UK police arrest ex-envoy Peter Mandelson in Epstein case

Published
0
Peter Mandelson, who was at the time British Ambassador to the United States, walks on the day British Prime Minister Keir Starmer held an emergency Cobra meeting, in London, Britain, June 18, 2025. — Reuters
Peter Mandelson, who was at the time British Ambassador to the United States, walks on the day British Prime Minister Keir Starmer held an emergency Cobra meeting, in London, Britain, June 18, 2025. — Reuters

London police on Monday arrested Britain’s former ambassador to the United States, Peter Mandelson, amid allegations over his ties to disgraced US financier Jeffrey Epstein.

“Officers have arrested a 72-year-old man on suspicion of misconduct in public office,” the Metropolitan Police said in a statement.

Images on UK television appeared to show Mandelson being driven away from his north London home accompanied by a man and a woman, after police raided his properties 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 Met added.

The arrest comes days after ex-prince Andrew, King Charles III’s younger brother, was arrested in a misconduct in public office probe also related to the latest release of documents related to Epstein.

Mandelson, a pivotal figure in British politics, is being probed over allegations that he sent sensitive documents to the late US sex offender Epstein when he was a government minister, including during the 2008 financial crash.

The ex-politician was sacked by Prime Minister Keir Starmer as envoy to Washington last year when an earlier release of documents linked to Epstein showed the extent of their friendship.

The latest Epstein files released by the United States on January 30 have resulted in the high-profile UK investigations.

Starmer has apologised to Epstein’s victims and accused Mandelson of lying about the extent of his ties to the financier during the vetting process for his appointment to Washington.

But Mandelson’s appointment has unleashed a political storm with two of Starmer’s top aides resigning over the row.

The government is to release tens of thousands of emails, messages and documents on Mandelson’s vetting procedure, which could ramp up the pressure on the prime minister and other senior ministers.

Mandelson, also a former European Union trade commissioner, stood down from parliament’s unelected upper chamber, the House of Lords, earlier this month.

Officers from the Met’s specialist crime team were also deployed earlier this month to search two of his addresses, one in the western English county of Wiltshire and the other in London, according to the police.

Opinion

Editorial

Fixing bond markets
Updated 01 Oct, 2026

Fixing bond markets

Pension funds, insurance companies, mutual funds, retail investors, and eventually, foreign investors must become bigger participants in the market.
Call centre rackets
01 Oct, 2026

Call centre rackets

A NUMBER of recent raids conducted by the authorities in different cities point to the growing threat fraudulent ...
Homeward bound
01 Oct, 2026

Homeward bound

FIVE months after Somali pirates captured an oil tanker carrying a 19-member multinational crew, Somali maritime...
Kashmir unresolved
Updated 30 Sep, 2026

Kashmir unresolved

The just solution lies in India addressing the issue through a trilateral dialogue involving the legitimate representatives of the Kashmiri people and Pakistan.
Water shortage
30 Sep, 2026

Water shortage

THAT the country is entering the Rabi season with an anticipated water shortage of nearly 25pc, the lowest carryover...
Young hearts
30 Sep, 2026

Young hearts

THE observance may have passed, but the message of World Heart Day should not fade with it. The occasion is a useful...