LORD Peter Mandelson grins as Jeffrey Epstein blows out the candles on a birthday cake in a photo taken months after the paedophile was charged in an underage sex probe.
The never-before-seen photograph shows Tony Blair’s former spin doctor at a party for the monster in his Paris lair.
Mandelson was European Commissioner for Trade on a taxpayer-funded salary of more than £200,000 while his companion in the pic had been publicly accused of sex acts with minors a year earlier.
Ex-Cabinet minister Mandelson had been introduced to Epstein by Ghislaine Maxwell — just as she had introduced Prince Andrew to the billionaire US financier.
Maxwell was last month found guilty of procuring young girls for Epstein to abuse.
Prince Andrew and the “Prince of Darkness” — as Mandelson was known — also went on to enjoy a friendship, with the MP even lobbying for the duke to get a plum British trade posting.
The picture of Labour’s former Director of Communications with Epstein was taken after Epstein had been formally charged with soliciting a woman for prostitution in August 2006.
A US grand jury had refused to indict the ex-Wall Street trader on charges of sexual contact with minors — despite the police investigation uncovering evidence that he had abused underage girls.
Epstein eventually pleaded guilty to procuring a child for prostitution in 2008 — after our photograph with Mandelson was taken.
But news articles published before the photo detailed how the late tycoon allegedly had massages from girls as young as 14 and engaged in sex acts with minors.
A source told The Sun on Sunday last night: “This demonstrates how astonishingly close Peter Mandelson was to Jeffrey Epstein, even as his crimes were being exposed.
“Peter undoubtedly has questions to answer over this.
Lord Peter Mandelson parties with Jeffrey Epstein in photo taken after paedophile had been charged in underage sex probe
Lord Peter Mandelson parties with Jeffrey Epstein in photo taken after paedophile had been charged in underage sex probe
Ericson Report 