Lord Peter Mandelson has asserted that Jeffrey Epstein’s money did not influence his actions while in office as the police evaluate his connections with the disgraced financier.
The peer admitted to a “lapse in judgment” after it emerged Epstein funded an osteopathy course for his husband Reinaldo Avila da Silva in 2009 at the time the government was dealing with the global financial crisis.
The revelation came in the newly released batch of Epstein files, which contain reference to a £10,000 transfer from Epstein.
“In retrospect, it was clearly a lapse in our collective judgment for Reinaldo to accept this offer. At the time it was not a consequential decision,” Lord Mandelson told The Times.
He rejected the suggestion that this left him open to bribery claims, with Epstein lobbying him to change banker bonus rules.
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“There was non-stop discussion from the entire industry about reforming the banks and how to strike the right balance in regulation,” Mandelson said.
He added: “The idea that giving Reinaldo an osteopath bursary is going to sway mine or anyone else’s views about banking policy is risible.”
The peer – whose place in the House of Lords is in question – insisted he had “absolutely no recollection” of receiving payments totalling 75,000 US dollars (around £55,000) from Epstein between 2003 and 2004 as bank details in the files released by the US Department of Justice indicated.
He suggested he did not want to fully exit public life, saying that “hiding under a rock would be a disproportionate response to a handful of misguided historical emails, which I deeply regret sending”.
Mandelson insisted that none of the recently released Epstein files “indicate wrongdoing or misdemeanour on my part”.
It comes as police review reports of Mandelson’s alleged misconduct in a public office as separate emails appeared to show the peer passing on confidential government documents to Epstein when he was business secretary.
Scotland Yard confirmed on Monday it is looking into reports Mandelson had given market-sensitive information to the financier in both 2009 and 2010.
The Metropolitan Police also confirmed it received the reports and was looking into whether they meet the threshold for a criminal investigation.
Emails from the Epstein files appear to show Mandelson telling Epstein he would lobby his fellow ministers over a proposed tax on bankers' bonuses at the height of the financial crisis in 2009.
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There are multiple images of Mandelson included in the Epstein files that have been released in recent months. Picture: Department of Justice
Mandelson appeared to pass on what he called an “interesting note that’s gone to the PM”, an assessment by the Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s adviser Nick Butler of potential policy measures including an “asset sales plan”.
Epstein responded by asking “what salable assets”, with a reply from a redacted email address saying “land, property I guess”.
The financier was also sent an analysis of business lending in August 2009, drawn up by government minister Baroness Vadera.
The sender of the message to Epstein has been redacted, but Lord Mandelson was involved in the government email thread.
A separate email exchange appears to show Mandelson confirming an imminent bailout of the euro in 2010, a day before it was formally announced.
The Met’s Commander Ella Marriott said: “We are aware of the further release of millions of court documents in relation to Jeffrey Epstein by the United States Department of Justice.
“Following this release and subsequent media reporting, the Met has received a number of reports relating to alleged misconduct in public office. The reports will all be reviewed to determine if they meet the criminal threshold for investigation.
"As with any matter, if new and relevant information is brought to our attention, we will assess it, and investigate as appropriate."
A Government spokesperson said: “It is rightly for the police to determine whether to investigate and the Government stands ready to provide whatever support and assistance the police need.”
Former Prime Minister Mr Brown said he had asked Sir Chris to investigate the disclosure of “confidential and market sensitive information” during the global financial crisis.
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