WES Streeting has defended Lord Peter Mandelson’s relationship with the late Jeffrey Epstein after it was revealed the Labour peer called the convicted paedophile his “best pal”.
On Tuesday, the UK Government’s Minister for Health and Social Care defended Mandelson in an interview with Sky News as he said the UK ambassador to the US has made it “very clear that he deeply regrets ever having been introduced to” Epstein.
On Monday it was revealed by US lawmakers that Mandelson described Epstein as an “intelligent, sharp-witted man”, who “parachuted” into his life, in a message for the paedophile’s 50th birthday in 2003.
Democrats in Congress released copies of the “birthday book” after the documents were subpoenaed by the House Oversight Committee last month.
During the interview, Sky News’s Wilfred Frost asked Streeting about the release of the documents by the Democrats which included letters that appear to have been sent to Epstein by Mandelson.
“Is it a problem that he's continued to be linked to Jeffrey Epstein whilst having such an important role?” Frost asked.
Streeting replied: “Well, I think our ambassador has made it very clear that he deeply regrets ever having been introduced to Epstein.
The Labour minister added: “Frankly, given what we all now know about the way he conducted himself and the sort of appalling testimony, we've heard from Epstein's victims who would want to be associated with him, frankly.”
Frost then asked for clarification that despite the revelation of the new documents, the UK Government is not considering axing Mandelson from his ambassador role.
“No, I don't think we should regard everyone as guilty by association,” Streeting replied.
He added: “I think that the important thing is, Epstein's victims receive the justice now and the platform now to tell their stories, to receive the hearing and the justice that comes from transparency and being now able to speak out in a way that.
“Sadly, they weren't able to do [that] while Epstein was alive and it's really important that victims are believed that they're given the space to set out their experiences, and that the justice that was not applied to Epstein in life can at least tarnish his name in death.”
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.
She was convicted in 2021 of conspiring to traffic girls for sex.
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.
