Lord Mandelson called Epstein 'best pal' as victims call for him to be sacked

Jeffrey Epstein’s victims today demanded Lord Peter Mandelson be stripped of his UK ambassadorship after his closeness to the paedophile was laid bare in explosive new government files.

The 71-year-old peer is accused of calling the billionaire sex offender his “best pal” and even posing in a bathrobe alongside him, 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.

Among lurid contributions from Epstein’s inner circle, Mandelson’s entry stretches across ten pages. Handwritten notes are scattered between photographs of the Labour grandee, gushing about the time he spent in Epstein’s “glorious homes.” His message includes the line: “Once upon a time, an intelligent, sharp-witted man they call ‘mysterious’ parachuted into my life…I would spend many hours just waiting for him to turn up.” The letter concludes with the words: “We love you.”

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In his tribute, the British ambassador to Washington praised Epstein as an “intelligent, sharp-witted man” while describing how the disgraced financier “parachuted” into his life.

The other entries read: "Once upon a time, an intelligent, sharp-witted man they call 'mysterious' parachuted into my life," he wrote alongside a photo of a yellow parachute gliding through the air. You would spend many hours just waiting for him to turn up," he said, alongside a picture of what appears to be Lord Mandelson looking out at a garden from a balcony.

"And often, no sooner were you getting used to having him around, you would suddenly be alone... again," he added above a picture of a lone person canoeing in the sea at sunset. "Leaving you with some 'interesting' friends to entertain instead," he continued on the next page, with a photo of Lord Mandelson preparing a dining table with two women whose faces have been obscured.

Lord Mandelson goes on to write that Epstein was known for "taking you by surprise... in one of his glorious homes he likes to share with his friends (yum yum)", alongside a single malt whiskey label and a picture of a tropical island. On the next page, accompanied by a picture of the two chatting casually on a patio, he writes: "But whenever he is in the world, he remains my best pal!"

"Happy Birthday, Jeffrey. We love you!!" Lord Mandelson finishes his entry with. The claims have enraged Epstein’s victims, who branded Mandelson’s words an insult. They are calling on the UK Government to immediately revoke his diplomatic posting. One Epstein survivor, who received compensation from the paedophile’s victim fund, blasted Mandelson’s gushing note to his “best pal”.

“For a man in such a powerful position to call a paedophile his ‘best pal’ is sickening. Given what has now been released, he should not be representing Britain in Washington," she said. “Mandelson should be recalled. I’m sure many in the UK don’t believe he should be representing them in the US. He has no business holding an ambassadorship while his ties to Epstein are this clear.”

Another victim, now aged 42, echoed the fury, accusing the peer of betraying Epstein’s victims. She added: “We were abused, trafficked and discarded, and yet powerful men like him (Mandelson) were writing love notes to our abuser. It is beyond shameful. If the UK Government has any decency, they’ll strip him of his role and bring him back to face questions.”

Previously, a 2019 report by JP Morgan bank suggested Lord Mandelson had stayed at Epstein's New York flat in 2009, while the disgraced financier was in jail. The convicted sex offender was serving an 18-month sentence after pleading guilty to procuring a person under the age of 18 for prostitution.

At the time, Lord Mandelson was the business secretary in the UK government under then-prime minister Gordon Brown. The bank's report referred to an email from Lord Mandelson, when he was still business secretary in March 2010, to Epstein saying: "Can Jes send me email on issues re Dodds/Volcker." The request appears to relate to US regulations in the wake of a financial crisis.

The report also referred to two occasions on which Epstein said he was with "Petie", which the bank interpreted as a reference to Mandelson in November 2010 and January 2011. Just months earlier, Lord Mandelson allegedly called Epstein while he was incarcerated in a Florida prison after pleading guilty to procuring a minor for sexual abuse.

Channel 4's Dispatches alleged that Mandelson sought Epstein's assistance in arranging a meeting with JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon. The US billionaire served time at the private wing of the Palm Beach County Stockade before being released on probation on 22 July 2009.

The Wall Street Journal first reported on Lord Mandelson’s letter in July, but the full document has now been revealed for the first time. It was made public after Epstein’s estate was subpoenaed, and the Oversight Committee published the material late Monday night. The timing of the photographs and notes remains unclear, though investigators say they were created before January 2003.

Epstein’s sexual abuse of young women and girls stretches back decades, with lawsuits documenting predatory behaviour as early as the 1980s. Maxwell, who compiled the album, was later convicted of grooming and trafficking girls for Epstein’s abuse. Her involvement has only added to the sickening detail surrounding the book’s contents.

The Mirror contacted the Foreign and Commonwealth Office for comment and was referred to earlier statements from the ambassador. An official spokesperson for Lord Mandelson said that he "has long been clear that he very much regrets ever having been introduced to Epstein".