Peter Mandelson, the former Labour minister and US ambassador, has been arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office, marking a dramatic fall from grace after more than 40 years in politics. The arrest follows the release of the Epstein files, which revealed a closer relationship between Mandelson and the late financier than previously known.
Mandelson's career has been marked by repeated scandals. He was forced to resign from Tony Blair's cabinet twice: first in 1998 over an undeclared £373,000 loan from colleague Geoffrey Robinson, and again in 2001 over allegations he helped the Hinduja brothers with citizenship applications after they donated £1m to the Millennium Dome.
After serving as EU trade commissioner and later as business secretary under Gordon Brown, Mandelson left frontline politics in 2010. He founded the consultancy Global Counsel in 2011, whose clients have included the Qatari Free Zones Authority, Shein, and TikTok.
In December 2024, Mandelson was appointed US ambassador by Keir Starmer, but his reputation imploded after the Epstein files emerged. Gordon Brown later expressed deep regret over appointing Mandelson to his cabinet.
