There was no immediate response from Mandelson\u2019s lawyers.<\/p>\n
\t Emails show Mandelson and Epstein closer than thought<\/p>\n Emails between Mandelson and Epstein, released by the US Department of Justice in late January, showed that the two men had a closer relationship than had been publicly known, and Mandelson had shared information with the financier when he was a minister in former Prime Minister Gordon Brown\u2019s government in 2009.<\/p>\n Mandelson, who this month resigned from Starmer\u2019s Labour Party and quit his position in parliament\u2019s upper chamber, has previously said he \u201cvery deeply\u201d regretted his association with Epstein. But he has not commented publicly or responded to messages seeking comment on the latest revelations.<\/p>\n Mandelson\u2019s homes in London and west England were searched by police earlier this month.<\/p>\n \u201cHe was arrested at an address in Camden on Monday, 23 February, and has been taken to a London police station for interview,\u201d the police statement said.<\/p>\n \u201cThis follows search warrants at two addresses in the Wiltshire and Camden areas.\u201d<\/p>\n \t Last week, King Charles\u2019 younger brother, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, was also arrested<\/a> on suspicion of misconduct in public office over separate allegations he sent confidential government documents to Epstein. He has always denied any wrongdoing.<\/p>\n A conviction for misconduct in a public office carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment, and must be handled in a Crown Court, which only deals with the most serious criminal offenses.<\/p>\n Mandelson\u2019s relationship with Epstein, who died in prison while awaiting trial in 2019 on sex trafficking charges, is at the center of a British political scandal that has forced the resignation of two senior government officials.<\/p>\n Starmer, who has faced calls\u00a0to step down\u00a0over Mandelson\u2019s appointment, faces further scrutiny after parliament ordered the release of documents relating to his vetting. A minister said on Monday that the first documents should be published in early March.<\/p>\n \t Mandelson\u2019s\u00a0turbulent and long career<\/p>\n Mandelson has had a\u00a0turbulent, decades\u2011long career\u00a0in British politics.<\/p>\n He came to prominence in the mid-to-late 1990s as one of the architects of former British prime minister Tony Blair\u2019s New Labour project.<\/p>\n But Mandelson was forced to resign twice from the cabinet, first, in 1998, for failing to disclose a home loan he had taken from a colleague, and second, in 2001, after allegations that he had tried to influence a passport application.<\/p>\n But he was reappointed as a minister in Brown\u2019s Labour government from 2008 to 2010 and eventually returned to public office when Starmer made him ambassador to the United States in late 2024.<\/p>\n His appointment as ambassador to the United States was initially seen as a shrewd move. He scored an early victory by ensuring Britain was the first country to agree to a deal with the United States to lower some of President Donald Trump\u2019s tariffs.<\/p>\n But he was fired a few months later when documents showed his close ties to Epstein.<\/p>\n Starmer has said that Mandelson lied about the extent of his ties to Epstein during the vetting process.<\/p>\n
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\n\t\tTwo persons leave the home of Peter Mandelson in North-West London, February 6, 2026, as British police are searching, as part of a probe into potential misconduct stemming from his ties to the late Jeffrey Epstein. (AP Photo\/ Thomas Krych)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/2026-02-19T191413Z_482375739_RC27PJAHOBES_RTRMADP_3_USA-EPSTEIN-BRITAIN-ANDREW-640x400.jpg\")
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\n\t\tAndrew Mountbatten-Windsor, younger brother of Britain\u2019s King Charles, formerly known as Prince Andrew, leaves Aylsham Police Station in a vehicle, on the day he was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office, in Aylsham, Britain, February 19, 2026. (REUTERS\/Phil Noble)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AP26033469931142-2-640x400.jpg\")
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\n\t\tBritish Prime Minister Keir Starmer, right, talks with Britain\u2019s then-ambassador to the United States Peter Mandelson, during a welcome reception at the ambassador\u2019s residence in Washington, on February 26, 2025. (Carl Court\/Pool Photo via AP)<\/p>\n
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