Lord Peter Mandelson is facing pressure over his relationship with the disgraced paedophile after a note surfaced of him allegedly describing him as his ‘best pal’
The UK’s ambassador to the US said he “profoundly regrets” ever meeting Jeffrey Epstein as he admitted more “very embarrassing” messages between the pair will come out.
Lord Peter Mandelson is facing pressure over his relationship with the disgraced paedophile after a note surfaced of him allegedly describing him as his “best pal”. He said he finds such messages “very embarrassing to see and to read”.
He added that he feels “a tremendous sense, profound sense of sympathy for those people, those women who suffered as a result of his behaviour, and his illegal, criminal activities”.
The Mirror reported last night that Epstein’s victims have demanded Lord Mandelson, 71, be stripped of his UK ambassadorship after his closeness to the billionaire sex offender was laid bare in explosive new government files.
READ MORE: Lord Mandelson called paedo Epstein ‘best pal’ – now victims want him sacked
The former Labour MP is accused of posing in a bathrobe alongside Epstein, as well as calling him his “best pal”, according to documents released by the US House Oversight Committee. The bombshell material includes Epstein’s notorious “birthday book” – a collection of letters, drawings, and candid snaps assembled in 2003 for his 50th birthday by his then-girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell, now serving time for sex trafficking girls.
Asked how he feels to see his communications with Epstein, who died in jail in 2019, Lord Mandelson said: “I find them very embarrassing to see and to read. But as you said, they were written before he was indicted.
“But I just feel two things now. One, I feel a tremendous sense, profound sense of sympathy for those people, those women who suffered as a result of his behaviour, and his illegal, criminal activities. And secondly, I regret, very, very deeply indeed, carrying all that association with him for far longer than I should have done.”
Lord Mandelson was associated with Epstein for a “matter of years” after initially meeting him. But he insisted he “never, ever saw any evidence or sign for this activity which has since come to light”, adding: “That’s why I feel so profoundly upset by has been now revealed about what he did to women.”
Asked if he would have any problem with the so-called Epstein files being release, Lord Mandelson told The Sun: “I don’t believe I an named in the Epstein files. I have no doubt at all that there’s a lot of tragic correspondences between us… 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.”
Keir Starmer yesterday backed Lord Mandelson after the “best pal” private message surfaced. Asked whether the PM had confidence in his ambassador, his spokesman said: “Yes… The ambassador’s played a key part in all of the achievements I’ve just run through when it comes to strengthening the trade relationship with the US, the UK-US defence deal, and work to end Putin’s war.”
Earlier this week the White House said that a letter allegedly from Donald Trump to Jeffrey Epstein is not authentic, saying the US president “did not draw this picture, and he did not sign it”.
The note depicts the outline of a buxom woman surrounding a note signed with what appears to be the signature of the president. In the concluding line, the person who penned it wrote: “A pal is a wonderful thing. Happy birthday – and may every day be another wonderful secret.”
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