Former cabinet minister says stepping down is ‘in best interests of the party’ as questions raised over historic payments

LORD MANDLESON has resigned his membership of the Labour Party, saying he does not want to cause “further embarrassment” following renewed controversy over his past links to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The former cabinet minister and one-time UK ambassador to the United States confirmed his decision in a letter to Labour’s general secretary after fresh documents released by the US Department of Justice appeared to reference him in connection with Epstein’s finances.

The files suggest that three payments of $25,000 — totalling $75,000, about £55,000 at today’s exchange rates — were allegedly made to Peter Mandelson in 2003 and 2004.

Lord Mandelson said he had “no record or recollection” of the transactions and believes the allegations may be false, but intends to investigate the matter himself.

In his resignation letter, he wrote that he felt “regretful and sorry” to be linked again to what he described as the “understandable furore” surrounding Epstein.

He added that stepping down from party membership was the responsible course of action while he reviewed the claims.

“I do not wish to cause further embarrassment to the Labour Party,” he said. “I have dedicated my life to the values and success of the party and believe I am acting in its best interests.”

Ambassador role ended

Lord Mandelson had been appointed the UK’s ambassador to Washington by Prime Minister Keir Starmer in December 2024.

However, he was removed from the post last year after earlier revelations about his past friendship and contact with Epstein, including emails showing communication after the financier’s 2008 conviction.

The latest release of files has also included photographs said to show Lord Mandelson alongside an unidentified woman. He said he could not place the location or circumstances of the images.

There is no suggestion that appearing in the documents or photographs indicates criminal wrongdoing.

‘Deep regret’

Earlier this weekend, Lord Mandelson reiterated his regret for ever having known Epstein and apologised “unequivocally” to the women and girls who suffered abuse.

“I want to repeat my apology to the women and girls whose voices should have been heard long before now,” he said.

Epstein died in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges, but investigations into his network of associates continue to generate political fallout on both sides of the Atlantic.

Labour has not yet issued a detailed statement beyond confirming it had received Lord Mandelson’s resignation.

Hospital medic erased from register for second time after tribunal finds abuse of trust and repeated inappropriate behaviour

A DOCTOR who worked at Withybush Hospital has been struck off the medical register after a tribunal found he sexually harassed junior colleagues and abused his position of trust.

Dr Velmurugan Kuppuswamy was erased from the register by a panel convened by the General Medical Council following findings that he made inappropriate sexual comments, engaged in unwanted physical contact, and displayed what was described as a pattern of sexually motivated behaviour towards more junior members of staff.

The Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service heard the misconduct occurred over several weeks between August and September 2021 while he was working at the Haverfordwest hospital.

The panel concluded he made inappropriate remarks to female colleagues at a social event and touched staff without their consent. His conduct was described as repeated, targeted, and exploitative of the power imbalance between senior and junior medics.

Catherine Moxon, chairing the tribunal, said the behaviour represented a clear abuse of his professional position and a serious failure to maintain appropriate boundaries.

The tribunal found his actions undermined colleagues’ dignity and confidence and risked damaging public trust in the medical profession.

Although Dr Kuppuswamy denied the allegations and pointed to his clinical competence, the panel ruled the misconduct was serious, persistent, and not easily remediable. Erasure, it said, was necessary to protect the public and maintain confidence in doctors.

His name has now been removed from the medical register with immediate effect.

Troubled history

This is not the first time Dr Kuppuswamy’s fitness to practise has been called into question.

Tribunal records show he was previously struck off in 2012 after being found dishonest during an application and interview for a postgraduate cardiology training post at an NHS deanery in England.

The earlier hearing found he falsely claimed to have submitted a Doctor of Medicine thesis, said he was a member of the Royal College of Physicians, and stated he had passed a practical clinical skills assessment.

He initially admitted the deception before retracting parts of his account. The tribunal concluded he had maintained dishonest accounts and wrongly accused another witness of misleading evidence.

He was erased from the register and returned to India, where he later worked at a cardiac hospital.

Return and fresh concerns

In 2020, he successfully applied to be restored to the UK register despite opposition from the GMC, which raised concerns about the timing of his remorse and the lack of independent evidence about his overseas work. The regulator also noted he had not undertaken ethics training.

At the time, a tribunal accepted his assurances that he had changed, describing his evidence as “compelling, heartfelt and genuine,” and concluded that a well-informed member of the public would not be concerned about his return.

Shortly after being reinstated, he began working shifts at Withybush Hospital, part of Hywel Dda University Health Board.

Within months, the fresh allegations that have now led to his second erasure emerged.

The health board has not publicly commented on the outcome of the hearing.

Episode of the BBC’s The Truth About My Murder spotlights the Herald’s in-depth reporting, community devastation, and the chilling sequence of events in Judith Rhead’s killing

THE EDITOR and deputy editor of The Pembrokeshire Herald—Tom Sinclair and Jon Coles—are key contributors to a major BBC documentary revisiting one of Pembrokeshire’s most shocking crimes: the murder of 68-year-old Judith Rhead by her son Dale Morgan during the 2021 Covid lockdown.

Titled A Killing in Lockdown, the episode from the forensic pathology series The Truth About My Murder (featuring experts like Dr. Richard Shepherd) becomes available on BBC iPlayer from Tuesday, February 3, 2026, with a BBC One airing scheduled for Tuesday 24 February 2026 at 10:40pm.

The programme reconstructs the brutal attack on Judith in her Market Street flat, Pembroke Dock. Her body was discovered on February 20, 2021, after a neighbor’s concern prompted police to force entry amid an open window in winter. Post-mortem findings revealed around 14 hammer blows to the head and asphyxiation via a plastic bag tied over her head, with defensive injuries indicating a desperate struggle.

The Herald’s coverage and contributors’ insights

The episode examines how The Pembrokeshire Herald reported the unfolding story under lockdown restrictions, from early suspicious-death coverage to the murder probe, Morgan’s disappearance and eventual arrest, his guilty plea in August 2021, and life sentence (minimum 21 years, 6 months) in October 2021 at Swansea Crown Court.

Tom Sinclair and Jon Coles provide insider perspectives on the newspaper’s role. Sinclair details the chronological build-up—what led to the attack, the prolonged concealment, and discovery.

“It was one of those stories that stopped people in their tracks,” Sinclair says. “Everyone knew Judith—she was warm, loved music and singing, and was deeply involved in the community. Lockdown meant no casual visits or check-ins; that isolation let this go unnoticed far too long.”

Jon Coles complements this by highlighting the day-to-day challenges and community pulse—gathering neighbour accounts, navigating restricted access, and capturing the profound local shock when the son’s involvement emerged. Their combined input underscores how local journalism bridged gaps during the pandemic, helping residents process the betrayal while feeding into the national forensic narrative.

Community shock and broader lessons

Hundreds defied restrictions to line streets for Judith’s funeral, reflecting her esteem and collective grief over a matricide enabled by isolation. The episode also explores rarer forensic/psychological aspects of such killings and pandemic vulnerabilities for the elderly.

For local viewers, seeing both Herald leaders on screen highlights the value of regional media in truth-seeking during crises. Stream from February 3 on iPlayer to witness how their reporting contributed to this sobering revisit.