Peter Mandelson has broken his silence over the unfolding scandal around his ties to Jeffrey Epstein, warning there are more “very embarrassing” revelations to come.
Britain’s ambassador to Washington said he was “very embarrassed” to read a birthday message to the late paedophile in which he described him as his “best pal”.
The messages, part of a 50th birthday book compiled for Epstein by convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell, also saw Lord Mandelson express “love” for the financier and joke about entertaining his “interesting” friends.
Speaking to The Sun’s Harry Cole Saves the West, Lord Mandelson said: “I find them very embarrassing to see and to read… but, as you say, they were written before he was indicted.
“I just feel two things now. One, I feel a tremendous sense, a profound sense of sympathy for those people, those women, who suffered as a result of his behavior and his illegal criminal activities.
“And secondly, I regret very, very deeply indeed carrying on that association with him for far longer than I should have done.
“It was a matter of years after I initially met him, and I regret very much that I fell for his lies.”
Lord Mandelson went on to say that “perhaps because I am a gay man” he may have been blinded to Epstein’s criminal behaviour.
But, asked whether there were more revelations to come about the relationship, Lord Mandelson said: “I have no doubt at all that there’s a lot of traffic, correspondence changes between us absolutely. And we know those are going to surface.
“We know they’re going to come out.
“We know they’re going to be very embarrassing, and they know that I’m going to profoundly regret ever having met him and been introduced to him in the first place.”
Lord Mandelson added: “He’s a charismatic criminal liar. We now see, and I regret very much indeed, I felt it like a like an albatross around my neck since his death in 2018 or 19.
“I feel a tremendous sense of regret, not only that I met him in the first place, but that I continued the association, and I took at face value the lives that he fed me.”
Education minister Josh MacAlister insisted Lord Mandelson still had the backing of the government and warned against people finding the Labour grandee “guilty by association” with Epstein.
He told ITV’s Good Morning Britain he had not seen Lord Mandelson’s interview, but added: “Yes, the ambassador has the support of government.”
Epstein’s 50th birthday book contained a photo of Lord Mandelson and Epstein on what appeared to be the multimillionaire’s island, as well as a handwritten note for the disgraced financier.
The note from Lord Mandelson to Epstein appeared to take the form of a poem beginning: “Once upon a time, an intelligent, sharp-witted man they call ‘mysterious’ parachuted into my life.”
Other pictures featured alongside the note included a shot of Lord Mandelson on a balcony in a pair of swimming trunks, shot from behind, with his hands on his hips.
Lord Mandelson’s note appeared to refer to “interesting”friends he had been left to entertain by Epstein.
“But wherever he is in the world, he remains my best pal,” it concluded. Lord Mandelson appeared to add: “Happy birthday, Jeffrey, we love you!!”
It has also emerged Epstein brokered a deal with Lord Mandelson over the sale of a taxpayer-owned business after he had been convicted of child sex offences.
Months after the late paedophile had been released from prison, he negotiated the deal alongside then Labour business secretary Lord Mandelson.
Epstein advised both Lord Mandelson and senior JP Morgan executive Jes Staley on the firm’s purchase of Sempra Commodities, a joint venture between the publicly owned Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) and Sempra Energy.
Mr Staley has since been banned from the City over his relationship with Epstein.
An investigation by The Daily Telegraph has detailed a two-decade friendship between Lord Mandelson and Epstein, which lasted even after Epstein was jailed for a child sex offence in 2008.
Emails obtained by the paper show Epstein introducing Lord Mandelson to Mr Staley, setting up at least two meetings between the pair before JP Morgan’s purchase of Sempra.
After one meeting, Epstein asked Mr Staley: “Was Petie helpful?” Lord Mandelson being nicknamed “Petie” by the notorious paedophile has been seen as a stark example of how close the pair grew.
Sir Keir Starmer has also given Lord Mandelson his full backing to stay on as Britain’s ambassador to the US, stressing the positive work he has done to build ties with the Trump administration.
The British embassy in Washington has been asked to comment.
