Published by Global Banking and Finance Review
Posted on February 3, 2026
2 min readLast updated: February 3, 2026
UK's Starmer criticizes the alleged sharing of sensitive information with Epstein, calling it disgraceful. The government pledges full cooperation with police inquiries.
LONDON, Feb 3 (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Keir Starmer told ministers on Tuesday the alleged passing on of sensitive government information by the UK's former U.S. ambassador Peter Mandelson to late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was "disgraceful".
Chairing a meeting of his top team of ministers, Starmer repeated that Mandelson should no longer be in Britain's upper house of parliament and that the government would cooperate with the police in any inquiries they carried out.
"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 the information had yet emerged," Starmer's spokesperson told reporters.
"An initial review of the documents released in relation to Jeffrey Epstein by the U.S. Department of Justice has found that they contain likely market sensitive information surrounding the 2008 financial crash and official activities thereafter to stabilise the economy," the spokesperson said, adding it appeared that safeguards had been "compromised".
(Reporting by Alistair Smout, writing by Elizabeth Piper, editing by Sarah Young)
Market sensitive information refers to data that could influence an investor's decision and affect the market price of a security. It often includes details about financial performance, mergers, or other significant corporate events.
A financial crisis is a situation in which the value of financial institutions or assets drops significantly. It can lead to a loss of confidence in the financial system, resulting in widespread economic downturns.
Police cooperation in financial investigations involves law enforcement agencies working together to gather evidence, share information, and conduct inquiries related to financial crimes or misconduct.
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