"Lord Mandelson's friendship with the late Epstein has long been publicly known, so the key political questions are actually for the prime minister, in choosing to appoint him. Downing Street is not currently providing straight answers when we ask whether these most recent revelations are a surprise to them and whether they know what may be still to come. They insist "due process" was followed before Lord Mandelson's appointment."
"The one that stands out is the one also reported by the Sun. It was sent by Mandelson to Epstein in 2008, as the financier prepared to be jailed for soliciting prostitution from someone aged under 18. "Fight for early release," Lord Mandelson is quoted as writing, adding "your friends stay with you and love you". Lord Mandelson doesn't deny these emails. In a statement to the BBC he said: "I relied on assurances of his innocence that turned out later to be horrendously false.""
Lord Mandelson maintained a long-standing friendship with Jeffrey Epstein that has generated renewed scrutiny. Downing Street says due process was followed before his ambassadorial appointment, while refusing to say whether recent revelations were surprising or whether more could emerge. The government either failed to investigate the friendship fully, decided the benefits outweighed potential embarrassment, or hoped damaging details would not surface. Bloomberg says it obtained over 100 emails between Mandelson and Epstein from 2005–2010, including a 2008 message urging "Fight for early release" as Epstein faced jail. Mandelson does not deny the emails and said he relied on assurances of Epstein's innocence that later proved false. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch questioned whether his role is tenable.
Read at www.bbc.com
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