John Swinney orders audit of Scottish Government's dealings with Peter Mandelson
The First Minister said he was “concerned” that “the interests of Scotland have been undermined as a consequence of the behaviour that Peter Mandelson has been involved in”.
John Swinney has ordered an audit of all of the Scottish Government’s dealings with Lord Peter Mandelson.
The First Minister said he was “concerned” that “the interests of Scotland have been undermined as a consequence of the behaviour that Peter Mandelson has been involved in”.
It comes after Sir Keir Starmer admitted he knew about Lord Mandelson’s friendship with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein when he appointed him ambassador to the US but claimed the peer “lied repeatedly” about the extent of the relationship.
Documents released as part of the US Department of Justice’s Epstein Files appear to show Lord Mandelson passing potentially market sensitive information to his friend in 2009, while he was business secretary in Gordon Brown’s government.
Mr Swinney stayed at Lord Mandelson’s then residence, the British embassy in Washington DC, on his visit to the White House last year.
Mr Swinney told ITV’s Representing Border programme: “The Prime Minister’s judgement is completely flawed. That’s the only conclusion you can come to.
“Because to have known about the connection with Jeffrey Epstein and then to appoint him as the ambassador to the United States is a disastrous and very damaging decision.
“Of course what I’m now concerned about is that now that we know this information about the supply of information by Peter Mandelson in the financial crash to Jeffrey Epstein.
“I’m now concerned about the implications of that for Scotland.
“So I’ve asked the permanent secretary in the Scottish Government to an investigatory audit of all of our transactions at that time.
“And also the transactions in relation to our engagement with Peter Mandelson just last year, in relation to the issue of whisky tariffs in the United States to see if in any way, shape or form the position and the interests of Scotland have been undermined as a consequence of the behaviour that Peter Mandelson has been involved in.
“It is absolutely completely unacceptable that at a time where we faced the implications of the financial crash or even last year when I was trying to advance the interests of Scotland, that our approach was undermined by Peter Mandelson who was appointed most recently by Keir Starmer and who served in a Gordon Brown government.
“It is completely unacceptable.”
The Prime Minister said Lord Mandelson “betrayed our country” by leaking information from the heart of government to Epstein.
Sir Keir also said he had spoken to the King to have Lord Mandelson removed from the Privy Council.
Lord Mandelson, a political appointment rather than a career diplomat, was sacked from his Washington role in September last year over his links with Epstein, who died in 2019.
His continued association with Epstein following his 2008 conviction for soliciting a minor had been widely reported before his return to the political front line when he was named as ambassador in 2024.
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