Lord Peter Mandelson has been released on bail after being arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office over his dealings with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The 72-year-old former Labour cabinet minister and ambassador to the United States was questioned by Metropolitan Police officers on Monday and returned home in a taxi at around 2am on Tuesday.
Scotland Yard is investigating allegations that Mandelson leaked sensitive information, including Downing Street emails and market-sensitive data, to Epstein during his time as business secretary. Mandelson has denied any wrongdoing. The probe was launched after the release of files linked to Epstein earlier this month.
The arrest comes days before a crucial by-election in Gorton and Denton, Greater Manchester, and has reignited criticism of Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s decision to appoint Mandelson as US ambassador in December 2024. Starmer has apologised to Epstein’s victims, saying Mandelson misled him about the extent of their friendship. The controversy earlier led to the departure of Starmer’s chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney.
Separately, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the Duke of York, has become the first modern royal to be taken into police custody over similar misconduct allegations. Emails suggest he shared confidential information with Epstein while working as a trade envoy. Thames Valley Police have continued searches of Royal Lodge and his Norfolk home.
Downing Street has agreed to release documents related to Mandelson’s vetting to parliament’s intelligence and security committee. The first tranche of tens of thousands of documents is expected in early March, but exchanges between Starmer and Mandelson about Epstein will be withheld until the police investigation concludes. The Crown Prosecution Service’s special crime division is involved in both cases.
