The Government would have known about the emails sent by Lord Mandelson to Jeffrey Epstein after the financier was convicted of child prostitution, a minister has suggested.
Leaked emails published on Wednesday revealed that the US ambassador consoled and counselled Epstein and urged him to fight for early release.
Mike Tapp, the Home Office minister, said that the vetting process ahead of Lord Mandelson’s appointment would have uncovered “all the information” about their relationship.
He told BBC Breakfast: “The Prime Minister said yesterday in the house that due process was followed in that appointment - my understanding is that means all the information was present.
“I’ve gone through vetting myself. That means that you don’t hide from your mistakes and you have to make them aware of that.
