Police are reviewing reports of alleged misconduct in public office after emails released by the US Department of Justice appear to show Lord Peter Mandelson forwarded sensitive government information to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein while he was business secretary under Gordon Brown in 2009.
The Metropolitan Police said it had received a number of reports following the latest document release and media reporting. Commander Ella Marriott said the reports “will all be reviewed to determine if they meet the criminal threshold for investigation” and that new, relevant information will be assessed and investigated as appropriate. A government spokesperson said it was for police to decide whether to investigate and that ministers would provide any required support.
The Scottish National Party and Reform UK have reported the peer to police, and the Liberal Democrats, Plaid Cymru and some Labour MPs have called for an inquiry. Downing Street said Sir Keir Starmer believes Lord Mandelson should not be a member of the House of Lords or use his title, but the prime minister’s office noted there is no power to remove a peerage without new legislation. The government has opened an urgent inquiry into Mandelson’s contact with Epstein while he was a minister and said it would work with the Lords to modernise disciplinary procedures to allow removal of peers who bring the chamber into disrepute.
Lord Mandelson has been on leave from the Lords since taking up a US ambassadorial role in December 2024; he was dismissed from that post in September after earlier revelations about his relationship with Epstein. He resigned his Labour membership in January 2026. Mandelson has denied that Epstein made financial payments to him 20 years ago but apologised for maintaining an association with Epstein after his conviction and said he regretted that.
The newly public tranche of emails includes messages that, if accurate, suggest:
– Mandelson advised Epstein in 2009 that the boss of JP Morgan should “mildly threaten” the UK chancellor over a proposed one-off tax on bankers’ bonuses;
– He gave Epstein advance notice of a reported €500bn EU bailout plan;
– Epstein made three $25,000 payments to Mandelson in 2003–04, totalling $75,000; and
– Epstein sent £10,000 to Mandelson’s partner, Reinaldo Avila da Silva, in 2009.
Released emails indicate Mandelson forwarded an internal note from Brown adviser Nick Butler—about “releasing value from the very substantial asset base which the government holds” and an “asset sales plan”—to Epstein with the line: “Interesting note that’s gone to the PM.” Epstein replied asking “what salable [sic] assets?” Another email chain shows Epstein asking whether Jamie Dimon of JP Morgan should call then-chancellor Alistair Darling; Mandelson appears to have replied “Yes and mildly threaten.” A further August 2009 government email about supporting struggling companies in exchange for ownership stakes—originally from Business Minister Shriti Vadera—was also forwarded to Epstein, though it is unclear by whom.
Former prime minister Gordon Brown said he had asked the cabinet secretary to investigate disclosures of confidential and market-sensitive information from the business department during the financial crisis, and to widen enquiries into communications between Mandelson and Epstein. Nick Butler, who wrote the asset email, said he was “shocked” and that Mandelson “should be ashamed of what he’s done.”
Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister Darren Jones told MPs that “the undeclared exchange of funds, the passing on of government information, let alone the facts that those exchanges were to a convicted paedophile, are wholly unconscionable.” Conservative shadow minister Alex Burghart said the government could not avoid responsibility for appointing Mandelson as an ambassador given his known links to Epstein. Some Labour MPs have privately criticised the government’s handling of the matter, saying party actions should have been stronger.
The Met and other authorities will assess the material to determine whether there is sufficient evidence to launch criminal investigations.
