Peter Mandelson insists he has ‘no recollection’ of bombshell Epstein funds

Communities Secretary Steve Reed said Lord Mandelson needs to clear up whether a “lack of disclosure” remains over his links with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein

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A leading UK government figure has suggested Peter Mandelson should also testify in the US over his involvement with Jeffrey Epstein.

Communities Secretary Steve Reed said Lord Mandelson needs to clear up whether a “lack of disclosure” remains over his links with paedophile Epstein.

“If anybody has information or evidence that they can share, that might help to understand what’s going on and bring justice for those victims, then they should share it,” the Cabinet minister said. “Whether that is Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, whether it’s Lord Mandelson or whether it’s anybody else.

“They have a moral obligation to share what they knew so that the victims can help find the justice that they’ve been denied for so long.”

READ MORE: Peter Mandelson pictured half-dressed in Epstein files as papers show paedo gave peer $50k

He also said Lord Mandelson should account for whether he properly declared tens of thousands of pounds of cash which appears to have been given to him by Epstein.

Emails released by the US Department of Justice on Friday show a payment of $25,000 to the account of Reinaldo Avila da Silva, now Lord Mandelson’s husband, in 2003. Bank statements show two more payments of $25,000 were made to different accounts in Lord Mandelson’s name in 2004. At the time, he was serving as Labour MP for Hartlepool.

Lord Mandelson insisted he doesn’t remember the payments, telling The Mirror: “I have no record and no recollection of receiving these sums and do not know if the documents are authentic. I can say clearly, though, I regret ever having known Epstein.”

Photographs of the former MP, half dressed alongside a woman in a bathrobe, are also among thousands of images released by the US government. Being pictured or mentioned in the Epstein files is not an indicator of any wrongdoing.

Asked if Lord Mandelson should be stripped of his peerage because of his association with Epstein, Mr Reed said: “I think before taking any action like that, we need to understand exactly what’s happened. You’re asking me here about something that happened nearly 20 years ago. I don’t know the full detail of it, I wasn’t in government 20 years ago.

“I don’t know whether he declared it or not, and he should have done – the declaration rules had been brought in by then – so I think it would be for Peter Mandelson to explain whether or not that money was properly declared, and if not, then he will need to account for that.

“But I don’t want to jump the gun and make assumptions. I think we need to find out exactly what happened first.”

But the Cabinet minister suggested Lord Mandelson needs to clear up whether a “lack of disclosure” remains over his links with Epstein. Asked whether he believed that Lord Mandelson had told the whole truth about his links to the disgraced paedo, Mr Reed replied: “Well, the reason he was removed as ambassador to the US is because there were things he had not disclosed.

“Now I don’t know how far that lack of disclosure goes. I think he should answer questions about his own life, not me.”

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch demanded Keir Starmer take action to suspend Lord Mandelson’s membership from the Labour Party. She wrote on X: “If Keir Starmer had a backbone he would suspend Mandelson’s membership of the Labour Party and launch an immediate investigation into how Mandelson and his husband were being sent money by the convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.”

The Labour Party does not comment on the membership status of individuals but a spokesman said: “The Labour Party takes all complaints seriously and they are investigated in line with our rules and procedures”

Separate to any membership of the party, Lord Mandelson does not have the Labour whip as he is not currently sitting in the House of Lords. He was granted a leave of absence from the Lords after taking up the role of British Ambassador to the US in December 2024.

Keir Starmer sacked him the job in September after further revelations over his links to Epstein. The Mirror understands there’s a general sense among long-serving peers that the Labour veteran won’t return to the Lords and that his membership will effectively end.

This newspaper also learned Lord Mandelson has no plans to change his leave of absence. But he will be required to renew it when the parliamentary session ends in May.

Members can request a leave of absence if they cannot attend the House due to temporary circumstances and intend to return to the House in the future. Lord Mandelson did not reply to questions from The Mirror about whether he will request another leave of absence or under what grounds.

The House of Lords Expulsion and Suspension Act confirmed that the House has the power to expel members for breaches of its code of conduct. Allegations of breaches of the code are investigated by the independent commissioner for standards.

However, a peerage – as opposed to a peer’s membership of the House – can only be removed via a specific piece of legislation. The Titles Deprivation Act was used to remove peerages from “enemies” during WWI but as the legislation still refers specifically to the war, it is unlikely that its provisions could be used today, according to the House of Lords’ library.