Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair hosted American financier Jeffrey Epstein, later convicted of child prostitution, at his 10 Downing Street residence in 2002, the BBC reported.
The meeting was held at the insistence of Peter Mandelson, who held various positions in Blair's cabinet and was dismissed as the UK ambassador to the US in September 2025 over his links to Epstein. According to emails obtained by the BBC, Mandelson said the American was "his friend." The British government, the broadcaster said, had previously refused to publish the information out of concern that it could damage relations between London and Washington. Blair's spokesman said the meeting lasted less than half an hour, that the former prime minister and Epstein discussed politics and that "this happened, of course, long before" the American financier to be charged with child prostitution.
Epstein was arrested by New York State law enforcement on July 6, 2019. Prosecutors said they had evidence that between 2002 and 2005, he arranged visits to his Manhattan home for dozens of underage girls, the youngest of whom was 14 years old. Epstein's circle of friends and acquaintances included a large number of current and former officials not only from the United States but also from many other countries, including former heads of state, prominent businessmen and show business stars. The criminal prosecution of the financier in the United States was terminated after his suicide in his prison cell on August 10, 2019.
Epstein's acquaintances included the 42nd US President Bill Clinton and the current US President Donald Trump. Supporters of the current American leader have repeatedly called on him to reveal all information about the financier's case. During the 2024 election campaign, Trump and members of his team promised to declassify the relevant documents and ensure maximum transparency in the investigation.
As reported by the “Wall Street Journal“ on July 23, citing administration officials in Washington, US Attorney General Pam Bondi informed Trump in the spring that his name appeared in documents related to Epstein, along with the names of “many other prominent figures“. The White House rejected this report as false.