Peter Mandelson has been dismissed as the United Kingdom’s ambassador to the United States after publication this week of material highlighting his long‑standing relationships with the late financier Jeffrey Epstein and Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska, the British government and the peer’s former firm said.
The disclosures rekindle controversies that date back more than a decade, including an undeclared 2005 trip to Russia that led to a high‑profile libel battle and a 2013 court ruling that found aspects of the conduct surrounding the trip inappropriate and capable of bringing Mandelson’s public office into disrepute.
Mandelson, a former Labour cabinet minister and European Commissioner for Trade, was reported to have had a close friendship with Epstein and to have appeared in images and handwritten entries in a book associated with Ghislaine Maxwell. The newly public material includes emails in which Epstein addressed Mandelson by the nickname “Petie” and a note Mandelson wrote referring to Epstein as “my best pal,” according to reporting. Mandelson has denied impropriety in past accounts.
Separately, the former European trade commissioner’s relationships with Nat Rothschild and Oleg Deripaska were the subject of an extensive Daily Mail investigation published in 2010 that alleged Mandelson had travelled on Rothschild’s aircraft to Moscow and subsequently attended private meetings and industrial visits with Deripaska. Rothschild sued the newspaper for libel but the judge in the trial found in favour of the paper and later the Supreme Court ordered Rothschild to pay the paper’s legal costs in October 2013.
In his 2013 judgment, the Honourable Mr Justice Tugendhat said Rothschild had not been "entirely candid" throughout the litigation and that some conduct had ‘‘foreseeably brought Lord Mandelson's public office and personal integrity into disrepute and exposed him to accusations of conflict of interest.’’ The judge said there were reasonable grounds to suspect Mandelson had engaged in improper discussions with Deripaska about aluminium. Rothschild repeatedly appealed and ultimately failed to overturn the ruling.
Court evidence and testimony at the time described a series of private movements and meetings that were not declared to EU authorities, including a dinner in Moscow at the Cantinetta Antinori and subsequent travel on Deripaska’s private jet to industrial sites in Siberia. Rothschild, called as a witness in the libel action, gave graphic testimony about social visits that included a Russian banya, and at one point downplayed Mandelson’s presence at an aluminium smelter as lasting a "nanosecond," a remark that drew public attention.
Mandelson served as European Commissioner for Trade from 2004 and later returned to the UK political scene as a peer. After leaving office he established a consultancy, Global Counsel, and pursued business opportunities internationally. In recent days Global Counsel indicated it was removing Mandelson from an active role and seeking an investor to buy his stake, according to statements from the firm.
The revelations have prompted criticism in Parliament and renewed scrutiny of the decision by Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer to appoint Mandelson as ambassador. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said the prime minister and Labour leadership faced "serious questions" over the appointment. A Labour spokesperson said the government had acted swiftly once the extent of the allegations became clear.
Deripaska, who emerged as one of the central figures in the earlier controversy over aluminium tariffs and business dealings in Russia, has since been sanctioned by the United Kingdom, the European Union and the United States following Russia’s full‑scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The sanctions regime has affected a number of Russian businessmen who developed their fortunes in the post‑Soviet period.
The newly surfaced materials also contain emails from 2010 and 2011 that have been cited in media reporting. One 2010 message from Epstein to Mandelson stated: "I like to see my suggestions come to fruition," language that commentators said raised questions about the nature of their relationship. A 2011 exchange shows an Epstein lawyer forwarding an inquiry about a bank transaction with a single‑word note: "Ignoring." Those items do not by themselves prove wrongdoing; they have, however, intensified public and political interest in the peer’s private associations.
Mandelson has previously faced public controversy over financial relationships and lobbying activities. He resigned from government posts twice in earlier stages of his career over separate scandals tied to perceived conflicts of interest and later moved into consultancy and advisory roles that drew scrutiny because of clients and contacts overseas.
The legal history connected to the Russia trip remains part of the public record. The libel case began after the Daily Mail’s 2010 story and progressed through the courts, culminating in the 2013 finding on costs and the trial judge’s comments on Rothschild’s conduct. Those findings were widely reported at the time and formed the basis for ongoing questions about relationships between senior officials and wealthy foreign figures with commercial interests in matters those officials were responsible for.
Following the most recent disclosures, the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office confirmed Mandelson’s removal from the ambassadorial post. Global Counsel said it was in discussions about his equity position and that the firm would seek to protect its business and client interests. Parliamentary committees and opposition politicians said they intend to seek further documentation and briefings on the matter.
The renewed attention to Mandelson’s associations highlights enduring concerns in British political life about transparency, conflicts of interest and the boundaries between public office and private business — concerns that have persisted across successive administrations and several legal proceedings since the mid‑2000s.