Former UK ambassador to the US, Peter Mandelson, was arrested on Monday on suspicion of misconduct in public office, the Metropolitan Police in London confirmed.
Mandelson, a seasoned Labour Party figure, faces allegations that he shared market-sensitive information with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein during his tenure as the UK’s business secretary.
A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police stated, “Officers have arrested a 72-year-old man on suspicion of misconduct in public office. He was arrested at an address in Camden on Monday, February 23, and has been taken to a London police station for interview.”
The police added that the arrest followed search warrants executed at two addresses in Wiltshire and Camden.
Mandelson has since been released on bail, a Metropolitan Police spokesperson confirmed early Tuesday.
The latest tranche of Epstein files, which prompted Mandelson’s resignation from the Labour Party earlier this month, also coincided with his stepping down from the House of Lords.
The former politician was previously dismissed from his ambassador role in September by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, after earlier Epstein files revealed a handwritten note in which Mandelson referred to the financier as “my best pal” on his 50th birthday.
The unfolding scandal surrounding Mandelson has put pressure on Starmer’s leadership, leading to resignations of key advisers and prompting calls from senior Labour figures for the Prime Minister to step down.
Questions have arisen about how much Starmer knew regarding Mandelson’s relationship with Epstein when appointing him as ambassador.
Mandelson has yet to comment publicly on these latest allegations, though he has apologized in the past for his association with Epstein.
Darren Jones, Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister, told the House of Commons that British MPs could expect the first tranche of documents related to Mandelson’s ambassadorial appointment “very shortly in early March,” although some correspondence with Downing Street may be delayed due to the “Metropolitan Police interest.”
Known in political circles as the “Prince of Darkness” for his Machiavellian approach, Mandelson rose to prominence as Labour’s director of communications in the 1980s.
He played a key role in shaping New Labour into a globalist, business-friendly party that achieved a landslide victory under Tony Blair in 1997.
‘Misconduct in public office’
Mandelson’s arrest follows that of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the younger brother of King Charles III, who was detained last week on his 66th birthday amid further revelations regarding his links to Epstein.
Mountbatten-Windsor became the first modern UK royal to be arrested, with police conducting an early morning raid at his Sandringham estate home on suspicion of misconduct in public office. He was released “under investigation” late Thursday, after spending ten hours at a Norfolk police station.
Although the police have not disclosed the exact basis for his arrest, earlier statements suggested they were investigating whether he shared confidential information with Epstein during his decade-long service as a UK trade envoy.
Experts note that the offense of misconduct in public office is notoriously hard to prosecute. Under English law, it involves “serious wilful abuse or neglect of the power or responsibilities of the public office held,” according to the Crown Prosecution Service.
Guidance specifies that the accused must be a public officer, and there must be a direct link between the misconduct and an abuse of official duties.
The act must be carried out “without reasonable excuse or justification” and must be willful, meaning the official deliberately acted “knowing it to be wrong or with reckless indifference.”
