Mandelson Issues Personal Apology Over Continued Friendship With Epstein. Peter Mandelson issues a personal apology to the victims of Jeffrey Epstein, admitting he was wrong to continue a friendship with the disgraced financier after his conviction. In a statement to BBC Newsnight, Lord Mandelson says he should not have believed Epstein’s claims of innocence and accepts responsibility for maintaining the association. He apologises unequivocally to the women and girls who suffered, saying his earlier remarks did not go far enough. The apology follows criticism of comments Mandelson made in a BBC interview, where he initially expressed regret only for broader system failures rather than his personal actions. Emails later revealed that Mandelson remained in contact with Epstein after his first conviction in 2008, offering advice and supportive messages. That conviction stemmed from a plea deal in Florida, where Epstein was sentenced to 18 months in prison for offences involving underage girls. The government removed Mandelson from his role as UK ambassador to the US last year, with Downing Street citing new information about his links to Epstein. Epstein died in a New York jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.