Peter Mandelson finally issues apology to Jeffrey Epstein victims after backlash - The Mirror

It comes after the ex-Ambassador to the US, who was sacked after emails between him and Epstein came to light in September, failed to apologise over his association with the paedophile

Peter Mandelson has finally issued a personal apology to Jeffrey Epstein's victims for continuing his friendship with the notorious paedophile.

It comes days after the ex-Ambassador to the US, who was sacked after emails between him and Epstein came to light in September, faced criticism over his comments. In an interview on Sunday, the Labour peer was asked whether he would apologise to the victims for his association with the billionaire predator.

But Lord Mandelson limited his apology to the women "for a system that refused to hear their voices and did not give them the protection they were entitled to expect".

After a backlash, the Labour peer provided a statement to BBC Newsnight on Monday evening, saying: “Yesterday, I did not want to be held responsible for his crimes of which I was ignorant, not indifferent, because of the lies he told me and so many others. I was wrong to believe him following his conviction and to continue my association with him afterwards. I apologise unequivocally for doing so to the women and girls who suffered."

He added: “I was never culpable or complicit in his crimes. Like everyone else I learned the actual truth about him after his death. But his victims did know what he was doing, their voices were not heard and I am sorry I was amongst those who believed him over them.”

Some Cabinet ministers had criticised the comments while the Labour peer Baroness Kennedy told BBC Newsnight on Monday it was "shocking" he did not apologise over his association. She said: “I think it was shocking to many people that he didn't.

“I'm glad he's come out tonight and at least now is saying that his preoccupation was that people should understand that he did not himself know and had been persuaded.” She added: “Somebody like Peter Mandelson should have known better than to go on television and not to be apologising to those women who have suffered so terribly.”

Over the weekend Lord Mandelson said that despite Epstein's first conviction in 2008, for soliciting prostitution from a minor - which saw him sentenced to 13 months in jail - he believed the financier's protestations of innocence.

Emails that surfaced last year showed Lord Mandelson told his pal he "thought the world of him," and advised him to "fight for early release". He said: "They were awful, toe curling messages and emails that were published. And they're very embarrassing."

Asked if he deserved to be sacked, he said: "I understand why he ( Keir Starmer ) took the decision he did. But one thing I'm very clear about is I'm not going to seek to reopen or relitigate this issue. I'm moving on."