MANCHESTER, England (CN) - Peter Mandelson, the former U.K. ambassador to the U.S. and a leading figure in the Labour Party for decades, was arrested Monday at his home in north London on suspicion of misconduct in public office.
Mandelson was led away by plainclothes police officers and put in the back of an unmarked car around 4:30 p.m. local time.
The Metropolitan Police confirmed the arrest in a statement. "Officers have arrested a 72-year-old man on suspicion of misconduct in public office," a spokesperson said. "This follows search warrants at two addresses in the Wiltshire and Camden areas."
The Met said it had launched an investigation on Feb. 3 into claims the former Labour minister passed market-sensitive government information to convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Police have not confirmed the specifics of the suspected offense.
Mandelson has previously denied any wrongdoing.
The charge mirrors that faced by the former prince and King Charles III's brother, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, who was arrested and questioned on Thursday, Feb. 19, relating to his time as the U.K.'s special trade envoy from 2001 to 2011.
The offense of misconduct in public office is a centuries-old common law charge in England. It centers on whether a public official, acting on behalf of the public, committed serious wrongdoing while knowing it was wrong.
King Charles III said in a statement that "the law must take its course" and described his "deepest concern" over the matter.
Mandelson in the Epstein files
Documents released by the U.S. Department of Justice appear to show Mandelson sending Epstein briefings on government responses during the financial crisis.
In 2009, when Mandelson was at the heart of government, emails suggest he gave Epstein advance notice on a 500-billion-euro ($590 billion) bailout by the EU and sent him internal U.K. government information on banking policy.
The documents also indicate Mandelson sought changes to a planned tax on bankers' bonuses after discussing the issue with Epstein. In one exchange, he told Epstein he was trying to amend the policy despite resistance from the U.K.'s finance ministry.
The correspondence suggests he encouraged further lobbying.
Epstein proposed that JPMorgan chief executive Jamie Dimon contact the U.K. government again, and Mandelson backed the idea, suggesting he "mildly threaten" the British chancellor.
A meteoric political fall
Mandelson began working for Labour in the 1980s and became a central architect of the New Labour movement that powered Tony Blair to a landslide election victory in 1997.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer appointed him as the U.K.'s ambassador to Washington in December 2024, despite knowledge of his friendship with Epstein.
Mandelson resigned in September 2025 after the release of further Epstein files in the U.S. revealed deeper ties than previously understood.
The resignation sparked a political crisis over Starmer's judgement in appointing him, raising questions about what the prime minister knew during the government's vetting process.
He also stepped down from the House of Lords, the unelected upper chamber of the British Parliament, after U.S. court documents raised further scrutiny of his relationship and dealings with Epstein.
Government files set for release
Lawmakers earlier in February voted to force the government to release documents related to Mandelson's appointment as ambassador and his time in Washington.
Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister Darren Jones told the House of Commons that officials have been reviewing the material and will release it in stages.
The government says any documents that could affect national security or the U.K.'s international relations will be referred to an independent parliamentary committee to consider redactions.
The first tranche of files related to Mandelson's appointment as the U.K.'s ambassador to the U.S. is due in early March.
Courthouse News reporter James Francis Whitehead is based in England.
Source: Courthouse News Service
