Government Accused of Ignoring Epstein Survivors
The former victims minister has accused the government of failing to listen to the survivors of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Labour MP Alex Davies-Jones, who resigned in May, said victims have been treated as a "footnote" in the controversy surrounding Lord Mandelson's appointment as ambassador to the US.
Speaking in the House of Commons, Davies-Jones also read out a statement from Lisa Phillips, a US survivor of Epstein, who accused Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer of ignoring her requests for a meeting.
Cabinet Office Minister Darren Jones offered to meet the victims and apologised for "subconsciously" treating Lord Mandelson differently due to his power and influence within Labour.
The exchanges occurred during a Commons debate about the government's response to a motion compelling it to publish files related to Lord Mandelson's appointment.
Lord Mandelson's Sacking and Epstein Connections
The peer was dismissed in September 2025 after Downing Street revealed new information regarding the extent of his relationship with Epstein.
Sir Keir's decision followed a review of emails showing Lord Mandelson sent supportive messages to Epstein as he faced sex offence charges in 2008.
Davies-Jones remarked on what she found most striking about the affair, stating it was not what had been said but what had been omitted.
"For all the headlines that have been generated by this story, the people whose lives were devastated by Jeffrey Epstein's abuse have too often been reduced to a footnote and that should concern every single one of us."
"Perhaps the most revealing aspect of these disclosures is not simply who ministers were meeting but who they were not."
She noted that while significant effort appeared to have been made to cultivate relationships with influential figures in the tech sector, victims felt unheard and overlooked.
Davies-Jones added she was "forced to fight tooth and nail" while in government to have victims' voices acknowledged, which indicated systemic issues and led to her "difficult but necessary decision to resign."
Davies-Jones also conveyed a statement from Lisa Phillips, a former model and Epstein survivor who has publicly shared her experiences.
Phillips expressed confusion over Sir Keir's appointment of Lord Mandelson despite his known association with Epstein.
"I have repeatedly requested the opportunity to meet with the prime minister but those requests have all been ignored.
Must I now wait for the next prime minister to acknowledge me and my survivor sisters?"
Government Response and Apology
Responding on behalf of the government, Cabinet Office Minister Darren Jones said Davies-Jones' speech prompted him to reflect on his relationship with Lord Mandelson.
Jones stated that no warnings about Lord Mandelson had been brought to his attention, and he did not believe he had consciously ignored reports about the peer.
"Did I at best subconsciously treat Peter Mandelson differently because I believed him to have influence and power in the Labour Party? I think the answer to that question is yes, I did.
Have I benefited from that relationship in the time that I've been an elected politician? I think in part the answer to that question is yes, I did.
And for that I'd like to apologise to the House, to the victims, to Lisa and commit to then doing something about it."
Jones acknowledged Davies-Jones' request for a meeting with the victims and committed to making himself available to discuss the issues raised.
Publication of Mandelson Files and Ongoing Investigations
The first batch of Mandelson files was published in March, with over 1,000 pages of documents released on Monday.
These documents revealed messages between Lord Mandelson and ministers that included advice, news, and criticism of the No 10 operation, Labour MPs, and the prime minister.
Some documents remain withheld at the request of the Metropolitan Police, who are investigating Lord Mandelson over allegations of misconduct in public office.
Lord Mandelson has denied any wrongdoing.
Conservative shadow Cabinet Office minister Alex Burghart called for MPs to be informed about the extent of police-held documents related to Lord Mandelson, the prime minister, and others.
The Conservatives have also criticized the government for not publishing all documents related to Lord Mandelson's appointment, citing the absence of a record indicating when the prime minister made the decision to appoint him.
Government ministers have defended the publication of documents.
During the debate, Cabinet Office minister Nick Thomas-Symonds rejected allegations of a cover-up after being questioned about Sir Keir's use of the auto-delete function on his WhatsApp messages.
The latest Mandelson documents contained only a few texts from the prime minister, who stated he had handed over all the messages he possessed and complied with the process.
The disappearing message feature on WhatsApp allows users to set a time limit of 24 hours, seven days, or 90 days, after which messages are deleted.
Conservative MP Sir Edward Leigh questioned the prime minister's use of the auto-delete function, stating,
"These scandals are made much worse by any hint of a cover-up."
for our Politics Essential newsletter to keep up with the inner workings of Westminster and beyond.
