The UK’s former ambassador to the US Peter Mandelson has been arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office following allegations that surfaced from a series of documents linked to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
On Monday, London police arrested the former UK Labour minister, a prominent figure in British politics with a reputation as a fierce political schemer and “Trump whisperer.”
In a statement released on Monday, the Metropolitan Police said that officers had arrested a 72-year-old man on suspicion of misconduct in public office.
“He was arrested at an address in Camden on Monday, 23 February and has been taken to a London police station for interview,” the Metropolitan Police said in a statement.
“This follows search warrants at two addresses in the Wiltshire and Camden areas. We are not able to provide further information at this stage to prevent prejudicing the integrity of the investigation.”
Peter Mandelson is facing questions over allegations that, while serving as a government minister, he passed sensitive political and market information to Jeffrey Epstein, including during the 2008 financial crisis.
Earlier this month, Scotland Yard raided Mandelson’s homes in London and in the western English county of Wiltshire as part of the investigation into claims of misconduct in a public office.
Before his short stint as the UK’s envoy to Washington, Mandelson served in senior government posts in both the Blair and Brown administrations. During his time working under Blair, Mandelson was forced to resign twice — once over allegations he helped an Indian billionaire obtain a British passport; another time, after it was revealed he had borrowed money from a fellow cabinet minister to purchase a house.
In 2004, he was appointed as European Union trade commissioner. In 2010, he co-founded a policy consultancy, Global Counsel, whose former clients include the Chinese fast-fashion brand Shein, Barclays, Tesco, English football’s Premier League, Qatari Free Zones Authority and social media platform TikTok.
Last month, the release of new Epstein files revealed ties between European figures and Epstein, including emails that appear to show Mandelson leaking sensitive documents to the late sex offender, prompting Mandelson to step down as a member of the House of Lords.
Days later, Prime Minister Keir Starmer apologised to the victims of Epstein for his decision to appoint Mandelson as US ambassador in December 2024.
“I am sorry,” Starmer said, admitting that Epstein victims “have seen accountability delayed and too often denied to them”.
“Sorry for what was done to you, sorry that so many people with power failed you, sorry for having believed Mandelson’s lies and appointed him.”
Last September, Prime Minister Keir Starmer stripped Mandelson of his role as US ambassador after freshly released documents linked to Epstein revealed the extent of their friendship.
His arrest this week comes just days after Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, King Charles III’s younger brother — was detained and released under investigation in a separate inquiry into misconduct in public office — also related to the latest Epstein documents.
Earlier this month, Mandelson’s lawyers said that he “regrets, and will regret until his dying day, that he believed Epstein’s lies about his criminality”.
“Lord Mandelson did not discover the truth about Epstein until after his death in 2019,” Law firm Mishcon de Reya, said in a statement.
“He is profoundly sorry that powerless and vulnerable women and girls were not given the protection they deserved.”
On Monday, Chief Secretary to the PM Darren Jones said the government “intends to publish documents in tranches instead of one publication” and that the first set of documents relating to Mandelson’s appointment would be published early next month. The documents will include tens of thousands of emails, messages and files on Mandelson’s vetting process.