British politician Peter Mandelson is facing pressure to withdraw from the House of Lords following the publication of the latest Epstein files

LONDON (AP) — A year ago, Peter Mandelson was Britain’s ambassador to Washington, the latest high-profile post in a difficult but momentous political career.

A friendship with Jeffrey Epstein cost him that job. Now, after new revelations, Mandelson – like other powerful men including King Charles III’s brother Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor – faces demands to come clean about his relationship with the late sex offender.

Read more: A list of powerful men named in the Epstein files, from Elon Musk to former Prince Andrew

Mandelson resigned from the ruling Labor Party on Sunday following new allegations that he received payments from Epstein two decades ago. Mandelson said he was stepping down to avoid causing “further embarrassment,” even as he denied the allegations stemming from a trove of more than 3 million pages of documents related to Epstein released by the US Department of Justice.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who fired Mandelson from his ambassadorial post over previous revelations about his ties to Epstein, is facing pressure to force Mandelson to testify in the US about what he knows about the financier’s activities.

On Monday, Starmer urged Mandelson to resign from the House of Lords — the unelected upper chamber of Parliament that includes politicians, donors and a variety of notables — to which he was appointed for life in 2008. It would also mean giving up the noble title, Lord Mandelson, which he held at the time.

If he refuses, expelling him would be a long process requiring Parliament to pass legislation – a process last carried out more than a century ago to remove the titles of aristocrats who sided with Germany in World War I.

Starmer’s spokesman Tom Wells said: “The Prime Minister believes that Peter Mandelson should not be a member of the House of Lords or use the title.” “However, the Prime Minister does not have the authority to remove it.”

Mandelson – like Mountbatten-Windsor’s former Prince Andrew – also faces calls to testify about Epstein in the US.

Cabinet Minister Steve Reid said on Monday that the two men had a “moral obligation” to help Epstein’s victims.

He told Sky News: “If anyone has information or evidence they can share that might help understand what happened and bring justice for these victims, they should share it, whether that’s Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, Lord Mandelson, or anyone else.”

Epstein died by suicide in a prison cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on US federal charges accusing him of sexually assaulting dozens of girls. Years earlier, he had avoided federal prosecution by pleading guilty to state charges in Florida of solicitation of prostitution with a minor and another charge.

New allegations about ties to Epstein

The latest release of the Epstein files includes hundreds of text messages and emails exchanged between Mandelson and the financier, revealing the British politician’s warm relationship with the man he described as “my best friend” in 2003.

Several documents appear to refer to payments from Epstein to Mandelson or his associate Reynaldo Avila da Silva. What appear to be bank statements from 2003 and 2004 indicate that Epstein’s account sent three payments totaling $75,000 to accounts linked to Mandelson.

Mandelson questioned the authenticity of the bank statements. In a letter to Labor resigning from the party, Mandelson said he had no recollection of receiving the money and would investigate.

“In doing so I do not wish to cause further embarrassment to the Labor Party and so I will step down as a member of the party,” he wrote.

Mandelson added that he wanted to “reiterate my apologies to the women and girls whose voices should have been heard long before now.”

He watches: What was revealed in the latest release of the Epstein files – and what was redacted

Another document indicates that Epstein sent Da Silva $10,000 in 2010 to pay for a course of orthopedic treatment.

The documents also include an email exchange from 2009 in which Mandelson, then a UK government minister, appeared to tell Epstein that he would pressure other members of the government to reduce the tax on bankers’ bonuses.

The documents also indicate that Mandelson sent details of sensitive UK government discussions to Epstein after the 2008 global financial crisis.

Starmer on Monday ordered the civil service to conduct an “urgent” review of all of Mandelson’s contacts with Epstein while he was in government.

Also among the files is a photo of Mandelson wearing a T-shirt and underwear, standing near an unidentified woman wearing a bathrobe.

An email seeking comment on the documents was sent to Mandelson through the House of Lords.

The end of a turbulent career

Mandelson, 72, has been a key, albeit controversial, figure in the centre-left Labor Party for decades. He is a skilled politician – critics say ruthless – and his mastery of political intrigue has earned him the nickname “Prince of Darkness.”

The grandson of former Labor minister Herbert Morrison, he was the architect of the party’s return to power in 1997 as a centrist, modernizing “New Labour” under Prime Minister Tony Blair.

Mandelson served in senior government positions under Blair from 1997 to 2001, and under Prime Minister Gordon Brown from 2008 to 2010. In between, he was the European Union’s trade commissioner.

Mandelson was forced to resign from government twice during the Blair administration over allegations of financial or ethical wrongdoing, admitting mistakes but denying any wrongdoing.

He later returned to government, and returned to the political frontline when Starmer appointed him to the key position of ambassador to Washington at the beginning of US President Donald Trump’s second term. Mandelson’s business experience and comfort with wealthy people is a major asset to the administration. He helped reach a trade deal in May that saved Britain from some of the tariffs Trump imposed on countries around the world.

But Starmer fired him in September after emails were published showing that Mandelson’s friendship with Epstein continued even after the financier’s 2008 guilty plea.