Trump Addresses Andrew’s Arrest As Former Prince Released From Custody

Posted on 19/02/2026 by Boris Clair

Donald Trump has described Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest as “a shame” and “a very sad thing”.

The former prince was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office today while his homes in Norfolk and Berkshire were searched by police.

He was released under investigation this evening and police officers have since concluded searching his home on the Sandringham estate.

The royal’s arrest comes after documents released by the US Congress revealed dead paedophile Jeffrey Epstein’s extensive friendships, including with Andrew.

Appearing in the dossier is not an indication of wrongdoing.

Andrew has always denied all allegations of wrongdoing in connection to Epstein.

The US president, who is also named in the documents, told reporters today that he thought Andrew’s arrest is a “shame”.

He said: “I think it’s a shame. I think it’s very sad. I think it’s so bad for the royal family. It’s very, very sad. To me, it’s a very sad thing.”

“To see it, and to see what’s going on with his brother [Charles] who’s obviously coming to our country very soon, he’s a fantastic man – King,” he said, referring to Charles.

Trump continued: “It’s really interesting, because nobody used to speak about Epstein when he was alive, and now they speak, but I’m the one that can talk about it because I’ve been totally exonerated.”

Referring to his own appearance in the files, he added: “I did nothing, in fact, the opposite. He [Epstein] was against me. He was fighting me in the election which I just found out throughout the last three million pages of documents.”

Asked if any American associates of Epstein would be arrested, Trump said: “I’m the expert in a way because I’ve been totally exonerated.”

Police said in a statement this evening: “Thames Valley Police is able to provide an update in relation to an investigation into the offence of misconduct in public office.

“On Thursday we arrested a man in his sixties from Norfolk on suspicion of misconduct in public office.

“The arrested man has now been released under investigation.

“We can also confirm that our searches in Norfolk have now concluded.”

Ghislaine Maxwell Pleads Fifth In Deposition, Holds Out For Trump Pardon

Posted on 09/02/2026 by Boris Clair

WASHINGTON — Jeffery Epstein’s former accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell sat for a video deposition with members of Congress on Monday but refused to talk.

Appearing from the prison camp where she’s serving a 20-year sentence, Maxwell invoked her Fifth Amendment right not to incriminate herself — and indicated she would only speak if President Donald Trump lets her out of prison.

“Ms Maxwell is prepared to speak fully and honestly if granted clemency by President Trump,” Maxwell’s attorney, David Markus, said in an opening statement he posted on social media.

Democrats expressed outrage that Maxwell appeared to be advertising favorable testimony in exchange for a pardon or commutation of her prison sentence. Trump has suggested he’s open to the idea.

“She is campaigning over and over again to get that pardon from President Trump, and this president has not ruled it out, and so that is why she’s continuing to not cooperate with our investigation,” Representative Suhas Subramanyam (D-Va.) told reporters. “The reality is that she is a monster. She should be behind bars.”

Maxwell was sentenced to 240 months in prison in 2022 for helping Epstein recruit, groom and eventually abuse girls as young as 14. When she was first charged in 2020, a year after Epstein died in prison while facing sex trafficking charges, Trump, a former friend of Epstein’s, said he wished her well.

Last year, the Bureau of Prisons transferred Maxwell to a minimum-security prison camp, contrary to protocols for a sex offender, after she sat for a transcribed interview with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. In that interview, Maxwell said she never witnessed inappropriate behavior by Trump or by former President Bill Clinton, who also socialized with Epstein and traveled on his private jet.

Bill and Hillary Clinton will sit for depositions with the House Oversight Committee later this month. The committee’s chair, Representative James Comer (R-Ky.), said he was disappointed that Maxwell invoked her Fifth Amendment right not to speak as a witness against herself.

“We had many questions to ask about the crimes she and Epstein committed, as well as questions about potential co-conspirators,” Comer said.

Through her attorney, Maxwell again volunteered that Trump and Clinton did nothing wrong.

“Only she can provide the complete account. Some may not like what they hear, but the truth matters,” Markus said. “For example, both President Trump and President Clinton are innocent of any wrongdoing. Ms. Maxwell alone can explain why, and the public is entitled to that explanation.”

Keir Starmer Facing ‘Political Death’ As Mandelson Scandal Threatens To Engulf Him

Posted on 04/02/2026 by Boris Clair

Keir Starmer is fighting for his political life after the row over his decision to make Peter Mandelson the UK’s ambassador to Washington threatens to end his premiership.

The prime minister is facing mounting fury from Labour MPs after confirming that he knew about Mandelson’s ongoing friendship with the convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein when he gave him the plum diplomatic job.

Starmer made the shocking admission as he endured a torrid prime minister’s questions in the House of Commons.

A minister described Starmer’s performance as “disastrous”.

One Labour MP told HuffPost UK that watching Starmer was “like being present at the political death of the prime minister”.

“It’s made his position far, far worse,” the MP said. “I couldn’t believe some of his answers. We were aghast.”

The MP added: “Labour MPs are in disbelief, to be honest. He came to PMQs and instead of handling it well and appropriately, totally misjudged the mood of MPs and the country.”

In a fresh humiliation for the PM, the government was also forced to U-turn over its plans to publish the behind-the-scenes communications which took place before Mandelson was made ambassador.

Downing Street had initially said that documents relating to national security and the UK’s relations with other countries would remain under wraps.

However, after a major intervention by former deputy PM Angela Rayner, and with the government facing an embarrassing defeat in the Commons, No.10 agreed that MPs on the Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) will be allowed to see those papers to decide whether they can be made public.

One MP said: “I’m relieved that we’ve got to a better place but why have we had to go through this?”

The developments left Starmer’s political authority severely damaged and led to veteran left-winger John McDonnell calling on him to think about quitting as PM.

He told ITV News: “I think he really needs to consider his position about how he goes forward on this because this is one of those issues which could not just bring down a prime minister, but bring down a government.

“I think he should consider his track record, is he performing the role responsibly, and I think the responsibility is on his shoulders to think whether he’s doing the right thing by staying on.”

<div class="js-react-hydrator" data-component-name="Twitter" data-component-id="7705" data-component-props="{"itemType":"rich","index":19,"contentIndexByType":1,"contentListType":"embed","code":"

Starmer should ‘consider his position’ after documents revealed the extent of Mandelson and Epstein ties, John McDonnell tells ITV News’ @carldinnen

The PM is facing anger from Labour MPs over what he knew about Mandelson’s ongoing friendship with the disgraced financier pic.twitter.com/wVSG8ApYnC

— ITVPolitics (@ITVNewsPolitics) February 4, 2026

","type":"rich","meta":{"author":"ITVPolitics","author_url":"https://twitter.com/ITVNewsPolitics","cache_age":86400,"description":"Starmer should ‘consider his position’ after documents revealed the extent of Mandelson and Epstein ties, John McDonnell tells ITV News’ @carldinnen The PM is facing anger from Labour MPs over what he knew about Mandelson’s ongoing friendship with the disgraced financier pic.twitter.com/wVSG8ApYnC— ITVPolitics (@ITVNewsPolitics) February 4, 2026\n\n\n","options":{"_hide_media":{"label":"Hide photos, videos, and cards","value":false},"_maxwidth":{"label":"Adjust width","placeholder":"220-550, in px","value":""},"_theme":{"value":"","values":{"dark":"Use dark theme"}}},"provider_name":"Twitter","thumbnail_height":720,"thumbnail_url":"https://pbs.twimg.com/amplify_video_thumb/2019086280303271936/img/6L9ZBVq0Or8r7q9-.jpg:large","thumbnail_width":1280,"title":"ITVPolitics on Twitter / X","type":"rich","url":"https://twitter.com/ITVNewsPolitics/status/2019088471197987246","version":"1.0"},"flags":[],"enhancements":{},"fullBleed":false,"options":{"theme":"news","device":"desktop","editionInfo":{"id":"uk","name":"U.K.","link":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk","locale":"en_GB"},"originalEdition":"uk","isMapi":false,"isAmp":false,"isMobile":false,"isAdsFree":false,"isVideoEntry":false,"isEntry":true,"isMt":false,"entryId":"69837b7ee4b053ac3e16b823","entryPermalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/keir-starmer-facing-political-death-as-mandelson-scandal-threatens-to-engulf-him_uk_69837b7ee4b053ac3e16b823","entryTagsList":"labour-party,keir-starmer,jeffrey-epstein,peter-mandelson,@ai_seo_headline","sectionSlug":"politics","deptSlug":null,"sectionRedirectUrl":null,"subcategories":"","isWide":false,"isShopping":false,"headerOverride":null,"noVideoAds":false,"disableFloat":false,"isNative":false,"commercialVideo":{"provider":"custom","site_and_category":"uk.politics","package":null},"isHighline":false,"vidibleConfigValues":{"cid":"60afc140cf94592c45d7390c","disabledWithMapiEntries":false,"overrides":{"all":"60b8e525cdd90620331baaf4"},"whitelisted":["56c5f12ee4b03a39c93c9439","56c6056ee4b01f2b7e1b5f35","59bfee7f9e451049f87f550b","5acccbaac269d609ef44c529","570278d2e4b070ff77b98217","57027b4be4b070ff77b98d5c","56fe95c4e4b0041c4242016b","570279cfe4b06d08e3629954","5ba9e8821c2e65639162ccf1","5bcd9904821576674bc55ced","5d076ca127f25f504327c72e","5b35266b158f855373e28256","5ebac2e8abddfb04f877dff2","60b8e525cdd90620331baaf4","60b64354b171b7444beaff4d","60d0d8e09340d7032ad0fb1a","60d0d90f9340d7032ad0fbeb","60d0d9949340d7032ad0fed3","60d0d9f99340d7032ad10113","60d0daa69340d7032ad104cf","60d0de02b627221e9d819408"],"playlists":{"default":"57bc306888d2ff1a7f6b5579","news":"56c6dbcee4b04edee8beb49c","politics":"56c6dbcee4b04edee8beb49c","entertainment":"56c6e7f2e4b0983aa64c60fc","tech":"56c6f70ae4b043c5bdcaebf9","parents":"56cc65c2e4b0239099455b42","lifestyle":"56cc66a9e4b01f81ef94e98c"},"playerUpdates":{"56c6056ee4b01f2b7e1b5f35":"60b8e525cdd90620331baaf4","56c5f12ee4b03a39c93c9439":"60d0d8e09340d7032ad0fb1a","59bfee7f9e451049f87f550b":"60d0d90f9340d7032ad0fbeb","5acccbaac269d609ef44c529":"60d0d9949340d7032ad0fed3","5bcd9904821576674bc55ced":"60d0d9f99340d7032ad10113","5d076ca127f25f504327c72e":"60d0daa69340d7032ad104cf","5ebac2e8abddfb04f877dff2":"60d0de02b627221e9d819408"}},"connatixConfigValues":{"defaultPlayer":"16b0ecc6-802c-4120-845f-e90629812c4d","clickToPlayPlayer":"823ac03a-0f7e-4bcb-8521-a5b091ae948d","videoPagePlayer":"05041ada-93f7-4e86-9208-e03a5b19311b","defaultPlaylist":"2e062669-71b4-41df-b17a-df6b1616bc8f"},"topConnatixThumnbailSrc":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABCAQAAAC1HAwCAAAAC0lEQVR42mNkYAAAAAYAAjCB0C8AAAAASUVORK5CYII=","customAmpComponents":[],"ampAssetsUrl":"https://amp.assets.huffpost.com","videoTraits":null,"positionInUnitCounts":{"buzz_head":{"count":0},"buzz_body":{"count":0},"buzz_bottom":{"count":0}},"positionInSubUnitCounts":{"article_body":{"count":3},"blog_summary":{"count":0},"before_you_go_content":{"count":0}},"connatixCountsHelper":{"count":0},"buzzfeedTracking":{"context_page_id":"69837b7ee4b053ac3e16b823","context_page_type":"buzz","destination":"huffpost","mode":"desktop","page_edition":"en-uk"},"tags":[{"name":"labour party","slug":"labour-party","links":{"relativeLink":"news/labour-party","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/labour-party","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/labour-party"},"section":{"title":"Politics","slug":"politics"},"topic":{"title":"Labour Party","slug":"labour-party","overridesSectionLabel":false},"url":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/labour-party/"},{"name":"keir starmer","slug":"keir-starmer","links":{"relativeLink":"news/keir-starmer","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/keir-starmer","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/keir-starmer"},"url":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/keir-starmer/"},{"name":"Jeffrey Epstein","slug":"jeffrey-epstein","links":{"relativeLink":"news/jeffrey-epstein","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/jeffrey-epstein","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/jeffrey-epstein"},"url":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/jeffrey-epstein/"},{"name":"peter mandelson","slug":"peter-mandelson","links":{"relativeLink":"news/peter-mandelson","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/peter-mandelson","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/peter-mandelson"},"url":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/peter-mandelson/"}],"isLiveblogLive":null,"isLiveblog":false,"backfillRelatedArticles":[],"signInUrl":"https://login.huffpost.com/login?dest=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.huffpost.com%2Fentry%2Fkeir-starmer-facing-political-death-as-mandelson-scandal-threatens-to-engulf-him_uk_69837b7ee4b053ac3e16b823%3Fhp_auth_done%3D1","cetUnit":"buzz_body","enableIncontentPlayer":true,"bodyAds":["

\r\n\r\n HPGam.cmd.push(function(){\r\n\t\treturn HPGam.render(\"inline-1\", \"entry_paragraph_1\", false, false);\r\n });\r\n\r\n","

\r\n\r\n HPGam.cmd.push(function(){\r\n\t\treturn HPGam.render(\"inline\", \"entry_paragraph_2\", false, false);\r\n });\r\n\r\n","

\r\n\r\n HPGam.cmd.push(function(){\r\n\t\treturn HPGam.render(\"inline-2\", \"entry_paragraph_3\", false, false);\r\n });\r\n\r\n","

\r\n\r\n HPGam.cmd.push(function(){\r\n\t\treturn HPGam.render(\"inline-infinite\", \"repeating_dynamic_display\", false, false);\r\n });\r\n\r\n"],"adCount":0,"midArticleAdPartner":null},"isCollectionEmbed":false}”>

Starmer should ‘consider his position’ after documents revealed the extent of Mandelson and Epstein ties, John McDonnell tells ITV News’ @carldinnen

The PM is facing anger from Labour MPs over what he knew about Mandelson’s ongoing friendship with the disgraced financier pic.twitter.com/wVSG8ApYnC

— ITVPolitics (@ITVNewsPolitics) February 4, 2026

Starmer’s leadership crisis has been triggered by the revelations about the extent of Mandelson’s links to Epstein, which emerged in documents released last weekend by the US Department of Justice.

Mandelson, who was sacked as US ambassador just seven months after Starmer appointed him, is facing a criminal investigation over claims he passed market sensitive information to the billionaire financier when he was business secretary in Gordon Brown’s government.

At PMQs, Starmer said Mandelson – who this week quit the House of Lords – had “betrayed” Britain by his actions.

He also said Mandelson had “lied repeatedly” when being vetted for the ambassador’s role.

“I regret appointing him,” Starmer said. “If I knew then what I know now, he wouldn’t have been anywhere near government.”

Peter Mandelson To Face Police Investigation Amid Epstein Scandal

Posted on 03/02/2026 by Boris Clair

A criminal investigation has been launched into allegations Peter Mandelson passed market-sensitive information to paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.

Files released by the US Department of Justice apparently showed Lord Mandelson passing material to Epstein while serving as business secretary in Gordon Brown’s government in the wake of the 2008 financial crash.

The Cabinet Office had passed material to the police after an initial review of documents released as part of the so-called Epstein files found they contained “likely market-sensitive information”.

Commander Ella Marriott of the Metropolitan Police said: “Following the further release of millions of court documents in relation to Jeffrey Epstein by the United States Department of Justice, the Met received a number of reports into alleged misconduct in public office including a referral from the UK Government.

“I can confirm that the Metropolitan Police has now launched an investigation into a 72-year-old man, a former Government minister, for misconduct in public office offences.

“The Met will continue to assess all relevant information brought to our attention as part of this investigation and won’t be commenting any further at this time.”

It has also been announced that Mandelson is to quit the House of Lords on Wednesday.

A government spokesperson said: “The government stands ready to provide whatever support and assistance the police need.”

Calls For Criminal Probe Into Lord Mandelson Grow After ‘Shocking’ Leaks To Epstein

Posted on 02/02/2026 by Boris Clair

Calls for a police probe into Peter Mandelson have grown amid suggestions the peer leaked sensitive government information to dead paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

The US Department of Justice (DoJ) released a vast trove of documents related to Epstein’s network over the weekend, including his email exchanges with Mandelson.

Their conversations suggested that Mandelson passed Epstein at least one confidential memo when he was the business secretary back in 2009, following the financial crash.

He appeared to forward an economic briefing for then-prime minister Gordon Brown to Epstein, who pleaded guilt to procuring an underage child for prostitution the previous year.

Mandelson added the caption: “Interesting note that’s gone to the PM.”

Their conversations suggest Mandelson gave Epstein advance notice of a €500bn bailout from the EU to save the Euro, too.

These emails have sparked fears about whether Mandelson therefore committed misconduct in a public office, which can lead to a maximum sentence of life behind bars.

Both Reform and the SNP have sent separate referrals to the Metropolitan Police to investigate Mandelson.

A Reform UK spokesperson said: “We have today reported Peter Mandelson to the police for misconduct in public office.

“It’s abundantly clear that Peter Mandelson has abused his position in office. It’s now time the police do their job and properly investigate these shocking new revelations.”

SNP Westminster leader, Stephen Flynn, said “the disgraceful revelations” about Mandelson’s messages to Epstein “are shocking and must be fully investigated by the UK government and all appropriate authorities.”

“There is no question that Lord Mandelson’s actions were shameful and unethical – the only question is the extent to which his actions breached the ministerial code and the law,” he said. “I have, therefore, reported Peter Mandelson to the Metropolitan Police.”

Flynn said: “It is essential these matters are fully investigated to ensure maximum transparency and justice.”

Similarly, Lib Dem leader Ed Davey called for a criminal probe.

He said: “The Epstein files suggest Peter Mandelson leaked sensitive government information to a convicted sex offender while serving as a minister, and even suggested a US bank should threaten the government to lower its tax bill.

“These allegations are incredibly serious, it is now only right that the police investigate Peter Mandelson for potential misconduct in public office.”

Prime Minister Keir Starmer, with then-ambassador to the United States Peter Mandelson during a welcome reception at the ambassador's residence on Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025 in Washington. — Prime Minister Keir Starmer, with then-ambassador to the United States Peter Mandelson during a welcome reception at the ambassador’s residence on Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025 in Washington.

Gordon Brown, who was prime minister between 2007 and 2010, also called for a probe after the “shocking” revelation on Monday.

“I have today asked the cabinet secretary to investigate the disclosure of confidential and market sensitive information from the then business department during the global financial crisis,” he said.

He revealed that he asked the cabinet secretary Chris Wormald to investigate “the veracity of information contained in the Epstein papers about the sale of assets arising from the banking collapse and communications about them between Lord Mandelson and Mr Epstein” back in September.

While that enquiry concluded that there was “no departmental record” of these conversations, Brown said these new documents suggested it was time for a “wider and more intensive inquiry”.

He said the probe should look at the “wholly unacceptable disclosure of government papers and information during the period when the country was battling the global financial crisis.”

Brown’s former government adviser Nick Butler also told Times Radio that Mandelson “should be ashamed of the breach of trust and the betrayal of trust that he’s been involved in”.

“I agree with Gordon Brown that there should be a full inquiry now into all the messages from the government at that time to Epstein,” he added.

“How many more messages on really important issues, important issues on which Epstein could have made a lot of money? How many messages were sent in that period? I think Peter should now resign from the Lords. I think that would be the honourable thing to do.”

Chief secretary to the prime minister Darren Jones told MPs that the prime minister has orded the cabinet secretary to investigate Mandelson’s contact with Epstein.

He added: “Whilst Peter Mandelson must account for his actions and conduct, it is an understatement to say that his decision to continue a close relationship with a convicted paedophile, including discussing private government business, falls far below the standards expected of any minister. His behaviour was unequivocally wrong and an insult to the women and girls who suffered.”

Mandelson was sacked as US ambassador in September when it emerged he had remained friendly with Epstein after his 2008 conviction.

He then quit Labour on Sunday night after the documents appeared to show him receiving $75,000 from the late financier, claiming he did not want to cause “further embarrassment”.

Mandelson remains a peer, but prime minister Keir Starmer suggested he should be kicked out of the House of Lords on Monday.

His spokesperson said the government wants to work with the Lords to “strengthen the circumstances in which disgraced members can be removed” from parliament.

He said Starmer “believes that Peter Mandelson should not be a member of the House of Lords or use the title”.

At the moment, it requires an act of parliament is required to removed an individual from the Lords.

A Labour Party spokesman said: “It is right that Peter Mandelson is no longer a member of the Labour Party. Disciplinary action was underway prior to his resignation.

“Jeffrey Epstein’s heinous crimes destroyed the lives of so many women and girls, and our thoughts remain with his victims.”

Lord Mandelson Resigns From Labour Party After Latest Jeffrey Epstein Revelations

Posted on 01/02/2026 by Boris Clair

Lord Mandelson has resigned his membership of the Labour Party to avoid causing it “further embarrassment” following further revelations about his friendship with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

The peer, who was sacked as US ambassador last year because of his links to Epstein, featured in a fresh batch of documents appearing to show him receiving $75,000 from the late financier.

In one bank statement, a payment of $25,000 to the account of Reinaldo Avila da Silva, now Lord Mandelson’s husband, features on May 14, 2003.

The statement appears to describe “Peter Mandelson” as the beneficiary of the payment.

Two later statements from May and June 2004 also feature $25,000 payments to Mandelson, one to an account which appears in his name, and another in which he appears to be listed as a beneficiary.

The peer told the BBC he had no recollection of receiving the payments, and did not know if the documents were genuine.

However the revelations led to calls from Labour and opposition MPs for Keir Starmer to kick him out of the party.

Mandelson said he had written on Sunday evening to Labour general secretary Hollie Ridley to say he was quitting the party.

In his letter, he said: “I have been further linked this weekend to the understandable furore surrounding Jeffrey Epstein and I feel regretful and sorry about this.

“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.”

Elsewhere in the newly-released Epstein documents, undated photographs of Lord Mandelson show him in a T-shirt and his pants, standing in what appears to be a hotel room.

This is a breaking news story and will be updated. Follow HuffPost UK on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Cabinet Minister Squirms As He Is Reminded How He Described Peter Mandelson After His Sacking

Posted on 19/09/2025 by Boris Clair

Minister Peter Kyle was put on the spot this morning over how he praised Peter Mandelson last week – even though Mandelson had just been sacked as US ambassador over his Jeffrey Epstein ties.

Keir Starmer fired his US ambassador more than a week ago, after it emerged that Mandelson had continued to support Epstein via email, even as he was facing child underage sex charges in 2008.

Mandelson’s friendship with the late convicted sex offender was already public knowledge when he was appointed less than a year ago.

And, speaking to Sky News last weekend – three days after Mandelson was fired – Kyle insisted that No.10 initially thought hiring the controversial figure as US ambassador was still worth the risk.

He said: “We knew that there were risks involved, but his talent led us to believe at the time that the risk was worth it.”

Kyle said while they “knew the relationship continued” after Epstein’s conviction, “the decision was taken in the national interest to try and use the specific talents that he had, which were singular and outstanding.”

Those remarks caused significant backlash with the public, especially as he said them after the depth of Mandelson’s links with Epstein post-arrest were revealed.

On ITV’s Good Morning Britain on Friday, presenter Rob Rinder asked Kyle if he still stood by that assessment.

Kyle just insisted that new evidence had come to light which was not available at the time of Mandelson’s hiring.

“That just doesn’t answer the question,” Rinder hit back. “Let me ask you in this way.”

He said it was well-known that Mandelson had previously stayed in the home of a convicted sex trafficker at the time of his appointment, adding: “At that point, anyone doing analysis, doing any kind of investigating [or vetting], would have said ‘Where are your emails?’”

Kyle said there was an independent vetting system in place that was operating in its usual way – before deflecting to talk about the impact of Donald Trump’s state visit.

But co-presenter Kate Garraway brought the conversation back to Mandelson, pointing out that Kyle has been criticised because he “continued to defend” him post-sacking.

“One minister told us at Good Morning Britain that you seem to be ‘tone-deaf’,” she added. “And other MPs have said that too. Is it going to have an impact on you?”

The cabinet minister replied: “Let me be really clear: I do not defend any of the actions that Peter Mandelson took in his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, absolutely not.

“What I am trying to do is show that we have been focused on delivering for people. As soon as new evidence came to light, why on earth would I ever defend what had come to light in those emails?”

“But it had?” Garraway pointed out. “It had come to light.”

Kyle stuttered before insisting: “The context of those emails was not known at the time of appointment.”

“No, but your defence was!” Garraway said.

Rinder cut in: “To close it off, the statement you made – that his ‘singular talents’ were worth the risk – you no longer think that?”

“What I said at the time of this coming out was explaining why he was appointed in the first place,” Kyle insisted.

“No one is appointed to being ambassador of a great country on behalf of our country, unless they have talents.”

He added that Mandelson should have been recalled as soon as new information came to light.

Cabinet Minister Heaps Praise On ‘Outstanding’ Peter Mandelson Despite Sacking Over Epstein Row

Posted on 14/09/2025 by Boris Clair

A cabinet minister has described Peter Mandelson as “outstanding” despite him being sacked over his close links with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

Peter Kyle, an ally of the former UK ambassador to Washington, also defended Keir Starmer’s decision to give him the job in the first place.

Mandelson was sacked on Thursday morning following the publication of emails in which he told Epstein “your friends stay with you and love you” even as he was facing child underage sex charges in 2008.

On Sky News this morning, business secretary Kyle admitted No.10 knew Mandelson and Epstein had “a strong relationship” before Starmer made him ambassador in February.

He said: “We knew that there were risks involved, but his talent led us to believe at the time that the risk was worth it.”

Presenter Trevor Phillips asked him: “The prime minister interrogated Lord Mandelson about the relationship with Epstein himself. This is one of the country’s leading barristers. If he couldn’t have actually got the information from Peter Mandelson before the appointment, who could? Who failed here?”

Kyle said: “There was a lot of information publicly, we knew there was a relationship, we knew the relationship continued after he had been convicted.

“The decision was taken in the national interest to try and use the specific talents that he had, which were singular and outstanding.”

Bizarrely, the business secretary went on to claim that “we only knew what the media knew” about Mandelson’s links to Epstein, despite the Labour peer having to go through so-called “deep vetting” before getting the job.

Donald Trump Doesn’t Rule Out Pardoning Ghislaine Maxwell

Posted on 26/07/2025 by Boris Clair

On his way out the door to a weekend golf trip that’s set to cost American taxpayers at least $10 million, Donald Trump stopped to answer a couple questions from reporters ― and he was awfully cagey when asked about Ghislaine Maxwell.

Asked if he would pardon or commute the sentence of Maxwell, sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s onetime girlfriend, Trump sure didn’t say “no.”

“I’m allowed to do it,” he told reporters. He then claimed that “it’s something I’ve not thought about.”

Presumably, Trump wouldn’t pardon Maxwell, who was convicted for helping Epstein sexually abuse underage girls, unless it benefited him personally — perhaps by buying her silence or otherwise somehow distracting the country from his own past relationship with Epstein.

Trump deflected further when pushed on the subject.

“I don’t want to talk about that,” he said.

Maxwell is serving a 20-year sentence at a federal prison in Tallahassee, Florida. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche met with her on Thursday in an attempt to quell a firestorm over the Trump administration’s backtracking on promises to release additional records from the Epstein investigation.

“What I do want to say is that Blanche is a great attorney,” Trump told reporters.

Then he launched into one of his classic redirects and encouraged the press not to investigate his own connection to Epstein, but everyone else’s. He proceeded to list names that may or may not be in the Epstein files and speculated about “hedge fund guys” and former President Bill Clinton going to Epstein’s island.

(Clinton has denied knowing anything about the “terrible crimes” allegedly committed by the billionaire financier.)

In the same back and forth, Trump also denied that he’d written a lewd birthday message for Epstein that featured a drawing of a naked woman and remarked how “enigmas never age” while wishing that “may every day be another wonderful secret.” The Wall Street Journal published the content of the note last week.

Trump Abruptly Ends CNN Interview After Being Questioned About New Epstein Photos

Posted on 23/07/2025 by Boris Clair

US President Donald Trump hung up on a CNN reporter during a phone call Tuesday that lasted a mere 30 seconds after the journalist questioned him about resurfaced images showing Jeffrey Epstein at Trump’s 1993 wedding to his second wife, Marla Maples.

While appearing on Erin Burnett OutFront on Tuesday, reporter Andrew Kaczynski shared details about the abrupt phone call with Trump that ended in name-calling.

The call took place after CNN’s KFile found photos of Epstein and Trump that had not been widely reported on before. One photo showed the disgraced financier and sex offender attending Trump’s Plaza Hotel wedding to Maples.

In a separate image, Epstein was seen with Trump and his children at a Harley-Davidson Cafe that same year.

CNN also released a video of Trump and Epstein chatting with each other at a Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show in New York in February 1999.

Kaczynski told host Burnett that the call, in which he asked Trump about the images, ended with the president slamming CNN as “fake news” and hanging up after he refused to answer questions about his past connection to Epstein.

“We were not on the phone very long. I think our call was about 30 seconds or so,” Kaczynski told Burnett. “But when I asked him about the wedding photo, he said, he sort of paused for a second and then said, ‘You’ve got to be kidding me,’ before calling CNN ‘fake news’ and then hanging up on me.”

In a statement to CNN, Kaczynski said, White House communications director Steven Cheung said, “These are nothing more than out-of-context frame grabs of innocuous videos and pictures of widely attended events to disgustingly infer something nefarious.”

Cheung added: “The fact is that the president kicked [Epstein] out of his club for being a ‘creep.’”

Kaczynski’s heated yet ultra-brief conversation with Trump comes after the Department of Justice and FBI released a two-page memo earlier this month, claiming their Epstein investigation determined that there was no evidence Epstein was murdered or had a “client list” of powerful figures he could potentially blackmail.

Following the memo release, Trump faced scrutiny over his administration’s handling of the Epstein files, particularly from his own base. Since then, both Republicans and Democrats have called on the president and his administration to release more information.

Watch Kaczynski’s appearance below.

WellnessMaster

Get The Latest News on Holistic Wellness

Category Archives: Jeffrey Epstein