Lord Peter Mandelson was “economical” with the truth when he answered questions about his ties to Jeffrey Epstein before he was appointed ambassador to Washington, Downing Street sources have said.
The Labour grandee was sacked as the UK’s representative in Washington on Thursday after emails were published showing Lord Mandelson sent supportive messages even as Epstein faced jail for sex offences.
The emails brought to light “new information” and showed “the depth and extent” of Lord Mandelson’s relationship with Epstein was “materially different from that known at the time of his appointment”, Downing Street and the Foreign Office said when his withdrawal from the post was announced.
That is despite Lord Mandelson answering three questions put to him before his appointment, it is understood. The questions followed Sir Keir being given a file about Lord Mandelson’s links to Epstein by the Cabinet Office Propriety and Ethics Team.
He was asked why he continued contact with Epstein after he was convicted, why he was reported to have stayed in one of the paedophile financier’s homes while he was in prison and whether he was associated with a charity founded by Ghislaine Maxwell that Epstein had backed.
The BBC reported it understands Lord Mandelson believes he was truthful about his association with Epstein and that he told No 10 he had not stayed at his apartment while he was in prison in 2009.
But No 10 sources said Lord Mandelson was “economical with the truth” in his answers to the three questions.
Another vetting process carried out by the Foreign Office followed.
The new information came after it emerged that No 10 officials were aware of the emails between Lord Mandelson and Epstein, before Sir Keir defended him during Prime Minister’s Questions.
But the PM is understood not to have been aware of their contents until Wednesday evening – after he told the Commons he had “confidence” in Lord Mandelson.
The decision to sack Lord Mandelson with immediate effect was taken on Thursday morning and announced shortly afterwards.
The emails had been sent from an account which had long been closed and were not available during the vetting process.
Allies of the peer told The Times that he admitted in his vetting interview that he continued his relationship with Epstein for many years.
Dame Emily Thornberry, chairwoman of Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, has demanded answers from the Foreign Secretary on the vetting process for Lord Mandelson.
Emails published on Wednesday included passages in which Lord Mandelson told Epstein to “fight for early release” shortly before he was sentenced to 18 months in prison.
He is also reported to have told Epstein “I think the world of you” the day before the disgraced financier began his sentence for soliciting prostitution from a minor in June 2008.
The scandal has put pressure on Sir Keir, coming within a week of Angela Rayner’s departure and the ensuing Cabinet reshuffle.
It has also brought renewed scrutiny of his chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, who was reported to have lobbied for Lord Mandelson’s appointment.
Backbencher Olivia Blake said it was “really embarrassing” if Sir Keir was not told about Lord Mandelson’s emails to Epstein soon enough.
She told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “I just think that whoever’s gatekeeping the information to the Prime Minister needs to stop. They need to be getting stuff to him much earlier.”
