Rise and fall. That could be the title of a potential future film about the peak and decline of the political career of the UK ambassador to the United States. Less than nine months after his appointment by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Peter Mandelson, former top Labour official, was dismissed. As international media outlets report one after another, he was burned due to revelations about his connections with convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
Mandelson’s dismissal triggered a new wave of political reactions, bringing back to the spotlight a long and controversial career marked by power shifts and scandals. His most characteristic phrase, “We are intensely relaxed about people getting filthy rich, as long as they pay their taxes,” captures his philosophy about wealth and elites, as well as his close relationship with the world of the powerful.
The 71-year-old Mandelson, with professional origins in television, started as Labour’s communications director in the 1980s under Neil Kinnock and later evolved into the architect of New Labour’s political strategy alongside Tony Blair. Despite his communication skills, he was always a controversial figure. He was dubbed “the Prince of Darkness” due to his shadowy and behind-the-scenes influence.
Peter Mandelson: The rumors before the Epstein revelations
In his political career, he was forced to resign twice from the cabinet – first due to an undisclosed loan from businessman Geoffrey Robinson, and later because of his intervention on behalf of Indian businessman Srichand Hinduja for obtaining British citizenship. However, he returned each time, such as when he became EU Trade Commissioner or when Gordon Brown brought him back in 2008 as Business Secretary and granted him a life peerage in the House of Lords.
As ambassador to Washington, he was considered successful, as he helped maintain trade relations with the US and avoided harmful tariffs from Trump. His communication skills were evident when during Starmer’s visit to the White House, the Prime Minister pulled from his pocket a letter from King Charles to the American President, a communication stunt attributed to Mandelson himself.
However, the recent involvement of his name with Epstein triggered his removal. Although no specific evidence of illegality has been presented, the political pressure and impact on the Starmer government’s public image were such that dismissal was deemed necessary.
Throughout his career, Mandelson did not avoid the spread of rumors and stories that cultivated the profile of a politician disconnected from the popular base. The most famous? When he allegedly confused mushy peas with guacamole at a fast food restaurant in Hartlepool – an incident that, although he denies it, summarized the image of the “bourgeois politician in the wrong neighborhood“.
After four decades in politics, his fall from the political scene due to his connection with Epstein may be final. Despite many comebacks in the past, the price of repeated exposure, perhaps this time, may not allow another return.
