Epstein’s Enduring Ties to the British Establishment

Bloomberg’s investigation painstakingly pieced together the relationships between child sex offender Jeffery Epstein and members of the British establishment. Reporters Harry Wilson, Jason Leopold, Jeff Kao, Ava Benny-Morrison, Surya Mattu, Max Abelson and Dhruv Mehrotra obtained more than 18,000 previously unseen emails from one of Epstein's accounts, building a picture of how Epstein operated and the people he associated with. 

That includes Peter Mandelson. Using a detailed timeline, the team revealed how Mandelson had helped support Epstein during the years he was under investigation, even after pleading guilty to soliciting sex from a minor. The revelations led Keir Starmer to fire Mandelson as Britain's ambassador to the US and raised questions, still ongoing, about what the PM had known about Mandelson's links to Epstein.

Bloomberg pursued open justice arguments at Upper Tribunal to win a ruling that emails held by a regulator should be disclosed. The resulting story showed that Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s links to Epstein had lasted far longer than he had declared previously, adding to the pressure that saw him stripped of his title. 

Another story lays out in detail how Epstein and former Barclays CEO Jes Staley enabled and shielded each other for decades, including an interview with Staley’s former boss.

Judges’ comments: “This investigation has reshaped public understanding of Epstein’s network, delivered major political consequences and set a new benchmark for accountability journalism.”