What EFTA Documents Show About Peter Mandelson's Email Correspondence With Jeffrey Epstein

Background: A Cabinet Minister and a Convicted Sex Offender

Peter Mandelson is one of the most consequential figures in modern British politics. A two-time Cabinet minister under Tony Blair, European Commissioner for Trade from 2004 to 2008, and Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills from 2008 to 2010, he was elevated to the House of Lords as Baron Mandelson in 2008. After leaving government, he founded Global Counsel, a strategic advisory firm with clients across the worlds of finance, technology, and geopolitics.

Jeffrey Epstein, a financier who cultivated relationships with powerful people on both sides of the Atlantic, pleaded guilty in 2008 to state prostitution charges in Florida. He was arrested again in July 2019 on federal sex trafficking charges and died in a Manhattan jail cell the following month.

The documents examined in this article were released by the U.S. Department of Justice under the Epstein Federal Taskforce Act (EFTA) disclosure process. Every quotation that follows is reproduced verbatim from those government releases. Mandelson has publicly stated that his relationship with Epstein was "not close" and that he had no knowledge of Epstein's criminal conduct. In February 2026, following the public release of these records, Mandelson resigned from the House of Lords.

This article presents the documentary record. Readers can review each cited document in full and reach their own conclusions.

"Meeting the Girls at 745": The May 2012 Emails

The most widely discussed exchange in the Mandelson-Epstein correspondence dates to May 29 and 30, 2012.

On the evening of May 29, Epstein emailed Mandelson to ask where he was. Mandelson replied: "Trying to find a cab !" The exchange is preserved in document EFTA01881338.

What happened next is recorded in the same document. Epstein forwarded the thread to his longtime assistant, Lesley Groff, adding:

"peter said he was only told about meeting the girls at 745 and not jes at 645"

The reference to "jes" corresponds to Jes Staley, who at the time held a senior position at JPMorgan Chase. Staley's own relationship with Epstein would later become the subject of regulatory action in the UK, where the Financial Conduct Authority fined him and banned him from holding senior financial positions.

The following morning, May 30, 2012, Groff replied to Epstein in a separate email thread, document EFTA01881854:

"I was not told you wanted him at the Jes meeting...but regarless, during a conversation I had with Peter yesterday morning, Peter told me he knew you were to see Jes last night and it would be another fun night (or something to that extent)...sure seemed like Peter knew...strange!"

Several elements of this exchange have drawn public attention. The EFTA documents do not identify who "the girls" were. The documents do not explain the context for the 7:45 p.m. reference. What the records do show is that Epstein, writing to his own assistant in what appears to have been a private aside, used the phrase "meeting the girls" in direct connection with Mandelson's name and movements that evening.

Groff's reply, sent the next day, indicates she had spoken with Mandelson "yesterday morning" and that Mandelson told her he was aware of the meeting with Staley. Her characterization of it as "another fun night" and her closing remark, "sure seemed like Peter knew...strange!", suggest at minimum that the three men's social calendars overlapped with some regularity.

Mandelson has not publicly addressed the specific content of these emails.

"Take Someone Home": September 2010

An email dated September 10, 2010, recorded in document EFTA01982444, captures a different register of the Epstein-Mandelson relationship.

Mandelson wrote to Epstein that day: "they need us !! (with all my experience of banking and wealth management...)" He also described having "just had breakfast with Chinese ambo here. They seem to accord me almost god-like status."

Epstein responded:

"after dancing with everyone at the party, hopefullly you will take someone home. STAY, you should move there for two years and associate with JPM.. Its a home run."

The tone of this exchange is conversational and familiar. Epstein's reference to JPMorgan ("JPM") indicates he was actively encouraging Mandelson toward a business relationship with the bank. The "take someone home" remark is unexplained by any other document in the released files.

Accommodation Arrangements: "Is My Bed Free"

The question of whether Mandelson stayed at Epstein's properties appears in a March 19, 2012, email chain recorded in document EFTA00931570.

Epstein wrote to Mandelson:

"Im sorry but it appears you missed a previiosly sent email telling you that the apt was in response to your is my bed free comment not availale this trip, I will call you later. please send a number. If i unitentionaly insulted you i apologize"

The email, with its characteristic lack of punctuation and misspellings, reveals two things. First, Mandelson had previously asked Epstein whether accommodation was available, phrased by Epstein as a "is my bed free comment." Second, Epstein felt compelled to apologize for what he described as an unintentional insult, suggesting the exchange had caused friction.

The nature of the accommodation, whether it referred to Epstein's New York townhouse, his Paris apartment, or another property, is not specified in this document. But the casual framing of the request, one public figure asking another whether "my bed" is available, points to a degree of personal familiarity that goes beyond a passing acquaintance.

Beirut Business and Property: August 2010

On August 25, 2010, Mandelson emailed Epstein with a brief but striking message, recorded in document EFTA01980803:

"Been a bit busy arranging your new Beirut business and home."

Epstein's reply was a single word: "cool."

The EFTA release does not include further documents explaining what Beirut business Mandelson was arranging on Epstein's behalf, or what property was involved. The email does indicate that Mandelson was performing some form of active service for Epstein, arranging commercial and residential matters in a foreign country. Whether this was a paid engagement, a friendly favor, or something else entirely is not addressed in the available records.

For a former European Trade Commissioner and sitting member of the House of Lords, the act of arranging business interests for a convicted sex offender raises questions that the documentary record alone cannot fully answer.

Deutsche Bank, Waddesdon, and the Social Calendar: July 2010

A pair of emails from July 3 and 4, 2010, preserved in document EFTA01813571, places Mandelson at the intersection of Epstein's financial and social networks.

Mandelson wrote to Epstein:

"At Waddesdon overnight. Still ploughing thru page proofs. Publishers going mad. Seeing Glen on Monday. Deutsche seeking initial response next week..."

Waddesdon Manor is the Buckinghamshire estate long associated with the Rothschild family. The reference to "Deutsche" appears to concern Deutsche Bank, which maintained its own later-scrutinized relationship with Epstein. The identity of "Glen" is not confirmed in this document.

Epstein responded the following morning: "lets discuss mon."

The email is notable for its brevity and informality. Mandelson appears to be updating Epstein on his schedule and on a pending financial matter involving Deutsche Bank as though this were routine correspondence between business partners. The document does not specify what role, if any, Epstein played in whatever Deutsche Bank matter Mandelson referenced.

Five Phone Numbers in the Black Book

Epstein's personal address book, widely known as the "black book," was first obtained by federal investigators and later made public through court proceedings. The entry for Peter Mandelson contains five separate telephone numbers.

The presence of multiple contact numbers is not, by itself, evidence of wrongdoing. Other prominent political figures, business executives, and socialites also appear in the book. But the volume of contact information does indicate that Epstein, or members of his staff, considered Mandelson a person worth being able to reach by several different means.

6,900+ Document Links: The Scale of the Paper Trail

The Epstein Exposed database links Mandelson to 6,964 documents released through the EFTA process. This figure makes him one of the most frequently referenced individuals in the entire archive.

Not all of these documents are direct correspondence. Many are records where his name appears in passing, in scheduling notes, in forwarded threads, or in documents that reference meetings he may or may not have attended. The volume, however, is significant. It indicates that Mandelson's name circulated through Epstein's world with a frequency that is difficult to reconcile with a relationship that was "not close."

Timeline: Key Dates in Context

The email correspondence documented in the EFTA releases spans from at least 2009 through 2012. The entire period falls after Epstein's 2008 guilty plea in Florida.

• 2004 to 2008: Mandelson serves as European Commissioner for Trade.
• June 2008: Epstein pleads guilty to state prostitution charges in Florida and serves 13 months.
• October 2008: Mandelson enters the House of Lords as Baron Mandelson.
• 2008 to 2010: Mandelson serves as Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills.
• 2009 to 2012: Period of documented email correspondence between Mandelson and Epstein, as shown in EFTA releases.
• July 2019: Epstein arrested on federal sex trafficking charges in New York.
• August 2019: Epstein found dead in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center.
• 2024 to 2025: EFTA documents released by the U.S. Department of Justice.
• February 2026: Mandelson resigns from the House of Lords. UK Metropolitan Police open an investigation into potential misconduct in public office.

Every email cited in this article was sent after Epstein's 2008 conviction. The correspondence shows that Mandelson maintained contact with Epstein during a period when Epstein was a registered sex offender.

Mandelson's Public Statements

Mandelson has acknowledged meeting Jeffrey Epstein but has consistently described the relationship as limited. He has stated publicly that his interactions with Epstein were connected to legitimate social and professional contexts and that he had no knowledge of Epstein's criminal activities.

Following the release of the EFTA documents in late 2025 and early 2026, Mandelson resigned from the House of Lords. The UK Metropolitan Police subsequently confirmed they had opened an investigation into potential misconduct in public office. That investigation is ongoing as of the date of this article's publication. No charges have been filed.

Mandelson has not been accused of any criminal conduct by any law enforcement agency. The emails presented here are part of the public record as released by the U.S. Department of Justice.

What the Documents Show, and What They Do Not

The EFTA releases paint a picture of a relationship that was personal, familiar, and sustained over a period of years, all of it after Epstein's first criminal conviction. The emails show Mandelson asking about accommodation at Epstein's properties, arranging business interests on Epstein's behalf in Beirut, updating Epstein on meetings with Deutsche Bank, and socializing in Epstein's orbit alongside figures like Jes Staley.

The documents do not show Mandelson engaging in or having knowledge of any illegal activity. They do not identify "the girls" referenced in Epstein's May 2012 email to Groff. They do not explain the full scope of the Beirut business arrangement or the Deutsche Bank matter.

What the documents do establish, in Epstein's own words and in Mandelson's, is that two men maintained a correspondence marked by casual intimacy, mutual favors, and overlapping financial interests during a period when one of them was a convicted sex offender and the other was one of Britain's most influential political figures.

The full documentary record is available for public review. Every document cited in this article can be accessed through the Peter Mandelson profile page on Epstein Exposed.

All documents cited in this article are part of the official EFTA release by the U.S. Department of Justice. Document identifiers (e.g., EFTA01881338) correspond to the DOJ numbering system. Quotations are reproduced verbatim, including original spelling and punctuation errors. Readers are encouraged to review the source documents directly.