Peter Mandelson ‘misconduct’ studies reviewed by police amid Epstein information fury
Keir Starmer also called for an urgent rule change so Peter Mandelson- who was sacked last year as UK ambassador to the US – can be kicked out of the House of Lords
Labour veteran Peter Mandelson(Image: PA)
Police are reviewing reports of misconduct in a public office after Peter Mandelson was accused of leaking sensitive information to billionaire paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
It comes after Keir Starmer called for an urgent rule change so the Labour veteran – who was sacked last year as UK ambassador to the US – can be kicked out of the House of Lords.
The country’s top civil servant has also been tasked with carrying out a review after documents apparently showed Lord Mandelson passing information to Epstein while the peer was a cabinet minister in Gordon Brown ’s government. Some critics have called on police to investigate potential misconduct in public office.
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In a statement on Monday evening , the Metropolitan Police Commander Ella Marriott said: “We are aware of the further release of millions of court documents in relation to Jeffrey Epstein by the United States Department of Justice. Following this release and subsequent media reporting, the Met has received a number of reports relating to alleged misconduct in a public office. The reports will all be reviewed to determine if they meet the criminal threshold for investigation.”
Lord Mandelson is in the spotlight once again after his name appeared a number of times in millions of pages released by the US Department of Justice on Friday as part of the so-called “Epstein files”. Documents released by the US Department of Justice indicate Epstein was sent details of internal discussions from the heart of the UK government after the global financial crisis.
Lord Mandelson, the then-business secretary, appeared to tell Epstein he would lobby ministers over a tax on bankers’ bonuses in 2009, and to confirm an imminent bailout package for the euro the day before it was announced in 2010. Bank statements from 2003 and 2004 appeared to show he received payments totalling 75,000 US dollars from the financier, and Epstein is also said to have paid for an osteopathy course for Lord Mandelson’s husband.
Following the document dump on Friday, Mr Starmer urged Lord Mandelson to quit the House of Lords, with Downing Street saying the Prime Minister believes he should “not be a member… or use the title”.
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Downing Street said the PM had asked Cabinet Secretary Sir Chris Wormald to conduct “an urgent review” looking at “all available information regarding Mandelson’s contacts with Epstein during his period as a government minister”. Former prime minister Mr Brown said he had asked Sir Chris to investigate the disclosure of “confidential and market sensitive information” during the global financial crisis.
Mr Starmer’s official spokesman said: “The PM has asked for this to be urgently looked at. The Prime Minister believes Peter Mandelson should not be a member of the House of Lords or use the title. However, the Prime Minister does not have the power to remove it. He is calling on those in the Lords to work with the government to modernise disciplinary procedures in the House to allow the easier removal of Lords who brought the House into disrepute….”
“We’ve been very clear that we want to reform the House of Lords and that includes strengthening the circumstances in which disgraced members can be removed.”
The Liberal Democrats earlier called on police to investigate Lord Mandelson for potential misconduct in public office. Education Secretary Ms Phillipson said it was “as serious as it gets” and was “not the conduct befitting a government minister”. Asked if police should be involved, she said: “I’m not well placed to make that judgment but as with all of this, if there is evidence of criminality then of course that should be pursued.”
A Labour Party spokesman said: “It is right that Peter Mandelson is no longer a member of the Labour Party. Disciplinary action was underway prior to his resignation. Jeffrey Epstein’s heinous crimes destroyed the lives of so many women and girls, and our thoughts remain with his victims.”
Lord Mandelson wrote to the general secretary of the Labour Party on Sunday to say he was resigning his party membership. In his letter, he said: “Allegations which I believe to be false that he made financial payments to me 20 years ago, and of which I have no record or recollection, need investigating by me.“While doing this I do not wish to cause further embarrassment to the Labour Party and I am therefore stepping down from membership of the party.”
In his letter, he added that he wanted to “repeat my apology to the women and girls whose voices should have been heard long before now”.
