For nearly forty years, little has happened in Britain’s Labour party without the seventy-two-year-old Lord (as he still is) pulling at least some of the strings. From early ally of Tony Blair to Britain’s ambassador to Washington, he has enjoyed enormous success and heavily influenced political discourse. But now he’s a pariah, disowned even by protégés and long-term allies, and facing three investigations: one into his role in Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s appointment as a trade envoy in 2001; a second into possible fraud while a member of the European Commission from 2004 to 2008; and a British police probe into misconduct in public office.
Meanwhile, Mandelson’s lucrative consultancy business, Global Counsel, has collapsed leaving his 21 percent stake worthless after clients bailed in droves. He had stepped down as the consultancy’s chairman in May 2024 as part of a restructuring that saw Jim Messina, the former Barack Obama aide, join the board when his own firm, Messina Group, took a 20 percent stake in a deal valuing Global Counsel at around £30 million.
In making his investment, Messina either did not know or did not care that media outlets in Britain had already revealed that Mandelson maintained an association with Epstein after his conviction for soliciting prostitution from a minor in 2008.
Similarly, Keir Starmer, who has now admitted he knew of the longevity of Mandelson’s Epstein link, did not consider it to be an obstacle to appointing him to Britain’s top diplomatic role. Mandelson took up the post in February 2025 but was sacked by Starmer only seven months later, after the first batch of Epstein emails released by the US Department of Justice revealed more details of his ambassador’s post-conviction fraternization with Epstein.
Aided by friends in the media, Mandelson attempted to rehabilitate himself in January. The BBC indulged him with a long interview in which he portrayed himself as an innocent fool for trusting Epstein. The…
Auteur: Steve Howell
