Key facts
- Global Counsel, a lobbying firm co-founded by Peter Mandelson, has gone into administration.
- Leading clients cut ties with the company following details of Lord Mandelson's apparent links to Jeffrey Epstein.
- Administrators Interpath stated the client losses had a "monumental impact" on the business.
- The firm employed approximately 120 people in the UK.
- Global Counsel advised clients including Shell, TikTok, and Barclays.
- Lord Mandelson resigned from the board in 2024 but remained a shareholder until earlier this month.
Global Counsel, the lobbying firm co-founded by Peter Mandelson, has entered administration, with administrators citing the "monumental impact" of client departures following revelations about Lord Mandelson's alleged links to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Administrators Interpath stated on Friday that the rapid and sudden loss of clients left the company's directors with "no option" but to appoint them. The firm employed around 120 people in the UK, and a senior source described the collapse as a "total nightmare and unfair," risking significant job losses.
Global Counsel, which has offices in Berlin, Brussels, Singapore, Washington DC, and Doha, previously advised high-profile clients such as Shell, TikTok, and Barclays. Lord Mandelson resigned from the company's board in 2024 but remained a shareholder until earlier this month. His co-founder, Benjamin Wegg-Prosser, stepped down as chief executive on February 6.
Nick Stockley, a partner at law firm Mayo Wynne Baxter, commented that any new business connected with Global Counsel would find it "very difficult to shake off the Mandelson stigma." He suggested the main asset for sale would be the customer book, which has already significantly diminished, and that the administrator's role would likely be to manage a full shutdown of the business. Creditors, including suppliers, landlords, and sub-contract consultants, are unlikely to be paid in full, and staff are expected to be made redundant.