Peter Mandelson set to be stripped of Hartlepool Freedom of Borough by local Labour party over Epstein scandal

As Lord Mandelson says continuing friendship with Epstein was 'terrible mistake,’ who is his husband? Photo: PA

placeholder image — As Lord Mandelson says continuing friendship with Epstein was 'terrible mistake,’ who is his husband? Photo: PA

Former Hartlepool MP Peter Mandelson is set to have the freedom of the town withdrawn from him over the scandal of his links to paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

Hartlepool Labour Party is proposing to officially withdraw The Freedom of the Borough granted to Lord Mandelson in a ceremony in Hartlepool in 2010.

Hartlepool’s Labour Group agreed the course of action after it met on Thursday night with a motion due to go before the next full meeting of Hartlepool Borough Council on October 2.

It comes after Keir Starmer sacked Lord Mandelson as ambassador to the United States after emails revealed the depth of his relationship with paedophile financier Epstein and continued support even as Epstein faced jail for sex offences.

In a letter sent to Lord Mandelson, Cllr Brenda Harrison Leader of the Labour-run council said: “This action is taken in the light of recent disclosures concerning your long standing and confirmed relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted paedophile, even after his conviction and prior to his death in 2019.

“Such a relationship is fundamentally incompatible with the values and integrity of the Borough’s highest civic honour.

“This action reflects our overriding duty to preserve the dignity of the award and the reputation of Hartlepool.”

Lord Mandelson, who was Hartlepool’s Labour MP from 1992 to 2004, was reported to have urged Epstein to “fight for early release” shortly before he was sentenced to 18 months in prison and told him “I think the world of you” the day before he began his sentence for soliciting prostitution from a minor in June 2008.

Earlier he admitted he “continued my association with him for too long”.