Metropolitan Police chief Mark Rowley is visiting Washington to urge US officials to release unredacted correspondence between Peter Mandelson and Jeffrey Epstein.
The US Department of Justice (DoJ) released millions of pages of documents related to Epstein in January, but some details have been blacked out.
Sir Mark met US ambassador Warren Stephens last month to ask for expedited access to unredacted versions of the documents, but it is unclear if the DoJ will comply.
If not, the Met may have to submit a formal mutual legal assistance request (MLA) – a process that would take substantially longer.
Mandelson was previously arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office after being accused of disclosing sensitive information to Epstein during his time as business secretary.
He was subsequently bailed, but later released from his bail conditions, although he remains under investigation.
Emails from 2009, which can be seen in the Epstein files, appear to show Mandelson pass on an assessment by Gordon Brown’s adviser of potential policy measures including an ‘asset sales plan‘.
A photo from the Epstein files showing Peter Mandelson and Jeffrey Epstein enjoying a conversation
He also appeared to discuss a tax on bankers’ bonuses and confirm an imminent bailout package for the euro the day before it was announced in 2010.
The emails appeared to be sent to Epstein after he became a convicted sex offender.
Lord Mandelson lost his job as the UK’s ambassador to the US in September last year due to his association with Epstein.
The Met have already made contact with US authorities to seek further detail on what has been disclosed in the files.
Sir Mark also raised the issue during a meeting with the American ambassador on February 24, reports The Times.
Thames Valley Police is also seeking unredacted files relating to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, who is the subject of a separate misconduct in public office investigation over claims he also leaked sensitive government information to Epstein.
Nearly 100 incriminating documents in the Epstein files naming the former prince are alleged to have been secretly redacted weeks after their release.
Dozens of emails mentioning the former Duke of York which were once easily findable via a basic keyword search can now only be traced from screenshots showing their sent date, it is reported.
The reportedly redacted documents include one between Epstein and a Russian woman called Irina, in which they confirm plans for her to spend an evening with Andrew in August 2010.
Sir Mark Rowley ‘s met US ambassador Warren Stephens last month to ask for expedited access to unredacted versions of the documents, but it is unclear if the DoJ will comply
Irina responds in the email asking if she should message the then-Prince, followed by a truncated version of his email address – ‘tdoy@rlwgp…’ – the first part of which stands for ‘the Duke of York’.
While reporters could previously use ‘tdoy’ as a simple search term on the Epstein Files website, it now comes up with zero results when inputted.
It is unknown whether these retrospective redactions are the result of a complaint from Andrew or his legal team.
The DOJ says the primary reason for its redactions is to protect the identities of victims or protect ongoing investigations, but many of them have been immensely controversial.
In other cases, the names and photos of victims have been carried in full, leading to widespread outrage.
The Epstein files have continued to prompt major revelations, including newly uncovered emails suggesting the paedophile had been illegally supplying Lord Mandelson with drugs.
Bombshell emails also expose how the financier arranged for the Labour peer to have cosmetic Botox injections while he visited him in New York.
The astonishing exchanges came while Epstein was under house arrest after his conviction for soliciting sex from a 14-year-old girl. And in the most shocking message, Mandelson tells the sex offender that drugs thought to be Xanax sedatives are ‘all very well but you need someone to use them on…’
Epstein is known to have got his victims – including Virginia Giuffre – hooked on Xanax to make them dependent upon him, and more pliant. It is a controlled drug in both the US and the UK, meaning it is illegal to possess it without prescription. The NHS does not prescribe it due to high risks of addiction.
A photo that emerged last weekend showing Mandelson, Andrew and Epstein together at the same time
Yet in one email Mandelson boldly asks Epstein where he will get more ‘triangles’.
Xanax pills come in different shapes depending on their dosage, with the most potent being green and triangular.
The tranche of damning emails unearthed by the MoS show that Mandelson was so close to the sex offender that he repeatedly asked for medical advice and medication.
They will heap further pressure on Sir Keir Starmer over his decision to appoint Mandelson as US ambassador, despite his known ties to the paedophile.
Last week, it was revealed the Prime Minister was warned in writing that Mandelson continued his ‘particularly close’ friendship with Epstein for years after his sex offence convictions in 2008.