British entrepreneur and life peer, James Palumbo, Baron Palumbo of Southwark, who co-founded the Ministry of Sound nightclub in London in September 1991 with Humphrey Waterhouse and DJ Justin Berkmann. He became a life peer in 2013 and has been a significant Liberal Democrat donor. Palumbo appears in the Epstein files through his long-standing friendship with Peter Mandelson, the British Labour politician who was later arrested in February 2026 in a Metropolitan Police investigation into alleged misconduct in a public office relating to his extensive documented ties to Epstein.
Emails from January 2011 show that Mandelson associate Benjamin Wegg-Prosser sought Palumbo's advice while launching Global Counsel, Mandelson's lobbying firm. Palumbo reviewed the firm's founding strategy and offered comments. Wegg-Prosser forwarded the advice to Mandelson, who passed it to Epstein, who replied "good stuff." Palumbo's connection flows through his association with Mandelson; no direct relationship between Palumbo and Epstein has been established.