Peter Mandelson, the former British ambassador to the United States, was arrested Monday on suspicion of misconduct in public office, the second high-level arrest in the United Kingdom amid the fallout from the Epstein files.
Mandelson was seen by journalists being escorted out of his home in London by Metropolitan Police, which serves the greater London area. Mandelson — described by police per U.K. law not by name but by his age, 72 — was taken to a London police station to be interviewed.
“We are not able to provide further information at this stage to prevent prejudicing the integrity of the investigation,” police said in a statement announcing the arrest.
The news comes days after Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the disgraced brother of King Charles III, also was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office. Andrew was released as that investigation continues. Neither man has been charged, and neither investigation relates to the late Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking of women and girls.
The Epstein files released by the Justice Department since December revealed that Mandelson and Mountbatten-Windsor had closer and longer associations with Epstein than either had previously acknowledged.
The release of the files has also engulfed Parliament in controversy. Several officials have resigned from British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Cabinet amid revelations over the depth of Mandelson’s relationship to Epstein.
Starmer appointed Mandelson in 2024, but fired him less than a year later amid allegations that he maintained a friendship with Epstein after he was convicted of sex offenses involving a minor in 2008. Documents released last month contained further details about the relationship Mandelson and Epstein shared.
The documents also suggest that Mandelson may have leaked sensitive government information to Epstein while serving as business secretary under former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown in 2009.
Emails included in the Epstein files show Mandelson informed Epstein of major news, like the €500 billion bailout to save the euro, before being announced. Epstein also wrote to Mandelson to lobby the government in relation to tax benefits.
In other emails, Mandelson tells Epstein, “You are one of my best friends,” and asks, “Where r u? I miss you.”
Mandelson resigned earlier this month from Parliament, citing the Epstein controversy: “I want to say loudly and clearly that I was wrong to believe him following his conviction and to continue my association with him afterwards. I apologize unequivocally for doing so to the women and girls who suffered.”
In his apology, Mandelson maintained his innocence.
Erum Salam is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW, with a focus on how global events and foreign policy shape U.S. politics. She previously was a breaking news reporter for The Guardian.
Ian Sherwood is the director of international newsgathering for MS NOW, a former executive editor for NBC News and a former deputy Washington bureau chief for the BBC.