Peter Mandelson, the veteran Labour peer and former UK ambassador to the United States, was arrested at his north London home on Monday afternoon on suspicion of misconduct in public office.
Plain clothes Metropolitan Police officers were seen escorting the 72-year-old from his address in Camden at around 4:30pm, placing him in the back of an unmarked car before taking him to a London police station for interview. The Metropolitan Police confirmed a man of that age had been detained and said the arrest followed earlier search warrants carried out at two properties, one in Camden and one in Wiltshire.
The investigation centres on allegations that Mandelson passed market-sensitive government information to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein during the period he served as business secretary under former Prime Minister Gordon Brown. The Met formally launched its criminal inquiry on 3 February, after emails released by the United States Department of Justice raised questions about the nature of communications between the two men.
Mandelson has not made any public statement in recent weeks regarding the Epstein files. The BBC understands his position has consistently been that he did not act criminally and was not motivated by financial gain.
The arrest marks the latest chapter in a rapid fall from one of the most prominent positions in British public life. Prime Minister Keir Starmer appointed Mandelson as the UK’s ambassador to Washington in December 2024, a role he took up despite it being publicly known that he had a prior friendship with Epstein. He was removed from the ambassadorship last September after Downing Street said new information had come to light regarding the extent of that relationship. He subsequently stepped down from the House of Lords following the release of further Epstein-related documents in the United States, though parliamentary procedure means he retains his title.
Mandelson had been a central figure in British politics for decades prior to these developments, playing a significant role in the New Labour movement and in Sir Tony Blair’s 1997 general election landslide. His career in the Labour Party stretches back to the 1980s.
The Metropolitan Police has not confirmed the precise details of the alleged offence beyond the suspicion of misconduct in public office. The investigation remains ongoing.
