Overview
- The Metropolitan Police arrested the 72-year-old on suspicion of misconduct in public office, searched addresses in Camden and Wiltshire, and released him on bail until the end of May.
- Mandelson’s lawyers say the arrest replaced a planned voluntary interview and followed a baseless claim he intended to leave the UK, and they have asked police to disclose the evidence for that decision.
- Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle confirmed he passed information he considered relevant to the Met before the arrest and cautioned MPs against commenting on the live investigation.
- The investigation draws on US Justice Department Epstein files, including 2009–2010 emails that reportedly reference an asset sales plan, a bankers’ bonus tax and an imminent euro bailout being shared with Epstein.
- Separately, Thames Valley Police have concluded searches at Andrew Mountbatten‑Windsor’s former Royal Lodge home after his arrest on the same suspicion, and ministers plan to release vetting files subject to ongoing inquiries.