Police searched two homes linked to Peter Mandelson on Friday after the peer was alleged to have leaked government information to Jeffrey Epstein. The Metropolitan Police said officers from its central specialist crime team carried out two warrants in Camden, north London, and Wiltshire in connection with an ongoing investigation into misconduct in public office offences. The force said the alleged offences involved a 72-year-old man and confirmed that he had not been arrested.
It comes after emails released last week by the US Department of Justice suggested that Lord Mandelson leaked confidential government documents to the US financier and convicted sex offender. Emails from 2009 appear to show Lord Mandelson pass on an assessment by Gordon Brown's adviser of potential policy measures, including an "asset sales plan". He also appeared to discuss a tax on bankers' bonuses and confirm an imminent bailout package for the euro the day before it was announced in 2010.
The revelations triggered a police investigation and piled pressure on Sir Keir Starmer to release all vetting documents related to the peer’s appointment as the UK’s ambassador to the US. On Friday it was revealed that senior government figures will be forced to hand over their messages with Lord Mandelson ahead of the release of vetting files, which the independent Intelligence and National Security Committee (ISC) said would be published “very shortly”.
Sir Keir’s leadership has been thrown into turmoil following the release of the emails as he was forced to admit he knew Lord Mandelson had a relationship with Epstein. He told Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday that Lord Mandelson had “betrayed our country, our parliament and my party”. But the scandal has left him under relentless pressure from across the political spectrum, with Harriet Harman warning he must take action or risk losing his job.
Lord Mandelson was dealt another blow on Friday as the lobbying firm he co-founded, Global Counsel, said it had cut all ties with the disgraced former US ambassador and announced that its head Benjamin Wegg-Prosser would step down. Co-founder and chief executive Mr Wegg-Prosser said he was leaving the organisation as it was “time to draw a line” between the firm and the “actions” of Lord Mandelson.
