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 stemming from the Epstein files.
Mandelson was seen being escorted out of his home in London by Metropolitan Police, which serves the greater London area. Mandelson, described as a 72-year-old man, was taken to a London police station to be interviewed, according to police.
“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 a week after Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the disgraced brother of King Charles III, was arrested on the same charge. Neither has been accused of wrongdoing related to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking of women and girls.
The Epstein files released by the Justice Department revealed that Mandelson and Mountbatten-Windsor had closer and longer associations with Epstein than either 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.
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Erum Salam is 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 and is a graduate of Texas A&M University and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. Follow her on X, Bluesky and Instagram.
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.
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