Mandelson wanted £500k payout after being sacked as US ambassador

WorldPolitics
11 Mar 2026 • 11:09 PM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

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  • Peter Mandelson originally asked for a payout of over £500,000 after being sacked from his role as US Ambassador, the first batch of Peter Mandelson papers has revealed.
  • Emails in the documents confirmed the former Labour peer secured a £75,000 payout when further information about his ties to Jeffrey Epstein came to light.
  • In an email to officials at the Foreign Office, a Treasury official said the government had done “[very] well to get this settlement down this low with minimal fuss.”
  • The email reads: “If there’s any pushback, it might be worth mentioning that he opened negotiations asking us to pay out his contract (over £500k).”
  • The Government released initial papers concerning Mandelson's appointment after MPs ordered their publication, with the papers revealing how Sir Keir Starmer was warned of a "general reputational risk" regarding Lord Peter Mandelson's relationship with paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.

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