Lord Peter Mandelson has refused to apologise to Jeffrey Epstein's victims for remaining friends with the notorious paedophile after his conviction for sex crimes.

The Labour peer, who was sacked as the UK's ambassador to the US last year over his ties to Epstein, distanced himself from the depravity of the 'evil monster'.

In his first TV interview since being fired from his diplomatic role, Lord Mandelson blamed 'misplaced loyalty' for continuing his association with the financier.

He said he 'never saw anything' that would lead him to suspect Epstein was 'preying on these young women'.

The former Cabinet minister suggested because he was a gay man in Epstein's circle, he was 'kept separate from what he was doing in the sexual side of his life'.

Appearing on the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg show, Lord Mandelson was  asked if he wanted to apologise to Epstein's victims for staying in touch with the paedophile even after his original conviction.

'I want to apologise to those women for a system that refused to hear their voices and did not give them the protection they were entitled to expect,' he replied.

'That system gave him protection and not them. If I had known, if I was in any way complicit or culpable, of course I would apologise for it.'

Lord Peter Mandelson has refused to apologise to Jeffrey Epstein's victims for remaining friends with the notorious paedophile after his conviction for sex crimes

In his first TV interview since being fired as US ambassador, Lord Mandelson blamed 'misplaced loyalty' for continuing his association with the financier

Lord Mandelson added: 'But I was not culpable, I was not knowledgeable of what he was doing.

'And I regret and will regret to my dying day the fact that powerless women, women who were denied a voice, were not given the protection they were entitled to expect from the American system.'

Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 to soliciting prostitution and soliciting a minor.

Emails published in September last year showed Lord Mandelson sent supportive messages to Epstein as he faced jail for sex crimes.

Sir Keir Starmer, who handpicked Lord Mandelson as US ambassador before going on to sack him, said the emails showed 'the depth and extent' his relationship with Epstein was 'materially different from that known at the time of his appointment'.

The Prime Minister had defended Lord Mandelson until the emergence of the emails.

In the BBC inteview, Lord Mandelson said the 'awful toe-curling messages and emails' he sent were 'very embarrassing and just make me distraught.