LONDON, February 7, 2026 –
The liberal Democrats have called for an inquiry into whether former Labour minister Peter Mandelson improperly shared confidential government information with Jeffrey Epstein, potentially facilitating insider trading.
- The liberal Democrats have urged the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to investigate peter mandelson.
- The allegations centre on leaked confidential government information provided to Jeffrey Epstein.
- Emails suggest Mandelson provided Epstein with advance warning of market-moving events, including Brown’s resignation and a eurozone rescue deal.
- The Metropolitan Police have already launched a criminal investigation into the alleged leaks.
The UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has been urged to investigate former Labour minister Peter Mandelson over allegations he leaked highly confidential government information to the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, potentially enabling insider trading, according to a letter from the Liberal Democrats.
In a letter to Nikhil Rathi,the chief executive of the FCA,Daisy Cooper,the MP for St Albans and the Lib dems’ deputy leader,stated it was “crucial” to determine whether Mandelson or those he shared information with profited from accessing “market-sensitive and confidential material” in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis.
cooper wrote that “the sharing of confidential information with a private financier could easily have provided an unfair and lucrative advantage in the financial markets, either by Epstein himself or by his associates,” and that “mandelson could also have personally profited from this arrangement.” She added that those involved “must face criminal prosecution if they are found to have abused trading laws for financial benefit.”
Insider dealing is a serious criminal offence in the UK, carrying a maximum penalty of 10 years in jail, or up to seven years for offenses committed before November 1, 2021.
Emails Suggest Advance Warning of Market Events
The call for an investigation follows the release of emails from the latest tranche of Epstein files,which appear to show Mandelson,while serving as business secretary under then-Prime Minister Gordon Brown,gave Epstein advance warning of market-moving events.These included information on Brown’s own resignation and a €500 billion eurozone rescue deal, according to the letter.
The emails reportedly were sent to Epstein hours before the events were publicly announced in may 2010, and both events “shifted the price of stocks and currencies, including of the British pound,” according to the Guardian.
Cooper also highlighted emails showing Mandelson forwarded a confidential document to Epstein in June 2009 outlining policy options to shore up the UK’s public finances, including selling off £20 billion worth of assets. She further pointed to an exchange in which mandelson allegedly advised Epstein that the JP Morgan chief executive, Jamie Dimon, should “threaten” the Treasury over plans to tax bankers’ bonuses in December 2009.
Resignation and Police Investigation
The revelations have prompted Mandelson’s resignation from the Labour party on Sunday and from the House of Lords on Tuesday, the Guardian reported.He was previously sacked as the UK’s ambassador to the US in September 2025.
The Metropolitan Police have launched a criminal investigation into Mandelson over the alleged leaks,focusing on whether market-sensitive emails were shared with Epstein,who died in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on child sex-trafficking charges.
“No individual, regardless of their standing or former office, should be permitted to compromise the integrity of the UK’s financial system by treating confidential state information as a private commodity,” Cooper wrote in her letter, urging the FCA to investigate whether Mandelson’s actions constitute a criminal offense under insider trading laws.
A spokesperson for the FCA stated that, given the Metropolitan Police investigation, it would not be appropriate to comment further.
Mandelson was approached for comment.
Time.news based this report in part on reporting by The Guardian and added self-reliant analysis and context.
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