UK ambassador to US says his Epstein relationship went on ‘far longer’ than it should have
Peter Mandelson, the United Kingdom’s top diplomat in the U.S., expressed regret Tuesday for his relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, saying he associated with Epstein “for far longer than I should have.”
“One, I feel a tremendous sense, a profound sense of sympathy for those people, those women who suffered as a result of his behavior and his illegal, criminal activities,” Mandelson told The Sun’s Harry Cole in a Tuesday night interview. “And secondly, I regret very, very deeply indeed, carrying on that association with him for far longer than I should have done.”
His comments come after the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee released a 10-page note to the public that was turned over by Epstein’s estate amid the panel’s probe into the Epstein case. In the “birthday book” from 2003, Mandelson referred to Epstein, who died by suicide in a New York prison in 2019, as his “best pal.”
The book was compiled by Epstein co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell — who is serving a 20-year prison sentence for her role in the sex trafficking scheme that involved minors — for Epstein’s 50th birthday.
The diplomat’s close relationship with Epstein was also brought to light in 2019 in an internal report from JPMorgan Chase. That report, filed in a New York court in 2023, said Mandelson planned to stay at Epstein’s Manhattan apartment in 2009, while the latter was serving what was initially an 18-month sentence related to charges of procuring a child for prostitution and soliciting a prostitute.
The ambassador referenced the sentence on Tuesday, though Epstein was released after spending 13 months in a jail in Palm Beach County, Fla. He spent the next year on probation under house arrest.
“I regret very much that I fell for his lies, I fell [for] and accepted assurances that he had given me about his indictment, his original criminal case in Florida,” Mandelson told The Sun. “Like very many people, I took at face value what he said.”
“With hindsight, with fresh information, many years later, we realized that we had been wrong to believe him,” the diplomat said.
Mandelson also noted he has not discussed the matter with President Trump, who also allegedly submitted a note for the birthday book, or British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. A spokesperson for Starmer told The National on Tuesday that the U.K. leader has confidence in the ambassador.
The Sun’s interview will air in full on YouTube on Wednesday at 7 p.m. EDT.
“I regret very much indeed. I felt it like an albatross around my neck since his death,” Mandelson said.
He added, “I feel a tremendous sense of regret, not only that I met him in the first place, but that I continued the association.”