Lord Peter Mandelson, a former British government minister, ex-ambassador to the United States and one of the most influential figures in the history of the Labour Party, has announced his resignation from the party. The decision comes amid a new wave of publications related to his long-standing contacts with the notorious American financier Jeffrey Epstein.
In a letter to the Labour Party’s general secretary, Mandelson stated that he did not wish to ‘cause further embarrassment’ to the party due to the renewed controversy surrounding Epstein. He expressed regret that he had never been acquainted with Epstein and emphasised that he deeply regretted this connection.
The reason for his resignation was documents released on Friday by the US Department of Justice as part of the latest release of the ‘Epstein files’. According to reports by the BBC, the Financial Times and other media outlets, bank statements show three transfers of $25,000 each (totalling $75,000) that were allegedly sent by Epstein to accounts linked to Mandelson and his partner in 2003–2004.
Mandelsohn categorically denies receiving this money: according to him, he has no records or recollections of such transactions, and he doubts the authenticity of the documents. Nevertheless, he decided to leave the party so as ‘not to cause further damage’ to the Labour Party led by Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
This is not the first blow to Mandelson’s reputation because of Epstein. In September 2025, he was forced to resign as British ambassador to the United States after the publication of correspondence containing complimentary letters to Epstein even after his first arrest in 2008. At that time, Starmer decided to dismiss the diplomat.
The departure of 71-year-old Lord Mandelson from the party, where he played a key role for decades (including as one of the architects of ‘New Labour’ under Tony Blair), is seen by many observers as the symbolic end of an era. There are already calls in Westminster to strip him of his peerage, although no official decision has been made yet.