The political career of Lord Peter Mandelson, once one of the most powerful figures in British politics, has been shattered by a trove of documents that reveal the shocking depth and duration of his relationship with the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. While the disgraced peer’s past association with Epstein was publicly known, new revelations from a “birthday book” and a series of emails have forced him from his post as the UK’s ambassador to the United States.
The fallout began with the release of a “birthday book” compiled for Epstein’s 50th birthday in 2003. In it, a handwritten note from Mandelson refers to the man now known as a child trafficker as “my best pal.” It includes a personal poem that speaks of their bond, as well as several photographs of Mandelson himself. The tone of the note is deeply personal and affectionate, painting a picture of a friendship far closer than Mandelson had ever publicly acknowledged.
But the most damaging revelations were yet to come. Emails obtained by the House Oversight Committee and published by U.S. and UK media outlets show that the relationship continued well after Epstein’s 2008 conviction for procuring a minor for prostitution. In one email, Mandelson tells Epstein to “fight for early release” and offers him words of support, writing, “The whole thing has been years of torture and now you have to show the world how big a person you are.” In another, Epstein refers to Mandelson by the pet name “Petie” and discusses his stay at Epstein’s Manhattan townhouse in 2009.
The revelations, which directly contradict Mandelson’s past claims that he had “never seen any wrongdoing” and had no business dealings with Epstein, led to a political firestorm. Faced with overwhelming pressure from a furious opposition and members of his own party, Prime Minister Keir Starmer was forced to dismiss Mandelson from his post, the second high-profile departure from his government in a single week.
For Mandelson, the new documents are a final, devastating blow to a legacy already marked by scandal and controversy. For the public, they are a sober reminder that the network of influence built by Jeffrey Epstein was far more extensive and deeply rooted than many were willing to believe. While the immediate political fallout has run its course, the scandal serves as a grim example of the long, slow march of accountability, and of how even a “best pal” can be a moral and political ruin.