According to global news agency Reuters, Mandelson was dismissed in September after emails surfaced showing that his relationship with Epstein was far closer than previously acknowledged. The senior British politician had referred to Epstein as his "best friend" and had advised him on seeking early release from jail.
In an interview with BBC, when asked whether he wanted to apologize for his links to Epstein, Mandelson said, I want to apologize to those women for a system that refused to hear their voices and did not provide them the protection they were entitled to.
He clarified that he would only apologize for his personal involvement if he had known about Epstein’s crimes or been complicit.
He added, I was not culpable; I was not aware of what he was doing. I believed his story and that of his lawyer, who repeatedly tried to persuade me that he had been falsely criminalized in his contact with these young women. Now I regret believing that story.
The UK government, at the time of Mandelson’s dismissal, stated that the nature of his ties to Epstein appeared "materially different" from what was known at the time of his appointment.
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Later, the government appointed Christian Turner as the new ambassador to the U.S. at a critical moment for transatlantic relations.
During the interview, Mandelson said, Do you really think that if I had known what he was doing to these vulnerable young women, I would have just stayed silent, ignored it, and moved on? He described Epstein as “an evil monster.”
Mandelson also said he believed that, as a gay man within Epstein’s circle, he was “kept separate from the sexual side of his life.”
