Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is set to chair a cabinet meeting today. Meanwhile, police are investigating claims that former US ambassador Lord Mandelson leaked sensitive government information to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. The Metropolitan Police are reviewing allegations of misconduct in public office. Emails have surfaced. They show exchanges between Mandelson and Epstein. Mandelson served as business secretary in Gordon Brown’s government. They discussed political matters in 2009.
The emails were revealed in the latest batch of Epstein files released by the US Justice Department. Met commander Ella Marriott said that they are assessing the emails. The goal is to determine if they meet the threshold for a criminal investigation.
Sir Keir dismissed Mandelson as Washington ambassador last year over his ties to Epstein. He has called for Mandelson to resign from the House of Lords. Mandelson should also testify before a US congressional inquiry. The Prime Minister has also suggested that Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor should provide evidence.
Among the newly released documents, emails suggest that Mandelson informed Epstein in advance. This was about a €500bn EU bank bailout in 2010. The following day, European governments approved the bailout to address the Eurozone crisis. It did not include UK financial participation. However, then-chancellor Alistair Darling attended the negotiations in Brussels.
