Global Counsel founded by Lord Mandelson is being placed in administration
130 staff members will be affected by the shutdown
Client exodus followed Mandelson's association with Jeffrey Epstein
New leadership team including Archie Norman made the decision to close
📖 Full Retelling
Global Counsel, the advisory firm founded by Lord Peter Mandelson, is on the verge of being placed in administration in the UK on Thursday, 19 February 2026, after a mass exodus of clients following Mandelson's association with the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. The firm, which employs around 130 staff, severed its connection to the former government minister and ambassador to the US earlier this month after Mandelson was expelled from the Labour Party over his links to Epstein. A new leadership team, appointed after GC's chief executive departed on 6 February and including Archie Norman (chair of M&S), made the decision to shut down operations following several major clients, including US investment firm KKR, pulling their business from the company. According to an employee who spoke to Sky News, staff were informed around 1pm during a company-wide meeting that administrators would be taking over the company the following day, with the office lease expected to be terminated in the coming days. The employee noted that while many had suspected trouble was coming due to client departures, the extent of the shutdown was unexpected, with many staff having never even met Mandelson, who had not been involved in commercial activities for some time.
🏷️ Themes
Corporate fallout, Political scandal, Business ethics
Efforts to affect public policy through direct government contact
Government relations (also known as government affairs or legislative affairs), is a form of advocacy that legally attempts to influence and/or understand policy decisions made by legislators, members of regulatory agencies in the executive branch, or in some cases judges. Lobbying, a major and most...
British politician, lobbyist and diplomat (born 1953)
Peter Benjamin Mandelson, Baron Mandelson (born 21 October 1953) is a British former Labour Party politician, lobbyist and diplomat. He was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Hartlepool from 1992 to 2004. He served in Tony Blair and Gordon Brown's cabinets as Minister without portfolio, Secretary of ...
American financier and child sex offender (1953–2019)
# Jeffrey Edward Epstein
**Jeffrey Edward Epstein** (January 20, 1953 – August 10, 2019) was an American financier and convicted sex offender. He is notorious for orchestrating a massive human trafficking ring, procuring at least 1,000 underage girls and young women for sexual exploitation by himse...
Peter Mandelson-founded lobbying firm Global Counsel on brink of closure An employee of Global Counsel tells Sky News how staff were told about the decision to effectively shut the company down. Thursday 19 February 2026 15:54, UK Why you can trust Sky News The advisory firm founded by Lord Mandelson is on the verge of being placed in administration, a member of staff has told Sky News. Global Counsel , which severed its connection to the former government minister and ambassador to the US earlier this month amid his association with the late paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein , employs around 130 staff. It is understood that a new leadership team, appointed after GC's chief executive departed on 6 February and including the chair of M&S Archie Norman, took the decision to call it a day amid an exodus of clients. Mark Kleinman blog: See the latest from Sky's City editor Sky News reported a week ago that KKR, the US investment firm, had become the latest global name to pull its business from the company in the wake of Peter Mandelson 's sacking in Washington and decision to expel him from the Labour Party over his links to Epstein. The GC employee told Sky News: "Officially, we were told around 1pm today at a company all hands meeting, but I think everyone knew the writing was on the wall as many of the tech and financial big name clients had left. 1:59 Share Will Mandelson testify in Epstein probe? "So I think naturally people's conclusion was 'who was paying us?'. But I don't think anyone realised the extent of the damage. I think a lot of people thought the junior staff would be cut, but it wasn't apparent until today that everything was going to be shut down. More from Money Mark Kleinman blog | See the latest stories from Sky News' City editor Norwegian green steel group in running to buy major UK producer Retail warns of high price for workers from government costs ahead "In the meeting they said tomorrow the administrators would be coming and the office leas...
