‘Best pal’ to ‘wish I never met him’: The disconnect between Mandelson’s claim and his Epstein letter
He is Britain’s ambassador to the United States, a former deputy prime minister of the United Kingdom, no less.
He has been a titan of British politics for decades and is the sharpest of operators.
Yet Peter Mandelson has been unable to explain why he counted the paedophile Jeffrey Epstein as his “best pal”.
Warning: This story contains graphic descriptions of sexual acts.
“Wherever he is in the world, he remains my best pal!” Lord Mandelson wrote in Epstein’s 50th birthday book in 2003.
The handwritten words were accompanied by a snap of a dressing-gown-clad Mandelson with Epstein.
Epstein and Mandelson pictured together in the ‘birthday book’ released by the US Congress. Pic: US House Oversight Committee
Peter Mandelson was once dubbed ‘the Prince of Darkness’ in British politics
Lord Mandelson was one of many contributors to the book, which has been made public for the first time after being published by a congressional committee in Washington.
It was compiled by Epstein’s girlfriend and co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell in 2003, three years before allegations of sexual abuse of minors by Epstein became public.
At the very least, there is the question of judgement for Lord Mandelson.
Lord Mandelson’s appointment to the UK’s most senior diplomatic role overseas came as a surprise to many. Pic: Reuters
The victims of Epstein’s abuse have said repeatedly that anyone close to him would have been fully aware of his behaviour.
While that is unprovable, it is deeply uncomfortable for anyone close to him, and even more so for those who contributed to the birthday book.
The book is hard to read. For page after page, the content is at times graphically sexual.
It contains stories, anecdotes and boasts from friends discussing their sexual escapades with Epstein.
Some of the images are disturbing, including hand-drawn images of Epstein being massaged by three young-looking women on a beach and images of him with girls – their faces blacked out by the US congressional committee which released the book.
‘She left screaming’
One note, from an unknown contributor, reads: “I was porking some girl in bed and Jeff brings in the mains to make beef. She left screaming and never came back.”
It continues: “We’re both in bed porking some girls and I said what do you think, while he’s shoving penicillin down my throat.”
Elsewhere in the book, the full note from Lord Mandelson, accompanied by photos, reads: “Once upon a time, an intelligent, sharp-witted man they call ‘mysterious’ parachuted into my life…
Pic: US House Oversight Committee
“You would spend many hours just waiting for him to turn up. And often, no sooner were you getting used to having him around, you would suddenly be alone… again leaving you with some ‘interesting’ friends to entertain instead… [this caption is accompanied by a photo of two unidentified women].
It continues: “Or just some dogs to keep you company (he wasn’t always so keen on them). But then he would parachute back in… very occasionally, taking you by surprise in some far-off places [this caption accompanied with a whiskey label with Mandelson’s name on it]… or in one of his glorious homes he likes to share with his friends (yum yum). But wherever he is in the world, he remains my best pal!”
Pic: US House Oversight Committee
Pic: US House Oversight Committee
Pic: US House Oversight Committee
Pic: US House Oversight Committee
In May, Sky News asked Lord Mandelson about his relationship with Mr Epstein.
“I’m not answering any questions about him,” he told Sky’s James Matthews. “My knowledge of him is something that I regret. I wish I’d never met him in the first place.”
“Why did you have an association with him?” he was asked.
“Why did many people meet him? He was a prolific networker, and I wish I never met him in the first place,” Mandelson said.
Sources have told Sky News the ambassador was unhappy with our questions. Notably, Sky was not invited to briefings with the embassy for a few months, and engagement with staff there was more challenging.
In February, as he prepared to become the new ambassador, the Financial Times asked Lord Mandelson about his relationship with Epstein.
“I regret ever meeting him or being introduced to him by his partner Ghislaine Maxwell,” he told the paper.
“I regret even more the hurt he caused to many young women. I’m not going to go into this. It’s an FT obsession, and frankly, you can all f*ck off. OK?”
Mandelson has never been accused of any sexual impropriety by any of the Epstein victims.
No comment
He has not made any fresh comments on the notes in the book, but a spokesperson for the British Embassy in Washington had no comment, only referring me to the words from the ambassador in May.
In London, the prime minister’s spokesperson was asked if Sir Keir Starmer had spoken to Mandelson since the emergence of the letter.
The spokesperson said: “I can only refer to the statement the ambassador himself made… I have nothing to add other than what the ambassador has already said about the previous relationship with Epstein… he is focused on the state visit.”
The birthday message to Epstein from Lord Mandelson is signed with a warm flourish Pic: US House Oversight Committee
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It’s also not clear if Sir Keir and Number 10 officials were aware of the extent of the ties between Mandelson and Epstein. If they were, that raises serious questions about their own judgement.
That state visit, next week, is now complicated by this news. The degrees of separation for three key characters involved in the visit are deeply awkward.
US President Donald Trump seems increasingly closely associated with Epstein, with the publication of the letter in the book purported to be from him. Mr Trump continues to claim the letter is a fake.
President Trump denies it is his signature on this message
Lord Mandelson’s association now appears to have been much closer than previously known.
The King’s brother, Prince Andrew, also had an association with Epstein and Maxwell that is well documented. He reached an out-of-court settlement with one Epstein victim who accused Andrew of sexual impropriety. He denies any wrongdoing.
Deeply personal scandal
Lord Mandelson is spearheading Britain’s diplomatic and trade relationship with the United States. He has put the UK in a uniquely good position since he became ambassador at the start of the year.
The state visit will form a key part of the effort to deepen relations with the Trump administration.
There is an expectation of new trade, tech and AI announcements between the president and the prime minister next week.
Lord Mandelson is a master of spin and strategy. He and his advisors will be hoping this deeply personal scandal doesn’t derail diplomatic progress.
But there remains a huge disconnect between his assertion that “my knowledge of him is something that I regret” and this new revelation that Epstein was his “best pal”.
Right-wing American influencer Charlie Kirk has died after being shot, according to Donald Trump.
The US president announced that the conservative student leader and an ally of Mr Trump had died after being shot during a university event in Orem, Utah.
“The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead,” wrote the American leader on his Truth Social account.
“No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie. He was loved and admired by ALL, especially me, and now, he is no longer with us.”
Earlier, witnesses said they heard a shot fired from a nearby building as Kirk spoke, a university spokesperson told Sky’s US partner NBC News.
Videos on social media show Kirk speaking into a microphone while sitting under a white tent with the slogans “The American Comeback” and “Prove Me Wrong”.
A single shot is heard and Mr Kirk can be seen reaching up with his right hand as blood comes out from the left side of his neck. He then falls off his chair.
File pic: AP
A university spokesperson confirmed he had been shot in the neck. He was then taken to hospital by private security and underwent surgery.
President Trump earlier asked people to pray for the 31-year-old conservative activist.
The father-of-two is the chief executive and co-founder of Turning Point USA, a prominent organisation that engages conservative youth on school campuses.
The university earlier said a suspect was in custody but later clarified that was not the case.
Mr Kirk and Turning Point USA played a key role in driving youth support for Mr Trump in last November’s presidential election. His events at college campuses nationwide typically draw large crowds.
President Trump often spoken favourably about Mr Kirk, including multiple times on the campaign trail last year.
File pic: AP
During a rally in Washington the day before he was sworn in for a second term in January, Mr Trump told attendees: “Charlie Kirk is here. And I want to thank Charlie. Charlie is fantastic. I mean, this guy.”
A few weeks before, during a rally in Las Vegas on 22 December 2024, Mr Trump called Mr Kirk “incredible”, adding that he “is a special talent, and he’s out there fighting”.
The president, then a candidate for the White House, also appeared last October at a Turning Point USA political rally in Phoenix.
“I want to express my tremendous gratitude to Charlie Kirk. He’s really an amazing guy. Amazing guy,” Mr Trump said.
The president, on the campaign trail last June, also lauded Mr Kirk at a Turning Point Action town hall in Phoenix, saying, “I want to thank a special person, Charlie Kirk, for his tremendous leadership.”
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The resurfacing of an affectionate greeting to paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, alleged to have come from Lord Mandelson, raises huge questions.
It couldn’t have come at a worse moment – days before Donald Trump’s state visit to the UK, in which Mandelson, the UK’s ambassador to Washington, will play a significant role.
While he focuses on crafting Anglo-American collaboration on technology, his judgment is under scrutiny on both sides of the Atlantic.
Newly released files, which had been demanded by the House of Representatives Oversight Committee on Capitol Hill, appear to contain notes he sent to Jeffrey Epstein.
Follow updates: White House denies Trump behind birthday note
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The messages inside Epstein ‘birthday book’
One reads: “…wherever he is in the world, he remains my best pal!”
“Happy birthday, Jeffrey we love you!!” it concludes.
An image, apparently written by Mandelson, referring to Epstein as a ‘best pal’. Credit: U.S. House Oversight Committee
Mandelson’s connection to the billionaire, who died by suicide in prison while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges, is well documented.
A 2019 JP Morgan internal report flagged a notably close relationship between the two.
Listen to The World with Richard Engel and Yalda Hakim every Wednesday
But his alleged use of the words “best pal” suggests a closer and warmer relationship than had been previously acknowledged.
Questioned about it in 2025, the UK’s ambassador to the US expressed “deep regret” over knowing Epstein but dismissed the issue as a media “obsession”.
A picture of Epstein and Mandelson together in the ‘birthday book’ released by the US Congress. Credit: U.S. House Oversight Committee
Peter Mandelson, once dubbed “the Prince of Darkness” within Westminster, is a veteran politician who served in cabinet under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown.
His appointment as UK Ambassador to the United States in February 2025 surprised many people.
Read more:
What is in Epstein’s ‘birthday book’?
It is unusual for someone considered a political heavyweight to find themselves in what is traditionally a diplomatic role.
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From May: Sky’s James Matthews questions Lord Mandelson over Jeffrey Epstein association
Asked about the alleged birthday greeting, the prime minister’s official spokesperson said Sir Keir Starmer had “full confidence” in the UK’s ambassador to the US.
The one thing sparing him any difficult questions from the White House is the fact that Mr Trump faces just as many himself over Epstein.
Donald Trump’s bid to fire a US central bank rate-setter has suffered a setback after a federal judge blocked the move.
The president revealed last month that he was removing Lisa Cook from her post at the Federal Reserve on alleged mortgage fraud grounds.
The move was widely seen by commentators as a bid to destroy the Fed’s independence through the appointment of a new governor who would support his bid for interest rate cuts to boost the trade war-hit US economy.
Money latest: Newspaper group confirms job losses
Ms Cook, who denies wrongdoing and any cause to dismiss her, was appointed to the Fed’s board by former US president Joe Biden. The board forms part of the panel that votes on US interest rate decisions.
She secured a preliminary court ruling late on Tuesday which found that the Trump administration’s claims she committed mortgage fraud prior to taking office were likely not sufficient grounds for her removal.
The White House has claimed she inaccurately described three separate properties on mortgage applications, which could have allowed her to obtain lower interest rates and tax credits.
Lisa Cook is the first black woman to serve as a Fed governor. File pic: AP
But US District Judge Jia Cobb said: “President Trump has not identified anything related to Cook’s conduct or job performance as a Board member that would indicate that she is harming the Board or the public interest by executing her duties unfaithfully or ineffectively.”
The ruling, which could yet be appealed, means she can continue in her role while her own lawsuit proceeds.
It could end up in the Supreme Court.
Mr Trump’s demands this year that the Fed cuts rates have so far fallen on deaf ears as the central bank voting has shown too much concern over trade war-linked inflation. Prices have risen as higher import duties have been passed on.
He has repeatedly called for Fed chair Jay Powell to resign but retracted threats to fire him.
The president may actually get his wish for a cut this month amid a deterioration in the employment market – also widely blamed on his trade war – as hiring has slumped.
The central bank, unlike the Bank of England, has a dual mandate to ensure maximum employment as well as keeping inflation in check.
Any rate cut would be unlikely to extinguish the Trump administration’s effort to influence monetary policy.
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The Fed’s ability to set interest rates without regard to politicians’ demands is critical to market confidence, let alone the central bank’s ability to keep inflation under control.
Neither the Fed or the White House commented on the ruling.
Ms Cook’s lawyer, Abbe Lowell, said: “This ruling recognises and reaffirms the importance of safeguarding the independence of the Federal Reserve from illegal political interference.”
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