Newly released documents confirm that Sir Tony Blair met with financier Jeffrey Epstein at Downing Street in 2002 while he was Prime Minister. The meeting was arranged after lobbying from Lord Peter Mandelson.
A memo and emails, released by the National Archives under a Freedom of Information request, detail the arrangement.
The Arrangement
Emails from May 2002 show Lord Mandelson pushing for the meeting. He described Epstein to Blair’s chief of staff as a “friend,” “young and vibrant,” and “safe.” Mandelson noted that former US President Bill Clinton, who travelled with Epstein, also wanted to introduce him to the Prime Minister.
A briefing memo from a senior civil servant prepared Sir Tony for the 5 p.m. meeting, describing Epstein as a “super-rich” financial adviser who was “close to the Duke of York.”
The Meeting & Response
A spokesperson for Sir Tony Blair stated that the meeting was brief (under 30 minutes), focused on US and UK politics, and was the only time the two ever met or engaged.
Crucially, the spokesperson emphasized this occurred in 2002, six years before Epstein’s first conviction in 2008 for soliciting prostitution from a minor. “This was, of course, long before his crimes were known of,” the statement added.
Epstein died in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
