Lord Mandelson has been reported to the police over allegations he leaked Downing Street files to Jeffrey Epstein.
The Met Police has confirmed it will review “a number of reports” following the further release of documents relating to the paedophile financier.
Detectives said they have received a number of reports “relating to alleged misconduct” in public roles.
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.”
She continued: “Following this release and subsequent media reporting, the Met has received a number of reports relating to alleged misconduct in a 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.”
Earlier today, Lord Mandelson wrote to the general secretary of the Labour Party to resign his party membership, saying: “Allegations which I believe to be false that he made financial payments to me 20 years ago, and of which I have no record or recollection, need investigating by me.
“While doing this I do not wish to cause further embarrassment to the Labour Party and I am therefore stepping down from membership of the party.”
Peter Mandelson left the Labour Party
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GETTYThe UK’s former ambassador to the US features a number of times in millions of pages released by the US Department of Justice as part of the so-called “Epstein files.”
The country’s top civil servant has been tasked with carrying out a review after documents apparently showed Lord Mandelson passing information to Epstein while the peer was a cabinet minister in Gordon Brown’s government.
Documents released by the US Department of Justice indicate Epstein was sent details of internal discussions from the heart of Westminster after the global financial crisis.
Lord Mandelson, the then-business secretary, also appeared to tell Epstein he would lobby ministers over a tax on bankers’ bonuses in 2009, and to confirm an imminent bailout package for the euro the day before it was announced in 2010.
Peter Mandelson appeared to tell Epstein he would lobby ministers over a tax on bankers’ bonuses
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GETTY
Following the document dump on Friday, Sir Keir Starmer urged Lord Mandelson to quit the House of Lords, with Downing Street saying the Prime Minister believes he should “not be a member…or use the title.”
Downing Street said Sir Keir had asked Cabinet Secretary Sir Chris Wormald to conduct “an urgent review” looking at “all available information regarding Mandelson’s contacts with Epstein during his period as a minister.”
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.
Meanwhile, senior Labour MPs have called for Lord Mandelson to face criminal prosecution after he was alleged to have leaked sensitive information to Jeffrey Epstein.
Dame Emily Thornberry in the Commons earlier today
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PARLIAMENT.TV
Dame Emily Thornberry, Labour MP for Islington South and Finsbury, told the Commons it was “not a matter of whether Peter Mandelson should be in the House of Lords, this is a matter of whether the police should be involved.”
Labour former minister Justin Madders also called for an investigation into the potential misconduct in public office.
Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister Darren Jones said: “The undeclared exchange of funds, the passing on of Government information, let alone the facts that those exchanges were to a convicted paedophile, are wholly unconscionable.
“The House will know that if any of those activities were to take place today, ministers would be swiftly relieved of their duties and could be, via the recall petitions available to the House, removed from their constituency too.”
