Lord Mandelson has extended a personal apology to the victims of Jeffrey Epstein for continuing his association with the late pedophile following Epstein's conviction. The former cabinet minister had previously faced criticism for offering only a limited apology for systemic failures affecting women, during a BBC interview on Sunday.
In a more detailed statement to BBC Newsnight on Monday, Lord Mandelson elaborated: "Yesterday, I did not want to be seen as complicit in his [Jeffrey Epstein's] crimes, as I was misled by the lies he told me and many others. I was wrong to believe him after his conviction and to maintain my association with him thereafter. I unequivocally apologize for this to the women and girls who suffered."
The government had dismissed Lord Mandelson from his post as UK ambassador to the US last September, citing "new information" about his interactions with Epstein. Emails showed that Lord Mandelson had communicated with Epstein post-conviction, advising him to clear his name through supportive messages.
Epstein's initial conviction came through a plea bargain in Florida, sentencing him to 18 months in prison for charges including soliciting underage girls for prostitution. Epstein died in a New York prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on fresh sex trafficking charges.
In his first interview since being dismissed, on the BBC's 'Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg,' Lord Mandelson did not offer an apology for his friendship with Epstein at the time, claiming he would have done so had he been "in any way complicit or culpable." During the interview, he also mentioned he believed he was kept apart from Epstein's sexual activities due to his being gay and denied witnessing young girls at Epstein's properties.
In his subsequent statement to BBC Newsnight, Lord Mandelson clarified: "I was never culpable or complicit in his crimes. Like everyone else, I learned the actual truth about him posthumously. But his victims did know what he was doing, their voices were not heard, and I am sorry I was among those who believed him over them."