Epstein recordsdata newest: Starmer faces questions over Mandelson’s closeness to convicted paedophile, Kemi Badenoch says

Labour figures are said to feel deeply betrayed by the Mandelson revelations – with one even reportedly suffering bouts of anger that have left him ‘shaking’, the BBC reports.

Mandelson himself has not commented publicly today.

He is understood to maintain that he has not acted criminally – nor for personal gain.

However, Westminster figures are not thought to be buying his excuses.

Meanwhile, Keir Starmer is facing continued questions over his ‘closeness’ with the former cabinet minister.

The Government has said it will provide any support the Metropolitan Police needs in its criminal investigation into allegations Lord Mandelson leaked confidential information to Epstein.

A spokesman said: ‘The Government stands ready to provide whatever support and assistance the police need.’

Conservative leader of the Opposition Kemi Badenoch has proclaimed that it is ‘right’ a full criminal investigation into allegations Lord Peter Mandelson passed market sensitive information to Epstein has been launched.

However, Ms Badenoch cautioned that this ‘should not distract from the fact that the Prime Minister appointed a man who was the close friend and associate of a notorious and convicted paedophile’.

Misconduct in public office carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.

The offence relates to a public officer ‘wilfully neglecting to perform’ his or her duty or ‘wilfully misconducting’ him or herself – to a degree that it amounts to an abuse of the public’s trust.

The offence is considered to be fairly loosely-defined.

The Metropolitan Police has now confirmed it is now investigating Mandelson for alleged ‘misconduct in public office’.

Commander Ella Marriott said:

Following the further release of millions of court documents in relation to Jeffrey Epstein by the United States Department of Justice, the Met received a number of reports into alleged misconduct in public office including a referral from the UK Government

I can confirm that the Metropolitan Police has now launched an investigation into a 72-year-old man, a former Government Minister, for misconduct in public office offences

The Met will continue to assess all relevant information brought to our attention as part of this investigation and won’t be commenting any further at this time.’

Daily Mail columnist Dan Hodges has dubbed the release of the Epstein Files the ‘biggest, most far-reaching and devastating domestic political scandal of my lifetime’.

Read his full piece below.

In a mere few hours, Lord Mandelson has quit the House of Lords, come under criminal investigation and declared he has no idea what he was doing in his underpants in ‘master manipulator’ Epstein’s apartment.

Here is what we know so far:

• The Metropolitan Police are expected to launch a criminal probe into allegations Lord Peter Mandelson passed market-sensitive information to paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein
• Documents from the Epstein files appear to show Lord Mandelson suggesting to Epstein in 2009 that he would lobby the UK government over a levy on bankers’ bonuses
• The sudden release by the US Department of Justice (DOJ) of millions of emails associated with the Epstein case last year had turned the prominent Blairite’s life upside down, forcing him out of his role as Ambassador to the US within days
• The former Cabinet minister quit Labour on Monday
• Mandelson is now intending to retire from the House, but will still be able to refer to himself as ‘Lord’ unless legislation is passed
• Mandelson has insisted he has ‘no idea’ why he was photographed in his pants in Epstein’s £8million Paris ‘House of Sin’ apartment
• The architect of New Labour insists the period of his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein after his conviction for soliciting sex from girls as young as 14 was a blur

A criminal investigation is understood to have been launched into allegations Mandelson passed market-sensitive information to Jeffrey Epstein.

The former Cabinet minister finally quit Labour on Monday, with Sir Keir Starmer branded ‘weak’ for failing to kick him out of the party earlier over his links to the notorious paedophile.

But the storm over a huge tranche of documents released by the US administration last week shows no sign of dissipating.

The new US material includes emails apparently forwarded to the paedophile financier by Lord Mandelson in 2009, in which key Downing Street aides and ministers discussed the UK’s resilience to the Credit Crunch crisis and what government assets might be ‘saleable’.

Other documents seemingly show Lord Mandelson – who was Business Secretary at the time – advising Epstein how he and his powerful friends could lobby against a bankers’ bonus tax.

In May 2010 – after the election but before the Coalition government took over – Lord Mandelson appeared to give Epstein advance notice of a €500billion bailout of the Euro.

Queen’s University Belfast has taken down a statue of its former chancellor, George Mitchell, after he was named in the Epstein files.

Mr Mitchell, also a former Democratic Senator, has had his bust removed from university grounds.

This is despite there being ‘no findings of wrongdoings’.

The University said:

This decision follows the emergence of new information contained in the Epstein files released on Friday, which include references to Senator Mitchell.

While no findings of wrongdoing by Senator Mitchell have been made, the University has concluded that, in light of this material, and mindful of the experiences of victims and survivors, it is no longer appropriate for its institutional spaces and entities to continue to bear his name.

As a civic institution with a global reputation for leadership in peace, reconciliation, and justice, Queen’s University Belfast must ensure that its honours and symbols reflect the highest standards consistent with its values and responsibilities.’

Mr Mitchell has denied any wrongdoing. He said: ‘In my contacts with Mr Epstein I never observed or suspected any inappropriate conduct with underage girls.’

Vladimir Putin’s name appears more than 1,000 times in the Epstein files.

There is no evidence the two ever met but it may have been a dream of the sex offender to take the President to dinner.

In an unearthed audio file, Epstein can be heard carefully considering the best way to pursue Putin.

He muses: ‘I would send a note to Putin, saying “I’m going to leave government on March 14th. I’m going to be in Scandinavia, or I plan to be in western, northern Europe. We should have dinner”. That’s it, no more. It has to be very short.’

Former Labour Prime Minister Gordon Brown has written to Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley to express his disappointment at Peter Mandelson’s disclosure of ‘market sensitive and confidential Government information’.

Mr Brown said:

I have today written to the Met Commissioner, Sir Mark Rowley with information relevant to his investigation of Lord Mandelson’s disclosure of market sensitive and confidential Government information to the American financier, Jeffrey Epstein, an inexcusable and unpatriotic act at a time when the whole government and country were attempting to address the global financial crisis that was damaging so many livelihoods.

I have sent Sir Mark correspondence, exchanged between myself and the Cabinet Secretary last year, and I have also passed over information arising from it that may be important in his current investigation.’

Among the ‘correspondence’ is a letter dated September 2025 in which Mr Brown said he had asked the Cabinet Secretary to investigate the veracity of information contained in the Epstein papers.

‘Having drawn their attention to relevant evidence, the matter now rests in the hands of the police’, Mr Brown concluded.

Zayn Malik, Dame Emma Thompson, Penelope Cruz and Stevie Wonder were named as part of a group of ‘Anti-Israel celebrities’ in an email sent to Jeffrey Epstein.

The list of celebs was sent to the late paedophile financier in July 2014 by JNS News, who later published an article on the topic.

In the peak of One Direction fame, Zayn originally from Bradford, was included over his support for Palestine.

Dame Emma was included in the list, on the grounds that she called for a boycott of Israeli Habima Theatre’s performance at the Globe Theatre in London.

Meanwhile Penelope Cruz alongside her husband Javier Bardem were called out for signing an open letter denouncing ‘Israel’s Operation Protective Edge in Gaza as “genocide.”‘

And Stevie Wonder was shamed for pulling out of a performance at a Friends of the Israel Defense Forces gala in Los Angeles in 2012.