What did Peter Mandelson say exactly as he swears at reporter when asked about ties with Jeffrey Epstein

Mandelson, who is preparing to take up his diplomatic post in Washington, was questioned about his past connections with the billionaire paedophile but dismissed the topic with a strong response.

“I regret ever meeting him or being introduced to him by his partner Ghislaine Maxwell,” Mandelson said. “I regret even more the hurt he caused to many young women.”

When pressed further, he abruptly shut down the conversation, adding: “I’m not going to go into this. It’s an FT obsession and frankly, you can all f*** off. OK?”

Mandelson’s association with Epstein has come under scrutiny, particularly after a 2019 JP Morgan internal report - submitted to a New York court -highlighted that Epstein maintained “a particularly close relationship” with Prince Andrew and Lord Peter Mandelson. He was also once pictured with Epstein.

Epstein died by suicide in August 2019 while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges.

Mandelson however defended his suitability for the ambassadorial role, insisting he was “capable of being diplomatic”. He also claimed that former US president George W Bush once praised him as “silvertongue”.

Mandelson also brushed off criticism from a Donald Trump adviser who allegedly called him “an absolute moron”, saying some in Trump's circle view him as a “left-wing progressive” or “anti-business”. However, he insisted he is “not an uber-liberal”, “not a wokey-cokey sort of person”, and remains “pro-market and pro-business.”