Peter Mandelson is to quit from the House of Lords over the Jeffrey Epstein scandal which has caused a scandal in Whitehall.
The Lord Speaker of the House of Lords announced on Tuesday afternoon from the upper chamber that Mandelson will as of 4 February no longer be a Lord.
Earlier on Tuesday Downing Street confirmed they have sent the Metropolitan Police a file on the former US ambassador over his links with paedophile Epstein.
Scotland Yard confirmed on Tuesday afternoon that they have received a report from Downing Street.
On Monday, Ella Marriott, Commander of the Met, said, “The reports will all be reviewed to determine if they meet the criminal threshold for investigation.
“As with any matter, if new and relevant information is brought to our attention we will assess it, and investigate as appropriate.”
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Downing Street hands Met Police Mandelson file over Epstein’s emails
The former Tory MP who defected to Reform UK has called out Mandelson over his clear relationship with paedophile Epstein.
Jenrick said that “Mandelson is lower than a snakes belly” and he “should be in the dock, not the House of Lords.”
The US Department of Justice released around three million Epstein documents last week, this has led to some startling evidence concerning Mandelson and potentially many others.
Jenrick addressed the House of Commons, he said, “Mr Speaker, the revelations we have seen in the last 48 hours are not just a matter of ’embarrassment’ for the Labour Party; they are a matter of national security and the rule of law.
Jenrick accused Lord Mandelson of sending internal Downing Street documents and market-sensitive data to Epstein, when he was the Business Secretary under Gordon Brown when he was the Prime Minister.
Jenrick said, “It’s an absolute insult to the victims of Jeffrey Epstein that this government’s only response is to ask the Cabinet Secretary for a ‘review.
“This isn’t a case for an HR review; it is a case for the Metropolitan Police.
“Peter Mandelson has clearly broken the law and stands now accused of serious misconduct in a public office, and he should be tried for his offences.”
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman read out a Cabinet statement, saying, “The Prime Minister said he was appalled by the information that had emerged over the weekend in the Epstein files.
“He said the alleged passing-on of emails of highly sensitive Government business was disgraceful, adding that he was not reassured that the totality of information had yet emerged.
“The Prime Minister told cabinet that Peter Mandelson should no longer be a member of the House of Lords or use the title, and said he had asked the Cabinet Secretary to review all available information regarding Mandelson’s contact with Jeffrey Epstein during his time serving as a government minister.
“He said he’d made it clear the government would cooperate with the police in any inquiries they carried out, but he said the government had to press and go further, working at speed in the Lords, including legislatively if necessary.
“He reiterated that there was a need to move at pace.
“An initial review of the documents released in relation to Jeffrey Epstein by the US Department of Justice … found that they contain likely market-sensitive information surrounding the 2008 financial crash and official activities thereafter to stabilise the economy,” the Cabinet Office added.
