Peter Mandelson, who was sacked as the UK’s ambassador to Washington over his association with Jeffrey Epstein, was in contact with the pedophile financier as late as 2016, new emails have revealed.
Mandelson was sacked in September over leaked emails in which he expressed his support for Epstein and urged him to “fight for early release” in 2008 while the disgraced financier was facing charges of soliciting sex from minors. The tranche of emails revealed the pair had maintained contact until 2010.
But new emails released by Democrats on the House oversight committee, which is conducting an inquiry into the US government’s handling of the Epstein case, has revealed the pair were still in contact six years later.
The documents contain an email from Epstein to Mandelson on 6 November 2016 which said: “63 years old. You made it,” in an apparent reference to Mandelson’s birthday two weeks earlier.
The former ambassador replied less than 30 minutes later, saying “Just. I have decided to extend my life by spending more of it in the US.”
Epstein responded: “In the Donald white house,” in a reference to Donald Trump, who was elected president two days later.
Mandelson said: “What’s the Donald white house? And how are you?” to which Epstein replied: “Trump / and having a great deal of fun. In hindsight. you were right about staying away from Andrew. I was right in your staying with rinaldo (SIC),” in what is thought to be a reference to Mandelson’s now husband Reinaldo Avila da Silva.
In September, Mandelson said he continued “to feel utterly awful about my association with Epstein 20 years ago and the plight of his victims”, according to a letter he sent to staff at the British embassy in Washington, which was reported by the BBC.
But the new emails show his association with Epstein continued much later.
While Mandelson’s ties to Epstein were known when he was appointed ambassador, the emails released in September provoked a crisis in Britain’s Labour government.
The British prime minister Keir Starmer became the focus of criticism over his decision to appoint Mandelson in spite of warnings about his checquered past. Mandelson was sacked a day after Starmer told MPs during Prime Minister’s Questions on 10 September that he retained confidence in him, despite concerns over his association with Epstein.
The UK foreign office minister Stephen Doughty told MPs in September that Mandelson had not disclosed the extent and depth of his friendship with Epstein.
But it was claimed last week that Starmer received a cabinet office report that contained “a summary of reputational risks” associated with appointing Mandelson, including his “prior relationship with Jeffrey Epstein” and past resignations as a Labour minister.
MPs have pressed the cabinet office to release the information available to Starmer when he told the House of Commons he had confidence in Mandelson ahead of his sacking.
The Guardian has approached Mandelson for comment.
