Mandelson-Epstein latest: Met Police to review reports of alleged misconduct in a public office

The Metropolitan Police has said it will review reports into alleged misconduct in public office in light of the newly released Epstein files.

Commander Ella Marriott, of the Metropolitan Police, said on Monday: “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.”

Millie Cooke, political correspondent, reports:

Senior Labour backbencher Emily Thornberry has called for Lord Mandelson to be investigated by the police over suggestions he leaked internal government documents to Jeffrey Epstein.

She told the Commons: “These files seem to show that PM was given £50,000 by a notorious paedophile and a few years later he sent on market sensitive information to Epstein, who worked for JP Morgan about market bailouts, the prime minister’s resignation, telling them that they should ‘mildly threaten’ the chancellor of the Exchequer and then told him about matters of national security.

“Surely this is 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?”

Responding, chief secretary to the prime minister Darren Jones said it is a “matter for the prosecution services and the police”.

But he said Ms Thornberry is “right that each individual issue is wholly unacceptable and cumulatively it is also unacceptable”.

“The undeclared exchange of funds, the passing on of government information, let alone the fact that those exchanges were to a convicted paedophile are wholly unconscionable”, Mr Jones said, adding: “And 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…removed from their constituencies too.”

Assurances made by Lord Peter Mandelson before he was appointed ambassador to the US were untrue, the Government have said.

Responding to shadow Cabinet Office minister Alex Burghart, Mr Jones said: “The Prime Minister has been very clear that the declarations of interest that were put forward by Peter Mandelson were not wholly truthful.

“When it became clear from the release of information that had not been the case, the Prime Minister moved swiftly to remove Peter Mandelson as the ambassador to the United States.”

He said further investigations were now taking place by the Cabinet Secretary into the exchange of information on the sale of RBS assets to JP Morgan.

He said: “Evidently now that more documents have become available to the public and to the Government, further investigations are now taking place.”

Sir Keir Starmer’s official spokesman said he “believes that Peter Mandelson should not be a member of the House of Lords or use the title”.

“However, the Prime Minister does not have the power to remove it,” the spokesman added.

Lord Mandelson, who is on a leave of absence from the upper chamber, could resign voluntarily.

Under current arrangements, a new law would be required to remove a peerage, something that last happened more than 100 years ago to deal with members of the nobility who sided with the Germans in the First World War.

There is no precedent for using a new law to remove a specific person from the Lords.

Sir Keir urged the Lords to work with the Government to modernise disciplinary procedures to make it easier to remove disgraced peers.

Jeffrey Epstein sent Palantir boss Peter Thiel emails celebrating Brexit, which he called a “return to tribalism” and “just the beginning”.

Palantir is a US-data analytics firm that has a £330 million, seven-year contract to run the NHS England Federated Data Platform.

Queen’s University Belfast is to remove the name of one of the architects of the Good Friday Agreement from a peace centre because of his links with the disgraced paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.

A bust of former US senator George Mitchell will also be removed from the university grounds.

Mr Mitchell chaired the negotiations which led to the 1998 peace agreement.

The former senator has a long-standing association with the university where he was chancellor from 1999 to 2009.

A Queen’s spokesperson said: “Queen’s University Belfast has taken the decision to remove the name of its former chancellor, Senator George J Mitchell, from the Institute for Global Peace, Security and Justice, and to remove the bust commemorating him from the University campus.

“This decision follows the emergence of new information contained in the Epstein files released on Friday, which include references to Senator Mitchell.

“While no findings of wrongdoing by senator Mitchell have been made, the university has concluded that, in light of this material, and mindful of the experiences of victims and survivors, it is no longer appropriate for its institutional spaces and entities to continue to bear his name.

“As a civic institution with a global reputation for leadership in peace, reconciliation, and justice, Queen’s University Belfast must ensure that its honours and symbols reflect the highest standards consistent with its values and responsibilities.”

Political editor David Maddox reports:

Veteran leftwing Labour MP Andy McDonald has just agreed with Tory MP Simon Hoare “that MPs across this House would be minded to support legislation” to strip Mandelson of his peerage.

It comes amid growing anger in the Commons about the revelations regarding the peer who resigned from the Labour Party on Sunday night.

Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Darren Jones has stuck to the line that he wants legislation to make it easier to sack all peers who bring the Lords into disrepute rather than a specific Bill about Mandelson.

He noted “there is a queue” pointing out that Tory figures like Baroness Mone, who has been facing questions over her business dealings during the pandemic, to be removed.

The Government will seek to modernise the disciplinary procedures for peers so they can be removed for bringing the House of Lords into disrepute, Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister Darren Jones told MPs following fresh revelations about Lord Mandelson’s links to paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.