Lord Peter Mandelson has resigned his membership of the Labour Party in an effort to shield the party from further embarrassment after fresh revelations connected him to the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.
In a statement to the Press Association, Mandelson confirmed he wrote to Labour’s general secretary, Hollie Ridley, on the evening of February 1 to inform her of his decision. This development follows his earlier assertion that he could not recall receiving any payments from Epstein while serving as a Labour MP, despite documents suggesting otherwise.
Bank statements, among the extensive collection released by the US government, indicate payments totaling $75,000 to accounts connected to Mandelson and his husband, Reinaldo Avila da Silva. One statement, dated May 14, 2003, shows a $25,000 payment to an account linked to da Silva, with “Peter Mandelson” denoted as the recipient. Two subsequent payments of $25,000 each appeared in May and June 2004, one to an account under Mandelson’s own name.
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During this time, Mandelson served as the Labour MP for Hartlepool. When approached, Mandelson stated he has no memory of the transactions and expressed uncertainty about the validity of the documents.
Further Epstein files include undated photographs purportedly showing a man resembling Mandelson in his underwear and a T-shirt alongside a woman whose face has been obscured. Mandelson told the BBC he could not identify the woman or the setting and could not explain the context.
The documents also suggest that da Silva received funding from Epstein to cover fees for attending the British School of Osteopathy. Mandelson has previously apologized unequivocally to Epstein’s victims and has maintained he has nothing more to add regarding the controversy. Importantly, being named or appearing in Epstein documents is not proof of wrongdoing.
In his letter, Mandelson expressed regret about being linked to the ongoing controversy: “Allegations which I believe to be false that he made financial payments to me 20 years ago, and of which I have no record or recollection, need investigating by me. While doing this, I do not wish to cause further embarrassment to the Labour Party and I am therefore stepping down from membership of the party.”
He added: “I want to take this opportunity to repeat my apology to the women and girls whose voices should have been heard long before now. I have dedicated my life to the values and success of the Labour Party and in taking my decision, I believe I am acting in its best interests.”