apologize for this, as it adds to the understandable uproar over Jeffrey Epstein this weekend,” though the letter wasn’t immediately accessible to Reuters.
He asserted that he believes the allegations regarding Epstein’s payments to him, published in British media based on US Department of Justice files, are false and mentioned he would seek further investigation into them.
“While doing this, I do not wish to embarrass the Labor Party any further, so I am stepping down as a member of the party,” his letter included.
Mandelson was instrumental in the Labor party’s electoral victories during Tony Blair’s leadership in the 1990s.
Last year, Epstein faced significant scrutiny after a US lawmaker released documents, including a letter where he referred to Epstein as “my best friend,” which led to Mandelson’s dismissal as Britain’s special envoy to Washington.
His early career in domestic politics had its own challenges. In 1998, he faced controversy over conflicts of interest and resigned as trade minister due to a loan he had received from another minister to purchase a home.
His second term as a cabinet minister ended in 2001 when he resigned following accusations related to Indian billionaire’s passport scandal, although he was later cleared of any wrongdoing.
Mandelson, who previously served as a trade commissioner for the European Union, is currently on leave from his position in the UK’s upper house of parliament.
In a separate statement, Starmer mentioned on Saturday that former Prince Andrew should give testimony to a US parliamentary committee in light of new information about his ties to Epstein.
