LORD Peter Mandelson called the late convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein his “best pal” in a birthday message that has been released by US lawmakers.
In 2003, Mandelson, who is the UK ambassador to the US, described Epstein as an “intelligent, sharp-witted man”, who “parachuted” into his life, in a message for the paedophile’s 50th birthday.
Democrats in Congress released copies of the “birthday book” after the documents were subpoenaed by the House Oversight Committee last month.
Epstein's British co-conspirator and ex-girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell, was reportedly the one who put together the book, which is dated three years before allegations of sex abuse by Epstein became public in 2006.
Maxwell was convicted in 2021 of conspiring to traffic girls for sex.
Mandelson's spokesperson said that his connection to Epstein “has been a matter of public record for some time”, when approached for comment by the BBC.
In the birthday book letter, Mandelson writes that after Epstein appeared in his life, he “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.”
The letter also includes a photo of Mandelson with two women, whose faces are obscured.
Mandelson continued: “But wherever he is in the world, he remains my best pal!”
Following a photo of Mandelson sitting with Epstein, he concluded: “Happy Birthday, Jeffrey. We love you!”
The release of the document comes after an internal report by JP Morgan bank from 2019, filed to a New York court in 2023, said that Epstein kept a “particularly close relationship with Prince Andrew, the Duke of York and Lord Peter Mandelson, a senior member of the British government”.
Epstein was first criminally indicted in 2006 in Florida on a state felony charge of solicitation of prostitution. He died in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial.
The book also contained a note featuring a drawing of a woman's body allegedly signed by US President Donald Trump.
On Monday evening, the White House denied the note's authenticity as a spokesperson said that Trump “did not draw this picture, and he did not sign it”.
