A LORD with links to Herefordshire has stepped down after his name appeared in the notorious Epstein files.
Lord Peter Mandelson, whose links to the county date back to his childhood, when he used to visit the county, is to quit the House of Lords amid allegations he passed market-sensitive information to paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.
Peter Mandelson was elevated to the House of Lords in 2008 and acknowledged his links to the county by taking the title Baron Mandelson of Foy, which is in the county of Herefordshire.
Mandelson's link to Foy
Foy is a small hamlet in Herefordshire, situated on the banks of the River Wye, approximately four miles north of Ross-on-Wye.
Lord Mandelson's connection to the village dates back to 1984, when he purchased a three-bedroom cottage called Brick End Cottage from local farmer Jim Williams for £31,000.
The property was owned by Lord Mandelson for eight years until he sold it for more than double the original price.
His connection to the village also stemmed from childhood memories spent in the village.
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Epstein Files
Documents show that in Epstein's 50th birthday book from 2003, Mandelson described Epstein as his "best pal".
The revelations led to his sacking from position as UK ambassador to the United States in September 2025 and subsequently resigned from the Labour Party in February 2026, stating he did not want to "cause further embarrassment".
Fast forward to February 2026 new files released by the US Department of Justice apparently showed Lord Mandelson passing material to Epstein while serving as business secretary in Gordon Brown’s Labour administration as it dealt with the 2008 financial crash and its aftermath.
The Lord Speaker announced that Lord Mandelson is to step down from the upper chamber on Wednesday.
It came after the Prime Minister told his Cabinet that the alleged transmission of highly-sensitive government business to Epstein was “disgraceful” and Lord Mandelson had “let his country down”.
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