Could Lord Mandelson Be Stripped Of His Peerage After Epstein Scandal?

Peter Mandelson’s role in the House of Lords is facing fresh scrutiny after documents revealed new details about his long-standing friendship with the late paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

The US Department of Justice unveiled more than three million new documents in a huge dossier over the weekend, exposing Epstein’s expansive connections to the global elite.

Lord Mandelson, one of the architects of the New Labour movement, was already sacked as Keir Starmer’s US ambassador last September over his links to Epstein.

The new revelations led Mandelson to resign from the Labour Party altogether on Sunday night.

He remains a member of the House of Lords as a life peer, though he is on a leave of absence, and a member of the Privy Council which advises the Royal Family.

Critics are now calling for him to be kicked out of the House of Lords altogether – though that’s easier said than done. 

Why Are There Calls For Mandelson To Lose His Peerage?

The DoJ documents appeared to show Mandelson received around $75,000 from Epstein over the course of their friendship.

A payment of $25,000 to the account of Reinaldo Avila da Silva, now Mandelson’s husband, appeared on a bank statement dating back to May 14, 2003 – when Mandelson was an MP.

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.

Undated photographs of Mandelson wearing only a t-shirt and pants in a hotel room also appeared in the documents.

This comes on top of the furore surrounding the politician last autumn, when it emerged he had continued to support Epstein even after he was convicted of soliciting underage girls for sex in 2008.

Mandelson has denied any knowledge of Epstein’s crimes and there is no suggestion that the peer is guilty of any wrongdoing.

Why Is It So Hard To Remove A Peerage?

The government is able to remove a peerage, but – according to the official parliament website – it is “very difficult” to do so.

A peerage can only be removed by an act of parliament and the crown does not have the power to cancel it.

The Titles Deprivation act 1917 was the most recent act of parliament used to remove peerages from “enemies” of the UK during World War 1.

After a committee of the privy council investigated each individual, they would send a report to both House of Parliament who would have 40 days to contest the peerage removal.

If there were no complaints, the report would be presented to the monarch.

The peer in question would then be struck off the peerage roll and have all rights to receive a “writ of summons” removed, meaning they could no longer sit in the House of Lords.

This is the most extensive legislation that has been used to remove a peerage.

The House of Lords Reform Act 2014 also announced that a member convicted of a serious offence will cease to be a member of the House, meaning they would be prevented from attending parliament but would keep their peerage.

But a life peer could choose to resign from being a member of the House if they wanted to under this legislation.

A subsequent law, the House of Lords (Expulsion and Suspension) Act 2015, allowed the House to expel or suspend a member.

While the House can set its own rules for these sanctions, it only applies to conduct occurring or becoming public knowledge after June 2015.

Why Is Starmer Facing Pressure To Act?

The prime minister has faced additional scrutiny over his decision to even appoint Mandelson as the US ambassador last year.

While Starmer said he sacked him once he became aware of the extent of Mandelson’s friendship with Epstein last autumn, it is notable that the peer was able to resign from Labour before being suspended.

The prime minister is therefore being pressured to go further and strip Mandelson of any semblance of power now to re-establish his authority.

Starmer’s chief of staff Morgan McSweeney is also in the spotlight for his friendship with Mandelson, which allegedly helped the figure secure the US ambassador role.

Frustration among the Labour backbenches is already growing.

Labour MP Jo White told BBC Radio 4 that Mandelson should have promised to never attend the House of Lords again after he gave up his ambassador role in September.

“He’s embarrassed the Labour Party, he’s embarrassed the prime minister and he is an embarrassment to himself to be honest,” she said.

What Might Happen Next?

It remains to be seen if Mandelson will actually have his peerage removed.

Meanwhile, Starmer urged “anybody who has got information” on Epstein to “share that information in whatever form they are asked to do that” on Saturday night.

Though he was speaking in reference to former prince, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, officials claim this was also a reference to Mandelson.

That could mean the peer has to give evidence before the US Congress in its ongoing investigation into Epstein.

The Telegraph is reporting that a US investigation is “poised” to demand the ex-ambassador testify.