Peter Mandelson, the former British Business Secretary and the recently appointed Ambassador to the United States, was taken into custody in connection with the Jeffrey Epstein affair.
On Monday, police reported that the 72‑year‑old was escorted out of his Camden, North London, home by plainclothes officers and transported in an unmarked vehicle to a police station. According to the authorities, Mandelson is now a suspect in a case alleging that he supplied government documents to the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Mandelson’s appointment by Prime Minister Keir Starmer in December 2024 as liaison to Washington had already raised questions because his friendship with Epstein had been publicly known. In September of the previous year he was relieved of his diplomatic duties after further revelations about the depth of his relationship with the fugitive emerged. He also stepped down from the House of Lords, though procedural rules allowed him to keep his title.
The Metropolitan Police have confirmed that they are conducting a probe into abuse of office on Mandelson’s part. The investigation was prompted by emails released by the U.S. Department of Justice that suggested he may have transmitted sensitive information to Epstein while serving as Business Secretary under former Prime Minister Gordon Brown.