A newly published cache of emails obtained by Bloomberg and reported in British media shows Lord Peter Mandelson corresponding with Jeffrey Epstein as US authorities closed in on the financier, including messages that sought outside assistance as Epstein faced criminal charges.
The correspondence, some of it dated to 2006 and 2008, includes an email from Mandelson to Epstein asking "What's cooking?" after Florida police moved to charge Epstein, and other messages in which Mandelson offered "Here whenever you need." The Bloomberg cache also contains a message Mandelson sent the day before Epstein reported to jail in 2008, urging him to "fight for early release," according to published excerpts.
The emails, parts of which were disclosed as court exhibits and in materials released by congressional officials, depict repeated contact between the two men over several years. In January 2008 Epstein wrote to Mandelson about a figure he called "Mr Big," asking Mandelson to prompt an unnamed associate to remind that person ahead of a meeting with Epstein's defence lawyer. Bloomberg's cache does not identify who "Mr Big" or "your guy" refer to.
Epstein pleaded guilty in a Florida court on June 30, 2008, to two counts of soliciting a minor for prostitution and was sentenced to 18 months in jail under a controversial agreement that prosecutors later said was improperly limited. Ghislaine Maxwell, who compiled a social "birthday book" containing messages and photographs from friends of Epstein, has been convicted of recruitment and is serving a 20-year sentence.
The emails and other material published this week revive scrutiny of Mandelson's relationship with Epstein and have intensified political pressure in London. Mandelson, a former Labour cabinet minister and EU trade commissioner who was appointed British ambassador to the United States by Prime Minister Keir Starmer earlier this year, acknowledged the fallout in a media interview and expressed regret for continuing the association longer than he should have.
Downing Street said that Starmer was fully briefed before Mandelson's appointment and that the ambassadorial selection followed the usual vetting processes. "All candidates for ambassador posts are subject to extensive vetting and background checks by the Foreign Office and Cabinet Office as a matter of course," the prime minister's official spokesman told reporters. Starmer also told MPs that "full due process was followed during this appointment, as it is with all ambassadors."
Conservative critics called for further action. Opposition leader in the House of Commons Kemi Badenoch said the revelations made Mandelson's position "untenable" and questioned how due process could have resulted in the appointment. Lawyers for some of Epstein's victims, including Spencer Kuvin and Lisa Bloom, urged a police inquiry into Mandelson's contact with Epstein. Sarah Ransome, who has described herself as a victim of Epstein, also called for Mandelson to be dismissed from public office.
Mandelson has defended his conduct by saying he never saw evidence of wrongdoing and that he was misled by Epstein. In a broadcast interview recorded before the latest tranche of emails was published, he said he regretted having been deceived and expressed sympathy for Epstein's victims. He denied ever arranging introductions to women for Epstein and described his own earlier statements as based on what he believed at the time.
The emails add detail about the relationship between Mandelson and Epstein, including a 10-page birthday message from 2003 in which Mandelson described Epstein as "my best pal" and included photographs from a trip to Epstein's Caribbean island. Published court documents and exhibits also show Mandelson visited Epstein properties and remained in contact with him for several years after Epstein's 2008 conviction, according to reporting.
The newly disclosed material also references negotiations and contacts that Epstein's defence team was pursuing in 2008. Prosecutors had warned in 2008 that a federal indictment could be pursued if a plea was not reached. The eventual state plea deal spared Epstein a federal trial but has been widely criticised by victims' advocates and some federal officials.
Mandelson's defenders have pointed to the public record of his association with Epstein prior to his appointment as ambassador and to the Foreign Office's vetting process. Downing Street said the relationship was known when Mandelson was appointed and that the government had considered the available information.
The revelations come as Mandelson faced other scrutiny over the extent and timing of his contacts with Epstein, including correspondence about a proposed financial transaction involving a UK taxpayer-owned business. The government said it would consider the new material and respond to any formal requests for investigation.
Legal and political fallout is likely to continue as lawmakers, victims' advocates and the public examine the newly released emails. Mandelson's case underscores ongoing questions about how friendships and private relationships between prominent public figures and convicted offenders are handled by institutions, and how those relationships factor into public appointments.
Officials in the United States and the United Kingdom have not announced new criminal inquiries into Mandelson based on the emails. British police have previously said they would investigate credible allegations; US prosecutors conducted a separate federal probe into Epstein's activities. Requests for comment from Mandelson's office were directed to his earlier statement expressing regret and denial of knowledge of criminal conduct.
The published material arrives amid broader public interest in Epstein's network, the handling of his 2008 plea agreement, and subsequent litigation and congressional scrutiny of his associates. Lawmakers and campaigners have said the newly surfaced documents will be examined alongside prior disclosures to determine whether further action, including formal inquiries, is warranted.