“I need to apologise for a system that refused to listen to their voices and didn’t give them the safety they had been entitled to anticipate,” Mandelson mentioned. “That system gave him safety and never them.”
Within the interview, Mandelson additionally mentioned he by no means witnessed inappropriate conduct whereas spending time with Epstein and claimed he was “stored separate” from Epstein’s sexual actions as a result of he’s homosexual.
U.Ok. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander mentioned Mandelson’s refusal to apologize on to victims was a missed alternative.
“It might have gone a great distance for Peter to have apologized to the victims,” she mentioned, including that she wouldn’t have maintained contact with somebody in Epstein’s place.
Mandelson was dismissed as ambassador in September 2025 after emails emerged displaying he despatched supportive messages to Epstein following his conviction for soliciting a minor.
Mandelson mentioned through the BBC interview that the emails had been a “shock” and that he now not possessed them on the time of his appointment.
Requested whether or not he deserved to be fired, Mandelson mentioned he understood the choice and had no intention of reopening the difficulty.
