Epstein-Linked Files Prompt Mandelson’s Departure from Labour

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London: Peter Mandelson, the veteran British political figure and former ambassador to the United States, has resigned his membership of the Labour Party following renewed scrutiny of his connections to the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.

The 72-year-old peer announced his decision on Sunday, saying he did not want his ongoing controversy to exacerbate political pressure on the governing Labour Party. His departure comes against the backdrop of newly released documents from the US Department of Justice that appear to show a series of financial transactions between Epstein and accounts linked to Mandelson dating back to 2003 and 2004, reportedly totaling $75,000.

Those records highlighted in a weekend wave of media coverage from the Financial Times and BBC, among others suggest three payments of roughly $25,000 each were directed to bank accounts associated with Mandelson or his partner at the time. Mandelson has publicly denied having any record of receiving such sums or recollection of the transfers, and has questioned the authenticity of the documents.

In his resignation letter to the party’s general secretary, Hollie Ridley, Mandelson stressed that his departure was intended to spare Labour further reputational damage as the controversy continues to unfold. He expressed regret over being “further linked” to the ongoing public debate about Epstein’s network.

Mandelson, a leading figure in Labour politics for decades and once a key architect of its 1990s resurgence, was removed from his ambassadorial role in Washington last year amid earlier revelations about his links to Epstein. His resignation from the party marks the latest chapter in a long-running controversy that has already seen him step down from diplomatic posts and face calls for further accountability.

As of now, Mandelson retains his seat in the House of Lords as a crossbencher, but the political fallout from the Epstein files continues to generate demands for transparency from figures across the British political spectrum.