𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Peter Mandelson’s lobbying firm, Global Counsel, has entered administration in a further blow to the disgraced ambassador’s reputation amid further fallout from the Epstein scandal. Lord Mandelson founded the firm after leaving government in 2010, and quickly built up a roster of famous and wealthy corporate clients. 

Despite Lord Mandelson leaving the firm’s board in 2024 after being appointed British ambassador to Washington, Global Counsel’s leadership team pinned the blame on him for its collapse. Chairman Archie Norman and chief executive Rebecca Park told staff on Thursday that the “Peter Mandelson legacy” is responsible for their impending job losses. It came after a number of prominent clients cut their relationship with Global Counsel over the past weeks amid the bad publicity. 

These included the Premier League, Klarna, Phoenix Group, Barclays, KKR, GSK, and Tesco. Vodafone also put its contract “under review”. 

Lord Mandelson founded the firm with Benjamin Wegg-Prosser, who resigned as chief executive last week after the Epstein files showed he had also met the convicted paedophile while the financier was under house arrest. 

A Global Counsel figure told the Financial Times that the firm’s collapse did not reflect on the hard work of existing employees, adding: “There are a lot of well-regarded staff who have only been here for a year or two.”

Another senior figure at the company told The Times: “It is horrible that staff now risk losing their jobs through absolutely no fault of their own.”

Earlier this month, the company said that a divestment in the disgraced peer’s shares was being completed, in a move that brought “to an end any connection between Global Counsel and Peter Mandelson”.

It added: “This means he no longer has any shareholding, role, or association with Global Counsel, and exercises no influence over the company in any capacity.”

Ensure our latest politics headlines always appear at the top of your Google Search by making us a Preferred Source. Click here to activate or add us as a Preferred Source in your Google search settings.

Last week, ministers and civil servants were told: “Any engagement with Global Counsel is now viewed as sensitive, any engagement should now be treated as non-routine, and escalated.”

Police were seen raiding his two properties, in London and Wiltshire, earlier this month, adding that “enquiries are ongoing”. 

Lord Mandelson has not responded to comments, but previously expressed his regret for continuing to associate with Jeffrey Epstein after his first conviction for child sex abuse. 

He apologised “unequivocally to the women and the girls who suffered”.