Lord Mandelson Peter Benjamin Mandelson, known as Lord Mandelson, is a British Labour Party politician who has held several senior government roles, including First Secretary of State and Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (2008–2010). A key architect of New Labour, he served as an MP for Hartlepool from 1992 to 2004 and was appointed to the House of Lords in 2008. He also served as the UK's Ambassador to the United States from February to September 2025, but was dismissed following revelations about his ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Recent documents released by the US Department of Justice in early 2026 allege that Epstein sent $75,000 in three payments to accounts linked to Mandelson and his husband, Reinaldo Avila da Silva, between 2003 and 2004. Mandelson denies any recollection of these payments and questions the authenticity of the documents. Separately, it was confirmed that Epstein loaned $10,000 to Avila da Silva in 2009 while Mandelson was serving as business secretary.

In December 2009, emails show Mandelson told Epstein he was "trying hard" to influence government policy on bankers' bonuses at Epstein’s request. Mandelson has apologized "unequivocally" to Epstein’s victims, calling his continued association with Epstein after his 2008 conviction a "terrible mistake."

On 1 February 2026, Mandelson resigned from the Labour Party, stating he did not wish to cause further embarrassment amid growing pressure to testify in the US Congress inquiry into Epstein’s network.