Feb 3, 2026, 8:54 p.mFeb 3, 2026, 8:54 p.m
According to media reports, British police have launched an investigation against former British economics minister Peter Mandelson because of his connections to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. This is reported by the PA news agency and the BBC, among others. Mandelson did not initially comment.
Peter Mandelson was Britain’s business minister from 2008 to 2010.Image: keystone
Email histories from the Epstein files recently published by the US Department of Justice had previously suggested that Mandelson may have passed on sensitive information to the US entrepreneur during the financial and economic crisis. The police said they had received a number of reports of alleged misconduct in public office.
Mandelson, who had already lost his role as British ambassador to the USA because of his connection to Epstein and resigned his membership in the Labor Party and the British House of Lords, is one of the first celebrities from the files to be investigated by the police.
A euro rescue package is also in focus
The emails date from Mandelson’s time as economics minister under Prime Minister Gordon Brown from 2008 to 2010. According to this, Mandelson is said to have passed on, among other things, the decision for a 500 billion euro rescue package in the euro crisis to Epstein the day before it was announced. The news also suggests that he tried to prevent the introduction of a tax on bonuses for bankers.
Former Prime Minister Brown said he had contacted police to provide information about Mandelson’s “inexcusable and unpatriotic” actions, according to the PA. Mandelson says he does not remember any payments made by Epstein to himself and his husband, which also appear to be evident from the files. (hkl/sda/dpa)