Former UK Minister Lord Mandelson Resigns Amid Epstein Files Controversy

LONDON – Former British minister Lord Mandelson has resigned from the Labour Party following revelations linking him to the notorious convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Mandelson stated that he did not want to create further embarrassment for the party.

Mandelson, who was removed from his post as the UK ambassador to the United States last year due to past connections with Epstein, appeared again in newly released court documents from the US Department of Justice. According to the records, Epstein allegedly gave Mandelson a total of $75,000 in three separate payments of $25,000 each during 2003 and 2004.

In a letter to the Labour Party General Secretary, Mandelson expressed regret over his association with the recent controversy surrounding Epstein. “I feel deep remorse for being inadvertently linked to the outrage over Jeffrey Epstein this week. I do not want to place the party in an awkward position, and that is why I am stepping down,” he wrote.

Mandelson maintained that he believes the allegations of receiving money two decades ago are false and unproven. He added that he cannot recall the events in detail and emphasized the importance of verifying the facts. He also expressed his desire to apologize to women who should have been heard much earlier.

Labour Party MP Gordon Mackie told BBC Radio 4 that the recent disclosures are understandably upsetting for Epstein’s victims and that Mandelson made the right decision by resigning from the party.

A Conservative Party spokesperson criticized Prime Minister Keir Starmer for allowing Mandelson to resign voluntarily rather than taking action earlier. Other Conservative leaders have called for an official investigation into Mandelson’s connections with Epstein.

The revelations also included photos of Mandelson, allegedly from US court records, showing him in underwear, though the context and location of the images remain unclear. Mandelson stated he does not recognize the women or remember the circumstances in which the photos were taken.

Epstein, who was convicted in 2008 through a plea deal and later died in a New York prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges, has been the subject of intense scrutiny worldwide. The newly released US court documents represent some of the largest disclosures of financial and personal interactions involving Epstein to date.

Mandelson has a long history with the Labour Party, dating back to the 1980s. He is the grandson of Herbert Morrison, a minister in Clement Attlee’s 1945 government, and was appointed UK ambassador to Washington in December 2024. He was removed from that role the following September after new details about his ties to Epstein emerged.