The Governor of the Bank of England has said he was “shocked” by revelations that Lord Mandelson leaked sensitive government information to Jeffrey Epstein during the 2008 financial crisis, saying it was right that the matter is now being investigated by the police.
Andrew Bailey made the comments as he paid tribute to the late former chancellor Alistair Darling, drawing a sharp contrast between Darling’s conduct during the crisis and the alleged actions of the former business secretary.
Asked whether sufficient safeguards exist to prevent those in positions of power from misusing market-sensitive information, Bailey said there was a “very clear” legal framework for dealing with potential breaches and that it was appropriate for the Mandelson allegations to be handled by law enforcement.
He also stressed that the focus should remain on Epstein’s victims, asking: “How is it that we live in a society that this happened and was allowed to happen?”
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