Former British ambassador to Washington Peter Mandelson quit the Labour Party on Feb. 1, seeking to avoid causing it "further embarrassment" after newly released U.S. documents revived scrutiny of his connection to late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Mandelson, who was sacked as Britain's ambassador to the United States last year over his ties to Epstein, allegedly received several payments from Epstein in the early 2000s, according to documents released on Jan. 30 by the U.S. Department of Justice and reported in British media on Feb. 1.
Bank records released by the U.S. Justice Department suggest Epstein transferred a total of $75,000 (55,000 pounds) in three payments to bank accounts linked to Mandelson between 2003 and 2004.
Norway's Crown Princess Mette-Marit, whose name appears at least 1,000 times in the millions of freshly released documents, apologised for her "embarrassing" friendship with Epstein. Correspondence published in Norwegian media dates from 2011 to 2014.
On Jan. 31, Mette-Marit said she "showed poor judgment and I deeply regret having had any contact with Epstein", calling the relationship "embarrassing."
Britain's former prince Andrew was again caught up in the Epstein scandal, with the latest release showing undated photos of him kneeling on all fours over a woman lying on the floor.
Asked on Jan. 31 whether Andrew should testify in the U.S. Congress as repeatedly demanded, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said "yes."
