Police are investigating allegations that Peter Mandelson may have passed sensitive government information to Jeffrey Epstein.

British politician Peter Mandelson He is to resign from the UK parliament’s upper house as his relationship with late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein comes under renewed scrutiny and the possibility of criminal scrutiny.

Lords Speaker Michael Forsyth said on Tuesday that Mandelson, 72, had informed the upper house of his intention to resign. Forsyth said the move will take effect Wednesday.

Mandelson, a former British ambassador to the United States and a long-time senior figure in the country’s Labor Party, has come under intense pressure following the announcement of a new policy. Some U.S. government documents Related to Epstein.

The materials include emails from Mandelson to Epstein sharing political insights, including market-sensitive information during the 2008 financial crisis that critics say may have violated the law.

British police said they Evaluate reports of possible misconduct “To determine whether they meet the criminal threshold for investigation”.

The documents also include bank documents showing Epstein transferred tens of thousands of dollars into accounts linked to Mandelson or his associate Reynaldo Avila da Silva. Mandelson said he had no recollection of such transactions and would examine the documents.

Other material includes emails suggesting a friendly relationship between the two after Epstein was convicted of sex crimes in 2008, and a photo showing Mandelson in underwear next to a woman whose face was obscured by U.S. authorities.

Mandelson told the BBC he “can’t identify the location or the woman and I can’t imagine the circumstances”.

Starmer says he’s ‘shocked’

Prime Minister Keir Starmer told his cabinet on Tuesday that he was “shocked” by Mandelson’s message and feared more details would come to light, according to a Downing Street cabinet meeting.

Starmer also said he had ordered the civil service to conduct an “urgent” review of all Mandelson’s contacts with Epstein while he was in government.

“The alleged passing of highly sensitive government business emails is disgraceful,” the prime minister said, adding that he was not yet “convinced that the full information has not yet surfaced” about Mandelson’s links to Epstein.

Mandelson, who is dismissed After his relationship with Epstein was exposed earlier, he became the British Ambassador to the United States in September. Quit the Labor Party Sunday to avoid what he called “further embarrassment.”

In an interview with The Times late last month and published on Tuesday, Mandelson described Epstein as a “master manipulator”, adding: “I’ve had a lot of bad luck, some of which I undoubtedly brought on myself.”