Former British ambassador to the United States Peter Mandelson has been arrested by London police on suspicion of misconduct in public office, after disclosures about his connections to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, Reuters reported.
Mandelson, 72, was removed from one of Britain’s most senior diplomatic posts in September as details about the extent of his relationship with Epstein began to emerge.
Police earlier this month began a criminal investigation into Mandelson after Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government passed on communications between the former ambassador and Epstein.
“Officers have arrested a 72-year-old man on suspicion of misconduct in public office,” London’s Metropolitan Police said in a statement relating to an investigation into a former government minister.
The arrest means police suspect a crime has been committed but does not imply any guilt.
There was no immediate response from Mandelson’s lawyers.
Emails showed Mandelson and Epstein closer than thought
Emails exchanged between Mandelson and Epstein, made public by the U.S. Department of Justice in late January, indicated that their relationship was closer than previously understood, Reuters reported.
The messages also showed that Mandelson shared information with the financier while serving as a minister in former Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s government in 2009.
Mandelson, who this month resigned from Starmer’s Labour Party and quit his position in parliament’s upper chamber, has previously said he “very deeply” regretted his association with Epstein. But he has not commented publicly or responded to messages seeking comment on the latest revelations.
Mandelson’s homes in London and west England were searched by police earlier this month.
“He was arrested at an address in Camden on Monday, 23 February and has been taken to a London police station for interview,” the police statement said.
“This follows search warrants at two addresses in the Wiltshire and Camden areas.”
Last week, King Charles’ younger brother Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was also arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office over separate allegations he sent confidential government documents to Epstein. He has always denied any wrongdoing.
Pressure grows on Starmer over vetting before appointment
A conviction for misconduct in public office carries a potential life sentence and must be tried in a Crown Court, which handles the most serious criminal cases.
Mandelson’s association with Epstein — who died in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges — has become the focal point of a political scandal in Britain that has already led to the resignation of two senior government officials.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer, facing criticism over Mandelson’s appointment, is under additional pressure after Parliament ordered the release of documents related to the vetting process. A government minister said Monday that the first batch of documents is expected to be made public in early March.
Mandelson had a decades-long career in UK politics
Mandelson has had a turbulent, decades‑long career in British politics.
He came to prominence in the mid-to-late 1990s as one of the architects of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair’s New Labour project.
But Mandelson was forced to resign twice from the cabinet, first in 1998 for failing to disclose a home loan he had taken from a colleague, and second in 2001 after allegations that he had tried to influence a passport application.
But he was reappointed as a minister in Brown’s Labour government from 2008 to 2010 and eventually returned to public office when Starmer made him ambassador to the United States in late 2024.
His appointment as ambassador to the United States was initially viewed as a strategic success. He secured an early win by making Britain the first country to reach an agreement with the U.S. to reduce some of Trump’s tariffs.
However, he was dismissed just months later after documents revealed the extent of his close relationship with Epstein. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has said Mandelson misrepresented the nature of those ties during the vetting process.
