Peter Mandelson's Severance Payment Revealed
Former peer Peter Mandelson, who was dismissed as UK ambassador to the US due to his connections with Jeffrey Epstein, initially sought a severance payment exceeding £500,000 from the Foreign Office. Newly released documents from the Cabinet Office disclose that he was ultimately offered £75,000.
The documents indicate that officials considered it a success to have negotiated the settlement down to this amount with minimal controversy. Mandelson was compelled to resign following the emergence of details about his longstanding friendship with the disgraced financier Epstein.
Details of the Payment and Negotiations
The chief secretary to the Treasury, James Murray, authorized the £75,000 payment, which comprised a payment in lieu of notice and a special severance sum of £34,670.50. Officials noted that Mandelson
"opened negotiations asking us to pay out his contract (over £500k)."The total amount he initially requested was £547,000.
Release of Documents and Parliamentary Context
The disclosure of these documents followed a humble address motion initiated by the Conservative Party in Parliament, which the government did not oppose. This motion aimed to cover communications involving all senior figures in Prime Minister Starmer’s administration, ensuring a broad scope.
However, a police investigation into Mandelson has delayed the full release of the documents. One particular exchange withheld from publication reportedly includes three questions posed by Starmer directly to Mandelson concerning how he maintained his friendship with Epstein.
Members of Parliament voted to empower the intelligence and security committee, comprising MPs and peers, to determine which documents could be released without compromising national security.
Content and Scope of Released Documents
The documents released constitute the initial batch of tens of thousands of files. They are expected to contain information that was publicly available at the time, including newspaper reports detailing the extent of Mandelson’s relationship with Epstein.
The files include correspondence among the Cabinet Office, Downing Street, and Foreign Office officials regarding Mandelson, who was dismissed from his ambassadorial role in Washington last September.
Mandelson’s Resignation and Investigation
Peter Mandelson, aged 72, resigned from the Labour Party and the House of Lords in February following the publication of the Epstein files in the United States. Subsequently, he was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office, an investigation believed to relate to sensitive information he allegedly shared with Epstein during his tenure as business secretary under Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
The former Labour grandee was later released from bail conditions but remains under investigation.
Mandelson has denied any wrongdoing, including allegations of misconduct in public office. He has issued an apology to Epstein’s victims for maintaining his friendship with Epstein.
