Overview
- Lord Peter Mandelson told the BBC he would not apologise for his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein, offering instead an apology for a system that failed victims.
- He called the relationship a terrible mistake, insisted he was not culpable or aware of Epstein’s crimes, and said he would regret it for the rest of his life.
- He suggested he saw no abuse and argued he was kept separate from the sexual side of Epstein’s life because he is gay.
- Previously published emails showed Mandelson urged Epstein to fight for early release and wrote I think the world of you around the time of Epstein’s 2008 sentencing.
- Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander criticised the interview and said the emails revealed the breadth of the relationship, which is why the prime minister removed him from the post.