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Post by : Rameen Ariff
Newly released documents confirm that former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair met with financier Jeffrey Epstein at Downing Street in May 2002. The meeting, which lasted less than 30 minutes, took place six years before Epstein pleaded guilty to soliciting prostitution from a minor in 2008.
A memo prepared by senior civil servant Matthew Rycroft, dated 14 May 2002, briefed Blair on Epstein, describing him as a “financial adviser to the super-rich and a property developer” and noting his friendship with former US President Bill Clinton and Labour politician Lord Peter Mandelson. The memo also mentioned Epstein’s connections to the Duke of York and suggested that a discussion with him could be worthwhile on topics such as science and global economic trends.
Emails released under a Freedom of Information request show that Lord Mandelson actively lobbied for the meeting. In correspondence with Blair’s chief of staff Jonathan Powell, Mandelson described Epstein as “safe” and highlighted his influence in international markets. The email also referenced Clinton’s interest in introducing Epstein to Blair during his UK visit.
A spokesperson for Blair stated that the former Prime Minister met Epstein for a brief discussion about US and UK politics and had no subsequent contact with him. The spokesperson emphasized that this meeting occurred long before Epstein’s criminal activities were publicly known.
The documents’ release had previously been blocked due to concerns about the potential impact on UK-US relations. They were made public following Mandelson’s dismissal as the UK ambassador to the US amid scrutiny over his links to Epstein.
Clinton has acknowledged a past association with Epstein but stated that he had no knowledge of Epstein’s criminal activities. Epstein was later convicted in Florida in 2008 for soliciting prostitution from a minor and died in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
The National Archives also released a schedule of Trade and Industry Meetings from May 2002, which included the memo briefing Blair ahead of his 5 p.m. meeting with Epstein. The memo was marked “restricted” and circulated to Blair’s advisers, including Jonathan Powell and Geoffrey Norris.
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