Peter Mandelson says ‘I wish I’d never met him’ as renewed attention focuses on his past association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The former Labour minister and current UK ambassador to the United States told Sky News he regrets ever having known the disgraced financier.
A 2019 report by JP Morgan, filed in a New York court, suggested Mandelson stayed at Epstein’s Manhattan apartment in 2009. This occurred while Epstein was serving a sentence for procuring a minor for prostitution. At that time, Mandelson was Business Secretary under Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
He said “I’m not answering any questions about him,” he said. “My knowledge of him is something I regret. I wish I’d never met him in the first place.”
Pressed further on why he associated with Epstein at all, Mandelson replied, “Why did many people meet him? He was a prolific networker. And I wish I’d never met him in the first place.”
Peter Mandelson says ‘I wish I’d never met him’ while continuing his ambassadorial duties in Washington, where he represents UK interests during a sensitive period of transatlantic diplomacy.
His position has attracted added scrutiny given past remarks about President Donald Trump. In 2019, Mandelson described Trump as a “danger to the world,” comments he later walked back. In January 2025, he called his remarks “ill-judged and wrong,” promising to treat the Trump administration with “respect and seriousness.”
A photo taken earlier this month showed Mandelson with President Trump and Vice President JD Vance in the Oval Office, discussing UK-US trade developments.
While Mandelson attempts to focus on diplomatic work, the lingering questions over Epstein remain. The JP Morgan emails include a message from Epstein to his banker on 17 June 2009: “Peter will be staying at 71st over weekend…”—a reference to his New York residence.
Epstein died by suicide in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. His connections to global elites have since come under intense scrutiny.
Mandelson’s regret joins a growing list of public figures distancing themselves from Epstein. However, as UK ambassador to the US, he remains a central figure in Britain’s relationship with Washington.
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