Kensington Council Investigating Peter Mandelson For Urinating In The Street
Lord Peter Mandelson was sacked as US ambassador in September (Alamy)
2 min read
Exclusive: Kensington and Chelsea Council is investigating whether Lord Peter Mandelson committed an offence when he publicly urinated in the street last week.
Mandelson, the former UK ambassador to the US, who served in the cabinets of former Labour prime ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, was photographed relieving himself against a garden wall in Notting Hill shortly before 11pm on Wednesday night, having just left the home of former Conservative chancellor George Osborne.
Kensington and Chelsea London Borough Council is currently looking into whether an offence took place.
While public urination is not a specific criminal offence by name, there are laws under which people can be prosecuted for it. Some local councils also have bylaws banning public urination specifically, which can be punishable by a Fixed Penalty Notice.
Mandelson was sacked as the UK ambassador in Washington in September over leaked emails from 2008 in which he expressed his support for convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and urged him to “fight for early release”. Last Wednesday, further emails were published which showed Mandelson was in contact with the paedophile financier as late as 2016 – eight years after Epstein pled guilty to child sex offences.
Conservative councillor Johnny Thalassites, who is the lead member for environment and planning on Kensington and Chelsea Council, told PoliticsHome: "We are aware of images appearing to show a prominent politician caught short on one of our streets and are investigating whether an offence has been committed.
"While we appreciate that nature can call at the most inconvenient moments, we are proud of our borough's clean streets and amazing spaces, and it is unacceptable for anyone to treat them as a urinal."
PoliticsHome has contacted Mandelson for comment.
Responding to the initial Mail report that he relieved himself against a garden wall, Mandelson said: "I can only offer my profuse apologies.
"I was stood up by two Uber drivers and kept waiting in the street for half an hour and was bursting. There is no disguising my embarrassment."
