Ever greater detail is emerging about Peter Mandelson’s closeness to Jeffrey Epstein, not least in a US court document listing a series of emails in which the late financier and sex offender refers to Lord Mandelson fondly as “Petie”.
The contact spans 2009 to 2011, after Epstein was convicted of child sexual offences. There is, however, other evidence that the pair’s closeness was well established by then.
2003 – the Epstein birthday book
Mandelson was among a host of wealthy and well-connected people to contribute messages to a “birthday book” when Epstein turned 50, many of them alluding openly to the financier’s lurid social life.
Mandelson’s lengthy and very personal tribute to a man he called “my best pal” included a reference to Epstein being “mysterious”, and to his “interesting” friends, the latter illustrated with a photo of two women, their faces obscured.
June 2008 – messages of support
According to the Sun, which said it had seen other messages from court documents, when Epstein was facing prosecution for soliciting sex from a minor, Mandelson emailed him to say: “Your friends stay with you and love you.”
Another reported message, shortly before Epstein was handed a brief jail term, said: “Fight for early release.”
The paper said other messages from Mandelson included him saying he was “furious” at the legal situation faced by Epstein, adding: “The whole thing has been years of torture and now you have to show the world how big a person you are, and how strong.”
The Sun said Mandelson did not dispute the veracity of the messages.
June 2009 – Mandelson stays in New York with Epstein.
In a tranche of emails between Epstein and Jes Staley – at the time a senior executive with JP Morgan, a bank that had a long and close business relationship with Epstein – Mandelson’s name cropped up frequently, sometimes as the diminutive “Petie”. The emails were detailed in the court document.
In June 2009, when Mandelson was Gordon Brown’s de facto deputy PM, Epstein wrote to Staley that “Peter will be staying at 71st over weekend”, a reference to Epstein’s vast Manhattan townhouse on East 71st Street. He suggested Staley try to join them.
January 2010
Three months after Staley sought Epstein’s help to meet Mandelson, he emailed the financier to say he “saw Peter last night”. He added: “Darling in 20 minutes”, a seeming reference to Alistair Darling, Brown’s chancellor.
Later the same day, Epstein replied to ask: “was Petie helpful?” as the pair were seemingly discussing efforts by JP Morgan to buy Royal Bank of Scotland’s energy trading arm, Sempra.
11 May 2010
Epstein emailed Staley to say: “Petie’s quitting.” This appears to be a reference to Mandelson no longer being a minister after Labour lost the election five days earlier, after which there was an impasse before the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition took power.
16 May 2010
Epstein emailed Staley to ask about his schedule while on a trip to London, writing: “What days will you be there? Do you have time for the Prince Andrew and/or Peter?”
Ten days later, Mandelson emailed Epstein to forward him details of an event he was addressing in Shanghai, suggesting that JP Morgan should be represented “if they want to spread their wings in China?”
October/November 2010
After a message from Mandelson to Staley about a visit to the Republic of the Congo, and possible JP Morgan opportunities there, Epstein and Staley discussed other possible business opportunities for the former minister.
Then in November, Epstein told Staley: “Petie and others in Paris this weekend”, suggesting a time for Staley to join them.
