Former British ambassador to the United States Peter Mandelson was arrested by London police on Monday, Feb 23, on suspicion of misconduct in public office, after new disclosures about his relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Mandelson, 72, had already been dismissed from his high-profile diplomatic post in September when details about the depth of his ties to Epstein began to emerge. Earlier this month, authorities launched a criminal investigation after the government of Prime Minister Keir Starmer shared communications between Mandelson and Epstein.

London’s Metropolitan Police confirmed that a 72-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office in connection with an investigation into a former government minister. He was later released on bail pending further inquiries. Mandelson was seen leaving his central London residence with plainclothes officers before being taken to a police station for questioning. Police emphasized that an arrest does not indicate guilt. There was no immediate comment from Mandelson’s legal team.

Emails released in late January by the US Department of Justice suggested that Mandelson’s relationship with Epstein was closer than previously known. The correspondence indicated that Mandelson shared information with Epstein in 2009 while serving in the government of former Prime Minister Gordon Brown. Mandelson recently resigned from Starmer’s Labour Party and stepped down from the House of Lords. Although he has said he “deeply” regretted his association with Epstein, he has not publicly addressed the latest developments.

Police also searched Mandelson’s properties in Camden and Wiltshire earlier this month under court-approved warrants. Prince Andrew, the younger brother of King Charles III, was arrested last week on unrelated allegations of misconduct in public office involving claims that he shared confidential government documents with Epstein. He has denied wrongdoing.

A conviction for misconduct in public office can result in a life sentence and is handled in the Crown Court, which deals with the most serious criminal cases. The controversy surrounding Mandelson’s ties to Epstein, who died in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges, has intensified political pressure on Starmer. Parliament has ordered the release of documents related to Mandelson’s vetting process, with initial papers expected in early March.

Mandelson has had a long and controversial political career. He rose to prominence in the 1990s as a key figure behind former Prime Minister Tony Blair’s New Labour project. However, he resigned from the cabinet twice — once in 1998 over an undisclosed home loan and again in 2001 over allegations of influencing a passport application. He returned to government under Brown between 2008 and 2010 and was appointed ambassador to the United States in late 2024 by Starmer. Initially praised for helping secure a trade agreement with the United States to ease some tariffs introduced by President Donald Trump, Mandelson was later dismissed after documents revealed the extent of his association with Epstein. Starmer has stated that Mandelson misled officials about the depth of his relationship with Epstein during the vetting process.

Disclaimer: This image is taken from Reuters.