British Ambassador to US rejects Epstein question - then admits 'regret'
Britain's Ambassador to the US Lord Peter Mandelson yesterday admitted he wishes he'd "never met" Jeffrey Epstein.
The Labour peer firstly rejected a question from a journalist about his relationship with the disgraced paedophile Epstein. But he then admitted he had "regret" over ever meeting the American financier, who died in 2019 while waiting for his trial on sex trafficking charges.
Asked whether he stayed at Epstein's apartment in New Yew York June 2009, Lord Mandelson told Sky News on Tuesday: "I'm not answering any questions about him."
Pressed about him being in jail at the time, he added: "My knowledge of him is something that I regret. I wish I'd never met him in the first place."
Asked why he had an association with him, while he was in jail, Lord Mandelson said: "Why did many people meet him? He was a prolific networker and I wish I'd never met him in the first place." READ MORE: Peter Mandelson launches into sweary tirade at journalist over Jeffrey Epstein question
Lord Mandelson firstly said: 'I'm not answering any questions about him' (Image: Sky News)
In February, Lord Mandelson became frustrated during an interview marking his new role as Britain's Ambassador to the US. The Labour peer hit out at interest in his relationship with Epstein an "obsession" and launched into a sweary tirade at a journalist.
Lord Mandelson has not been accused of wrongdoing by an Epstein victim. But a 2019 JPMorgan internal report filed in a New York court in 2023 described multiple meetings between the two men, stating: "Jeffrey Epstein appears to maintain a particularly close relationship with Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, and Lord Peter Mandelson, a senior member of the British government."
Photo provided by the New York State Sex Offender Registry shows Jeffrey Epstein (Image: AP)
And emails which surfaced earlier this year showed he was still in touch with the disgraced financier as recently as 2012. "I regret ever meeting him or being introduced to him by his partner Ghislaine Maxwell," he told the Financial Times (FT).
"I regret even more the hurt he caused to many young women." He went on: "I'm not going to go into this. It's an FT obsession and frankly you can all f*** off. OK?"
Lord Mandelson, a key figure in Tony Blair's New Labour Government, was one of Keir Starmer's key advisors in the build-up to the General Election. The former Business Secretary, who held multiple positions under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, was appointed Ambassador after being considered a trusted pair of hands to deal with Donald Trump.
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Victims of paedophile Epstein reacted with revulsion after Keir Starmer appointed Lord Mandelson UK ambassador to the States. One of those sexually assaulted by Epstein told the Mirror in December: "As a survivor of Jeffrey Epstein's depravity, I'm horrified by Peter Mandelson's appointment.
"This isn't just a poor choice. It's an insult to every survivor who fought to expose Epstein's web of power and exploitation. What's even more shocking is your prime minister's clear support of the decision." READ MORE: Join our Mirror politics WhatsApp group to get the latest updates from Westminster
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