Former UK ambassador to the United States Peter Mandelson was released on bail after being arrested as part of an investigation linked to alleged misconduct in public office connected to the Epstein files, police confirmed.
A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police was quoted by the Associated Press as saying, “A 72-year-old man arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office has been released on bail pending further investigation.”
The man was not named, in keeping with British police practice. But Mandelson was filmed being led from his London home to a car by plainclothes officers on Monday afternoon.
“He was arrested at an address in Camden on Monday, 23 February and was taken to a London police station for interview,” the official said.
“This follows search warrants at two addresses in the Wiltshire and Camden areas. We are not able to provide further information at this stage to prevent prejudicing the integrity of the investigation,” the statement added.
Who is Peter Mandelson?
Peter Mandelson was the UK Ambassador to the USA from February 10, 2025, to September 11, 2025.
He held a range of senior positions in government under Prime Minister Tony Blair and later Gordon Brown.
Mandelson served as the First Secretary of State and Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills from 2008 to 2010.
He was also the Secretary of State for Business and Trade (1998) and the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1999 to 2001).
Mandelson was later appointed to the House of Lords as a life peer in 2008, from which he took a period of indefinite leave.
Peter was European Commissioner for Trade from 2004 to 2008. He was a Member of Parliament for Hartlepool from 1992 to 2004.
He co-founded Global Counsel, a global public policy advisory firm.
From 1985 to 1990, Peter was the Labour Party’s Director of Campaigns and Communications.
Why was Peter Mandelson arrested?
Peter Mandelson, along with Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the former Prince Andrew, is suspected of improperly passing UK government information to the disgraced US financier Jeffrey Epstein.
According to the Associated Press, the files released in January contained more explosive revelations about Mandelson’s ties to Epstein, whom he once called “my best pal.”
What ‘sensitive’ information did Peter share?
As per the report, messages suggest that Mandelson passed on sensitive — and potentially market-moving — government information to Epstein in 2009, when Mandelson was a senior minister in the British government.
That includes an internal government report discussing ways the UK could raise money after the 2008 global financial crisis, including by selling off government assets.
Mandelson also appears to have told Epstein he would lobby other members of the government to reduce a tax on bankers’ bonuses.
Andrew’s arrest
Mandelson’s arrest came four days after Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested in a separate case on suspicion of a similar offense related to his friendship with Epstein. He was released after 11 hours in custody while the police investigation continues.
The high-profile British arrests were made following the most dramatic fallout from the trove of more than 3 million pages of Epstein-related documents released last month by the US Justice Department.
