Senior UK Labour Party leader Peter Mandelson has resigned following the release of new documents linked to Jeffrey Epstein, who had previously served a prison sentence over allegations of forcing girls into prostitution.
According to international news agency Reuters, Mandelson resigned not only from his leadership role but also stepped down from his basic membership of the Labour Party after questions were raised regarding his association with Epstein.
Mandelson said he took the decision because he did not want to cause further embarrassment to the party.
Release of US Justice Department Documents
The U.S. Department of Justice recently released more than three million pages of new documents related to Epstein. Reuters reported that the disclosures contained in the documents have led to renewed questions and calls for further investigation involving Mandelson.
Mandelson is also a former British government minister. He had already been removed last year from his position as the United Kingdom’s ambassador to the United States due to his association with Epstein.
Alleged Payments and Mandelson’s Response
According to the released documents, Epstein made three payments to Mandelson in 2003 and 2004, amounting to a total of 75,000 US dollars. Each payment was valued at 25,000 dollars.
In his resignation letter, Mandelson said he was saddened that he had again been linked this week to Jeffrey Epstein in public discussion. While rejecting the allegations as false, he stated that there was no evidence to support claims that he had received any payment around 20 years ago.
“These allegations against me need to be examined,” Mandelson said. “However, I do not want to further humiliate the Labour Party during that process, and therefore I am resigning from my party membership.”
