Metropolitan Police arrest 72-year-old Peter Mandelson amid DOJ files

The Metropolitan Police arrested Peter Mandelson, the 72-year-old former British ambassador to the United States and ex-government minister, on suspicion of misconduct in public office and took him to a police station for interview, the force said. "Officers have arrested a 72-year-old man on suspicion of misconduct in public office," the Metropolitan Police statement said. The arrest, reported Monday, follows a criminal inquiry opened earlier this month after communications linked to Jeffrey Epstein were passed to police by the government, Reuters reported.

The action comes after a recent release of files by the U.S. Department of Justice that contained emails and other materials connecting Mandelson to Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted sex offender whose network has drawn sustained scrutiny. Reporting in the Financial Times, cited by other outlets, alleged that the DOJ documents indicated Mandelson maintained a supportive relationship with Epstein after Epstein's incarceration and that he may have handed over U.K. government information while serving in official roles. Those claims remain allegations reported by news organizations and investigators.

London police have searched two properties connected to Mandelson in Wiltshire and the Camden borough of London as part of the probe, the New York Times and other outlets reported. The Metropolitan Police did not name the arrested individual in its statement, consistent with British practice of not identifying suspects before charges are brought, but news organizations identified Mandelson as the person taken into custody. It was not immediately clear whether charges had been filed following the interview.

Mandelson was removed from his ambassadorial post in September after revelations about the depth of his relationship with Epstein became public, Reuters and the New York Times said. He also resigned from the Labour Party on the day it was revealed police were examining whether he had shared sensitive government information. Mandelson has previously said that the documents released by the Department of Justice did not "indicate wrongdoing or misdemeanor on my part," according to reporting in the New York Times.

The case has implications beyond a high-profile arrest. Allegations tying a senior former official to a convicted sex offender raise questions about the handling of classified or sensitive material, the processes by which governments refer potential misconduct to criminal investigators, and how institutions protect vulnerable people and public trust. Communities affected by sexual exploitation face long-term public health and social harms, and the outcome of the investigation will be watched for its impact on victims, institutional accountability and safeguarding practices in government.

Officials from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Prime Minister Keir Starmer's office and Mandelson's representatives had not issued public comment in the initial reports. News organizations said the story was developing and that further details would emerge as the Metropolitan Police releases more information and as journalists review the DOJ files and Financial Times reporting that prompted the probe. Reporting on the arrest cited Reuters, the New York Times, CNN and other outlets that traced the inquiry to the DOJ disclosures and a government referral to police.