Peter Mandelson released on bail after arrest on suspicion of misconduct in public office

peter mandelson was released on bail after his arrest on suspicion of misconduct in public office, a development tied to allegations he passed sensitive information to Jeffrey Epstein; the Metropolitan Police said he was released just after 2 a. m. ET on Tuesday.

Peter Mandelson arrested and released on bail

The former Labour minister was questioned by police after plainclothes officers escorted him from his north London home on Monday afternoon and he was driven away in an unmarked police car for questioning. He was later seen returning home in a taxi and letting himself back into his London home at about 2 a. m. on Tuesday before a Metropolitan Police statement said he had been released on bail pending further investigation.

Detectives led him to a waiting car without placing him in handcuffs. A police spokesperson said officers had arrested a 72-year-old man on suspicion of misconduct in public office; the statement in the provided context cuts off at "He was arrested at an addre" — unclear in the provided context.

Allegations and the Epstein files

Investigators are examining claims that peter mandelson passed sensitive information to the disgraced US financier Jeffrey Epstein. The Met has been investigating allegations that he leaked Downing Street emails and market-sensitive information while he was business secretary, and the accusations emerged following publication of the latest batch of so-called Epstein files.

Searches at multiple properties

Police carried out search warrants at two properties in Wiltshire and Camden in connection with the arrest. The Independent noted the arrest followed those searches; account also recorded searches and the subsequent questioning that led to the bail decision.

Starmer, the appointment and political fallout

The arrest arrives after Downing Street was compelled to release documents linked to Mandelson’s appointment as US ambassador in December 2024 to parliament’s intelligence and security committee. MPs were told the first tranche of tens of thousands of documents would be released in early March, but exchanges between Sir Keir Starmer and Mandelson on his connections to Epstein will not be included until the police investigation is completed.

The prime minister has apologised to Epstein’s victims for appointing Mandelson, saying the former Labour peer had lied about the extent of his relationship with the late sex offender and was sacked when that became known; the Independent said Lord Mandelson was sacked as US ambassador in September 2025. Sir Keir Starmer is due to chair Cabinet on Tuesday and is chairing a cabinet meeting on Tuesday after his former US ambassador’s arrest, with questions mounting from MPs and the departure of his chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, noted as part of the fallout.

Royal custody and related investigations

Mandelson’s arrest came days after Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor became the first royal family member to be taken into police custody in modern times. Emails appeared to show the former prince sharing confidential information with Epstein while working as a British trade envoy. Thames Valley Police said searches of Royal Lodge in Windsor had continued into a fifth day, and a search of his current home on the Sandringham estate in Norfolk concluded on Thursday.

Metropolitan Police officers investigating Mandelson have had informal discussions with lawyers from the special crime division of the Crown Prosecution Service, which authorises criminal prosecutions in England and Wales; no formal early investigative advice has been sought or offered. The CPS special crime division is also the part of the prosecution service that would consider a misconduct in public office case against Mountbatten-Windsor.

Family reaction and government statements

The family of Virginia Giuffre reacted to the arrest. Sky and Amanda Roberts, her brother and sister-in-law, said they "commend" British authorities for taking "meaningful action" and for treating the Epstein files with the "urgency they demand. "

Separately, on domestic policy, the government says it is not seeking to reduce the number of children with education, health and care plans as part of reforms to the special educational needs and disabilities system. Officials have estimated that one in eight children with an EHCP will move to an individual support plan when they are reassessed from the end of the decade, while the other seven will retain their EHCPs.

The next confirmed milestones are the release of the first tranche of documents to parliament’s intelligence and security committee in early March and the cabinet meeting Sir Keir Starmer is scheduled to chair on Tuesday.