Lord Peter Mandelson has been arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office
Lord Peter Mandelson has been arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office, the Metropolitan Police said. The Metropolitan Police said the 72-year-old was taken to a London police station for interview on Monday.
The former Labour minister has been accused of passing sensitive information onto paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein during his time as business secretary.
Two of his properties were previously searched by police in connection with the allegations, which surfaced following the US Department of Justice’s document dump related to Epstein last month.
Lord Peter Mandelson, a prominent figure in the British Labour Party, has seen his political career in turmoil after extensive revelations about his long-standing friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. He has been subject of a criminal investigation by the Metropolitan Police into allegations of misconduct in public office.
A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: “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. This follows search warrants at two addresses in the Wiltshire and Camden areas.”
Footage shown by broadcasters shows a plain clothed police officer leading Lord Mandelson out of a house. Lord Mandelson then gets into the left rear seat of a waiting unmarked Ford Focus police car.
Mandelson resigned from the Labour Party on 1 February 2026 and from the House of Lords on 3 February 2026. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has accused Mandelson of lying about the extent of his relationship with Epstein during the vetting process for his 2024 appointment as US Ambassador.
Mandelson allegedly gave Epstein advance notice of a €500bn EU bailout and discussed plans for a tax on bankers’ bonuses. As part of the so-called Epstein files, emails from 2009 also appear to show Lord Mandelson pass on an assessment by Gordon Brown’s adviser of potential policy measures including an “asset sales plan”. Mandelson has consistently denied criminal wrongdoing and maintained that he did not know the full truth about Epstein’s crimes until after Epstein’s death in 2019.
Misconduct in public office refers to “serious wilful abuse or neglect” of powers relating to the role in public office, according to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). There must be a direct link between the misconduct and an abuse of those powers or responsibilities without reasonable excuse or justification.
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