DISGRACED New Labour grandee Peter Mandelson has made a second attempt to apologise for his association with the late paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.

Lord Mandelson, who was forced to resign as Britain’s ambassador to Washington after the duration and extent of his links to Epstein were revealed last year, came under fire for refusing to personally apologise in a BBC interview at the weekend.

Clearly endeavouring to rescue his sullied reputation, the peer has now issued a further statement “unequivocally” apologising.

He said: “At the weekend, I gave an interview to the BBC. In answering questions about my association with Jeffrey Epstein I did not want to be held responsible for his crimes of which I was ignorant, not indifferent, because of the lies he told me and so many others.

“I want to say loudly and clearly that I was wrong to believe him following his conviction and to continue my association with him afterwards. I apologise unequivocally for doing so to the women and girls who suffered.

“I was never culpable or complicit in his crimes. Like everyone else, I learned the full truth about him after his death.

“But his victims did know what he was doing, their voices were not heard and I am truly sorry I was among those who believed him over them.”

The Scottish National Party has renewed calls for Lord Mandelson to be stripped of his peerage by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.

Most Labour MPs simply wish that he would finally vanish from the public eye, but that is something he appears to find too challenging.