Gordon Brown asks top civil servant to investigate Mandelson ‘leak to Epstein’

The former prime minister Gordon Brown has asked the cabinet secretary to investigate Peter Mandelson’s apparent disclosure of highly sensitive government information to Jeffrey Epstein.Mandelson was business secretary during Brown’s premiership, when he appears to have leaked an economic briefing to Epstein, who was serving a jail sentence at the time for soliciting prostitution from a minor.The email, which had the subject line “Business issues”, was sent by Brown’s special adviser Nick Butler on 13 June 2009 after the global financial crisis. It detailed potential policy measures and suggested the government had saleable assets.Mandelson forwarded the email to Epstein and said: “Interesting note that’s gone to the PM

Can Peter Mandelson be stripped of his peerage over Epstein links?

Keir Starmer has said he wants Peter Mandelson out of the House of Lords, after the peer was found to have deeper links with the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, including emails which suggested Epstein had sent thousands of pounds to Lord Mandelson’s husband.Others appeared to show confidential market-sensitive information from inside No 10 was shared with Epstein while Mandelson was business secretary.But removing Mandelson’s peerage is exceptionally complex – and there are many different routes it could take.No. He has said he “believes that Peter Mandelson should not be a member of the House of Lords or use the title”

Mandelson should no longer be a peer, says Starmer

Keir Starmer has demanded Peter Mandelson resign from the House of Lords and urged the upper chamber to modernise its disciplinary procedures to allow peers to be stripped of their titles.The cabinet secretary, the UK’s most senior civil servant, will also investigate Mandelson’s actions as business secretary when Labour was last in power, after emails to Jeffrey Epstein about highly sensitive government policy emerged.The documents released on Friday by the US Department of Justice also appear to show Mandelson, as business secretary in 2009, forwarded a confidential UK government document outlining £20bn in asset sales and outlining Labour’s tax policy plans. He also told the disgraced financier that he was “trying hard” to change government policy on bankers’ bonuses at his request.Downing Street said Mandelson should testify before the US Congress inquiry into the Epstein files if he was called, after a further huge tranche of documents was released over the weekend

How the depth of Peter Mandelson’s links to Jeffrey Epstein came to light

Peter Mandelson has resigned from the Labour party over his links to the convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Here’s how the depth of their relationship – both before and after Epstein’s conviction for sexual crimes – has come to light.The files show evidence Mandelson advised Epstein on how the investment bank JPMorgan might lobby the government – of which he was a part – on plans for a tax on bankers’ bonuses.Among the documents is a chain of emails between Epstein and Mandelson, in which the former asks if the new tax might only apply to the cash portion of bonuses. “Trying hard to amend,” Mandelson wrote back on 15 December 2009

Mandelson resigns from Labour to prevent ‘further embarrassment’ over Epstein links

Peter Mandelson has said he has resigned his membership of the Labour party to avoid causing it “further embarrassment” after more revelations about his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein.The peer, who was sacked as US ambassador last year because of his links to Epstein, featured in documents released by the US Department of Justice on Friday related to the convicted sex offender.Mandelson said he had written on Sunday evening to Hollie Ridley, the general secretary of the Labour party, to say he was resigning his party membership.His letter said: “I have been further linked this weekend to the understandable furore surrounding Jeffrey Epstein and I feel regretful and sorry about this.“Allegations which I believe to be false that he made financial payments to me 20 years ago, and of which I have no record or recollection, need investigating by me

UK should consider resuming talks on EU defence pact, Starmer says

The UK should consider re-entering talks for a defence pact with the EU, Keir Starmer has said, arguing that Europe needs to “step up and do more” to defend itself in uncertain times.The prime minister signalled that he wanted to work more collaboratively with other European countries to increase defence spending and build up military capability, and doing so through the EU’s scheme is one option available.Talks for the UK to join the EU’s €150bn (£130bn) security action for Europe (Safe) defence fund collapsed in November 2025 amid claims the bloc had set too high a price on entry, with France blamed for the breakdown.However, there is understood to be greater appetite on all sides for a deal on the UK to join a future round of Safe, especially since Donald Trump’s threats to take over Greenland and criticism of Nato.Asked on his trip to China whether there was a case for the UK going back into a second-round Safe defence pact if the price was right, Starmer said: “Europe, including the UK, needs to do more on security and defence … that’s an argument I’ve been making for many months now