Teresa Leger Fernandez

Sir Keir Starmer has been urged to 'encourage' Peter Mandelson to testify before the US Congress following the latest revelations of his links to Jeffrey Epstein.

Democratic Congresswoman Teresa Leger Fernández said the Prime Minister should tell the former US ambassador to give evidence about the paedophile financier.

Asked if Mandelson should be 'compelled' to testify, she told the BBC's Newsnight: 'He should encourage him, because we do not have authority to issue a subpoena.'

Ms Leger Fernandez also said the US has not yet seen the accountability survivors deserve, adding: 'I think the reckoning has to take place. I don't think it's actually happening yet, because we know that the Epstein files have not been fully disclosed.

'We know this administration, the Trump administration, continues to stonewall and continues to make it difficult for the survivors to get the justice that they are seeking'.

The New Mexico politician, who is chair of the Democratic Women's Caucus, further condemned the handling of the Epstein files, which had to be retracted by the US Department of Justice (Doj) because they identified some of Epstein's abuse victims.

Ms Leger Fernandez said: 'It's happening because they are not paying attention to their own requirements. They are protecting paedophiles, they are protecting perpetrators, and they are putting the victims at risk. We see an administration that is trying to protect the paedophiles, that's trying to protect the perpetrators.'

It comes after the Metropolitan Police has launched a criminal probe into allegations that Mandelson, who was sacked as US ambassador last year because of his past connections to Epstein, passed 'market-sensitive information' to Epstein.

Files released by the DoJ appear to show Mandelson giving material to the paedophile financier while serving as business secretary in Gordon Brown's Labour administration as it dealt with the 2008 financial crash and its aftermath.

The files also show Epstein appeared to urge Mandelson to make his own move for the top job despite his Labour peerage which prevented him from becoming PM.

In one exchange the paedophile financier appeared to joke that Mandelson should marry Princess Anne and then divorce her, which would effectively dissolve his peerage.

At other times Epstein floated the idea of a joint leadership bid between his friend and David Miliband - another leading Blairite and close ally of the PM.

Mandelson, who has always denied wrongdoing, is now likely to be interviewed by officers over claims that his dealings with Epstein broke the law.

Epstein's meddling in Brown's Government seemingly began in October 2008, when Mandelson was appointed as business secretary and handed a peerage in a triumphant return to cabinet.

He sent Mandelson a message on the day he was appointed, congratulating him on one of the greatest poliical (sic) revival opportunitis (sic) of all time'.

Epstein added: 'Laws need to be changed. It will take time, Gordon thinks like an old man. Old solutions will not work. You will be the architect of LABOR 2.O.'

Almost a year later, once Epstein had served his jail sentence in Florida after being convicted of child sex offences, the exchanges resumed.

In a message to Mandelson in October 2009, Epstein seemingly had the idea to try and manoeuvre his friend to the top of Government.

He joked about marrying Mandelson off to Princess Anne, saying if they divorced he 'could be prime minister, as the peerage evaporates on a merger with the monarchy'.

In another message later that day, Epstein also suggested he 'marry Princess Beatrice', adding 'the queen would have a queen as a grandson'.

The former MP appears to have replied: 'Remember, I am already her Lord President', to which the disgraced financier said: 'Does that make it incest, how exciting.'

But despite his apparent jokes, Epstein grew more and more incessant that Mandelson should make a move within the struggling Labour party.

In November 2009, Epstein appeared to urge Mandelson to make a pact with David Miliband, to seize the leadership.

'Can we put together for you the equivalent of a Putin Medvedev deal. Choose someone who will be seen to be your stand-in, run as a team.. Milibrandelson.

'The voters would be voting for you?'

Another email later that month showed Epstein checking in on Mandelson, before urging him again to push for a bigger role in Government - potentially to replace Alastair Darling as Chancellor.

'As a politician I can't let you walk away from an Olympic Silver medal,' he wrote on November 18.

Mandelson's reply seemingly implied that he had floated the idea to Gordon Brown himself, but was not receptive. 'The PM totally against. I have to accept, I think,' Mandelson wrote.

But less than two weeks later, Epstein was at it again. On November 29, he appears to once again urging Mandelson to push for a move.

'Tell gb you see the winds blowing and you are loyal, first second and third it actually is true, i don't suggest you tell him to step down' i tell him you are his friend and am frustrated as much as he.'

'He will immed[iately] push panic button - highly sensitised to movement of my eyebrow,' Mandelson replied.

In February, as the Labour government began to unravel, Epstein advised Mandelson to distance himself from the PM.

He wrote: 'He lacks support and you do not want to be seen as anything but a true loyal subject. You would be being duplicitous to make believe there was not a crisis in the future.

'He knows you, if you go off on vacation and then the hatchets come in, he will know it was you, and you would have lost his and others respect.. YOU are super strong.. tell the truth.'

Mandelson replied: 'If I continue as now people will say I am one of the few (only) big figures. And I have to deliver a reasonable campaign that only he f**** up. And that I perform well in the campaign itself.'

Epstein then added: 'You could win if you ran, however, you will be seen as the architect of a losing campaign, your loyalty i believe will not be rewarded, I would consider taking a strong position, then at least when gordon does not follow.

'You will have been seen to have given great advice that wasn't taken and therefore he lost. if you merely play his brilliant party speaker, I fear, you will be attached to the eventual smell.'

A few months later, Epstein again messaged Mandelson again urging him to keep his distance.

'Jess view is that you must be seen as a statesman, and not a personal -man, of gb, supporting gb will be seen as bad form commercially, he has lost the confidence of the public.

'JPM (JP Morgan) is very concerned that the pound could be the next currency to falter. and big time. Uncertainty is not in your favor.'

The next day, Mandelson and Epstein appeared to message each other mocking Brown's inevitable departure.

'Bye, bye smelly?' Epstein asked, before Mandelson replied: 'Think has to be bye GB. He has now gone to church!'

On May 10, Mandelson informed Epstein that Brown had finally agreed to step down from government, saying: 'Finally got him to go today…' Brown resigned the next day.