Peter Mandelson ‘not guilty by association’ insists Wes Streeting after Epstein 'birthday message' revealed
Wes Streeting has insisted that Lord Mandelson is "not guilty by association" after he appeared in new files linked to Jeffrey Epstein released by US lawmakers.
Listen to this article
It comes after Lord Mandelson appeared to call Jeffrey Epstein his 'best pal' according to new files released by US lawmakers.
Among the documents was a photo of himself speaking with the paedophile while dressed in a bathrobe.
Pushed on the subject by Nick Ferrari at Breakfast, the Health Secretary insisted "the ambassador has been clear that he regrets ever having been introduced to Epstein."
"And who can blame him? Who would want to be associated with Epstein given what we know now about the horrific crimes that he perpetrated."
He went on to describe the British ambassador to the US as "never backwards in coming forwards".
Mr Streeting added: "I'm sure he will have more to say. But I don't think we should tar everyone as kind of guilty by association."
Photos of the British ambassador to Washington – on what appears to be Epstein’s island – alongside a handwritten note, feature in a newly-released 50th birthday book.
Released by Democrats in the House Oversight Committee, the book was compiled in 2003 by the late financier’s ex-girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell who is serving a prison sentence for sex trafficking girls.
"I think it's appalling the crimes that Epstein committed and it is really important that the sunlight of disinfectant is provided by his victims whose testimony should be believed, who should be given the platform to set out the horrific abuse they endured," Mr Streeting continued.
"Because while they may have been denied justice while Epstein was still alive, they can at least make sure that his name is blackened for in death."
The existence of the letter and book was first reported in July by the Wall Street Journal.
Excerpts have now been released for the first time after the US House Oversight Committee subpoenaed Epstein’s estate and published it.
All 238 pages of the book were released with some names and pictures redacted.
Democrats in the US also released a sexually suggestive birthday note allegedly sent by Donald Trump to Epstein.
The letter, released by Democrats on the House Oversight Committee on social media on Monday, bears Trump's name and what appears to be his signature includes text framed by a hand-drawn outline of a curvaceous woman.
The president has vehemently denied his ownership of the letter and filed a $10 billion (£7.3 billion) lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal for earlier reporting on his link to it.
"As I have said all along, it's very clear President Trump did not draw this picture, and he did not sign it," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement posted on X.
"President Trump's legal team will continue to aggressively pursue litigation."
Read more: ‘Don’t let this fool you’: Democrats allege 'cover-up' as batch of Jeffrey Epstein files released
White House deputy chief of staff Taylor Budowich posted various pictures on X of Mr Trump's signature over the years and wrote "it's not his signature".
Democrats on the House Oversight Committee received a copy of the birthday album on Monday as part of a batch of documents from Epstein's estate.
The letter reads: "A pal is a wonderful thing. Happy Birthday - and may every day be another wonderful secret."
Trump said The Wall Street Journal's reporting on the letter was "false, malicious and defamatory".
"These are not my words, not the way I talk. Also, I don't draw pictures," Trump said.
The letter released by the committee looks exactly as described by The Wall Street Journal in its report.
The release of the drawing comes as the president has for months faced increasing pressure to force more disclosure in the case of Epstein and his former girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell.
Epstein was accused of paying underage girls hundreds of dollars in cash for massages and then molesting them, while Maxwell was convicted of luring teenage girls to be sexually abused by him.
It also once again puts a spotlight on Trump's former friendship with Epstein, which the president has said ended two decades ago after a falling-out.
Trump said recently that he cut ties with Epstein because he "stole" young women - including Virginia Giuffre, who was among Epstein's most well-known sex trafficking accusers - who worked for the spa at his Mar-a-Lago resort.
Trump had suggested during the presidential campaign that he would seek to open the government's files into Epstein, but much of what the government has released so far had already been out there.
Recent calls for the release of the records came from Republicans, including vice president JD Vance, before he was sworn into the country's number two position.
The Justice Department in August began turning over records from the Epstein sex trafficking investigation to the House Oversight Committee.
The committee subpoenaed the Epstein estate for documents last month.
In addition to the birthday book, legislators requested Epstein's last will and testament, agreements he signed with prosecutors, his contact books, and his financial transactions and holdings.
Epstein killed himself in a Manhattan jail while awaiting trial in 2019 on charges that said he sexually abused and trafficked dozens of underage girls.
