1 hour ago
1
The Metropolitan police have formally launched a criminal investigation into allegations that Peter Mandelson leaked Downing Street emails and market sensitive information to the child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Documents from the Epstein files released in recent days appeared to show the then business secretary sent confidential details of internal discussions in a string of emails to the late financier in the aftermath of the financial crash.
They prompted a furious backlash from across the political spectrum, including Gordon Brown, who was the prime minister at the time of the alleged breaches. MPs reported Mandelson to Scotland Yard for misconduct in public office.
Detectives are now expected to interview Mandelson and request access to his devices, as well as take witness statements from senior Labour party figures including Brown and senior civil servants from around the time the emails were sent.
They are also likely to ask the US administration to give them unredacted copies of the emails, amid concerns that Mandelson used a now defunct private BT internet email address to correspond with senior government figures.
Scotland Yard confirmed on Tuesday night that Mandelson was being investigated on suspicion of misconduct in public office, an offence that carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
In a statement, the Met 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.”
Mandelson has said he cannot recall receiving $75,000 (£55,000) from Epstein, which appears to be evident in bank statements in the Epstein files, and has questioned the veracity of those statements.
Mandelson resigned from the House of Lords on Tuesday afternoon. A Downing Street spokesperson said it was “right” that he was quitting, adding: “As the prime minister said this morning, Peter Mandelson let his country down.”
Keir Starmer, who has ordered a dossier to be handed to the police, told a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday morning he was appalled by the reported leaks. He has asked officials to draft legislation to strip Mandelson of his peerage “as quickly as possible”.
Government insiders are concerned the prime minister could once again find himself in the line of fire for his decision to appoint Mandelson as the UK’s ambassador to Washington. His chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, who was close to Mandelson, had been blamed by some Labour MPs for pushing the idea.
Starmer’s spokesperson said the Cabinet Office was looking at all information it had about the documents, but an initial review of the Epstein files released on Friday found they contained information that was likely to be market sensitive about the 2008 financial crash and attempts to stabilise the economy afterwards.
Brown has written to the Metropolitan Commissioner, Sir Mark Rowley, “with information relevant to his investigation of Lord Mandelson’s disclosure of market sensitive and confidential government information” to Epstein.
Emails forwarded to Epstein from the top of the UK government showed Mandelson claiming he was “trying hard” to change government policy on bankers’ bonuses, sharing details of an imminent bailout package for the euro the day before it was announced in 2010, and suggesting that the JP Morgan boss “mildly threaten” the chancellor.
During coalition talks in 2010, with Mandelson at his side offering counsel, Brown finally decided to step down as prime minister. Hours before he announced his departure outside No 10, Mandelson emailed Epstein: “Finally got him to go today.”
MPs told the Guardian they wanted to force further disclosures from Downing Street, including McSweeney – about what Mandelson had been asked about before his appointment as US ambassador.
The UK health secretary, Wes Streeting, said Mandelson’s association with Epstein was a “betrayal on so many levels” but that he could not see how the Cabinet Office or Starmer would have known about the leaking of confidential information to Epstein.
