Peter Mandelson, the United Kingdom’s former ambassador to the United States, has resigned from the governing Labour Party following new reports regarding his historical ties to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

His departure follows his removal as the top representative in Washington last year, a move sparked by the initial emergence of emails detailing his associations with Epstein.

The resignation was triggered by newly released documents from the U.S. Department of Justice, which reportedly suggest that Mandelson and his partner received payments totaling $75,000 from Epstein between 2003 and 2004.

While Mandelson has stated he has no recollection of such payments and believes the reports to be false, he noted the need to investigate the claims further.

In addition to the financial allegations, the latest files reportedly contain a photograph of Mandelson in his underwear standing next to an unidentified woman.

Mandelson told the BBC he could not recall the location or the circumstances of the image. Further emails also suggest he may have discussed watering down bank taxes with Epstein while serving as business secretary in 2009.

Addressing his decision to leave the party, Mandelson expressed his desire to prevent the controversy from damaging the government.

He emphasized that he was stepping down to avoid causing further embarrassment to Prime Minister Keir Starmer and the Labour leadership as the public “furore” surrounding the Epstein files continues to grow.

In a formal letter reported by the BBC and The Guardian, Mandelson issued a statement of regret, saying, “I have been further linked this weekend to the understandable furore surrounding Jeffrey Epstein and I feel regretful and sorry about this.

“While doing this I do not wish to cause further embarrassment to the Labour Party and I am therefore stepping down from membership of the party.”

He concluded by reiterating his apology to the victims of Epstein’s crimes, noting that the voices of the women and girls involved should have been heard much sooner. Despite his resignation, Mandelson maintained that he has dedicated his life to the values of the Labour Party and believes his exit is in the organization’s best interest.