Peter Mandelson, Britain’s former ambassador to the United States, has publicly apologised to the victims of disgraced American financier Jeffrey Epstein, admitting that maintaining a relationship with the convicted sex offender was a grave error.
In a statement released late Monday to the BBC’s Newsnight programme, Mandelson described his actions as wrong and expressed regret to those harmed by Epstein’s crimes.
“I was wrong to believe him after his conviction and to continue my association with him,” Mandelson said. “I apologise unequivocally to the women and girls who suffered.”
The apology followed intense criticism that trailed Mandelson’s first broadcast interview since his dismissal as Britain’s top diplomat in Washington last September.
During that interview, aired on Sunday, he stopped short of directly apologising, a move that sparked public backlash.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer removed Mandelson from office four months ago after emails surfaced showing that he had remained in contact with Epstein even after the latter’s 2008 conviction for child sex offences.
In the Sunday interview, Mandelson acknowledged that his continued association with Epstein stemmed from what he described as “misplaced loyalty” and called it “a most terrible mistake.”
READ ALSO: ‘Kemi Badenoch Lied’: Bayo Onanuga Demands Apology Over Nigerian Citizenship Claim
He also claimed Epstein had kept him separate from what he termed the “sexual side” of his life, citing his own sexuality as the reason.
Mandelson, a former Labour Party powerbroker once nicknamed the “Prince of Darkness” for his influence as a media strategist, has previously faced controversy.
He resigned twice from Tony Blair’s government in the late 1990s and early 2000s amid allegations of misconduct.
His latest apology marks the clearest acknowledgment yet of personal responsibility in the long-running scandal surrounding Epstein and those linked to him.