Lord Mandelson to be stripped of Freedom of Hartlepool

Lord Mandelson will be stripped of the Freedom of Hartlepool – where he was a Labour MP – following disclosures about his close relationship with paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.

Councillors voted unanimously on Thursday evening to remove the honour from Lord Mandelson, who was sacked as UK ambassador to the US last month.

The motion to remove the title stated: “The Honorary Freedom of the Borough of Hartlepool is the highest civic honour the council can bestow.

“It is granted only to individuals who have rendered eminent services and whose conduct reflects the values and integrity of the borough.

“Recent disclosures have confirmed a longstanding and close relationship between Lord Peter Mandelson and Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted paedophile, which continued after Epstein’s conviction and until his death in 2019.

“Such an association is fundamentally incompatible with the values and dignity of this honour.”

The motion stated that failing to remove the freedom would risk damaging the town’s reputation.

Lord Mandelson helped New Labour to power while he was Hartlepool’s MP from 1992 to 2004.

He was sacked from his ambassadorial role after emails emerged in which he told Epstein to “fight for early release” shortly before he was sentenced to 18 months in prison.

He is also reported to have told Epstein “I think the world of you” the day before the sex offender began his sentence for soliciting prostitution from a minor in June 2008.

Lord Mandelson has previously said he continued his association with Epstein “for too long”.