Former U.K. Ambassador to the U.S. Peter Mandelson was arrested Monday on suspicion of misconduct in public office as part of an ongoing probe by British police into his ties to sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.
Mandelson, 72, a former Labor party politician who served as the ambassador to the U.S. for just seven months, from February 2025 until September of that same year, was taken into custody at his home in London—days after Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly Prince Andrew, was arrested on similar charges.
London’s Metropolitan Police confirmed in a statement issued Monday that officers had taken a 72-year-old man into custody, but did not name him. It is standard practice in the U.K. that no names of those arrested are confirmed until charges are brought.
However, live video footage broadcast by the BBC showed Mandelson being led away from his London property by plain-clothed police officers; he was not handcuffed and was seen carrying a bottle of water, before being put into the mark of an unmarked vehicle. It’s understood that he was taken to a local police station for questioning.
“Officers have arrested a 72-year-old man on suspicion of misconduct in public office,” the statement read. “He was arrested at an address in Camden on Monday, February 23, and has been taken to a London police station for interview.”
Police confirmed that search warrants had been issued for two homes—a property in Camden and a dwelling in Wiltshire, the latter of which is believed to be a house that Mandelson was renting. He has owned his property in north London, a four-story townhouse, since 2011, when he purchased it for a reported $10.3 million.
The former Labor politician stands accused of passing sensitive information to Epstein while he was serving as business secretary under former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
Mandelson held that role from October 2008 until May 2010, taking up the position four months after Epstein pled guilty to state charges of soliciting prostitution and soliciting prostitution from someone under the age of 18.
His arrest comes just five months after he was fired as the ambassador to the U.S. over his ties to Epstein, following the publication of multiple emails and other items of correspondence between the two men as part of the release of the Epstein files.
“The emails show that the depth and extent of Peter Mandelson’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein is materially different from that known at the time of his appointment,” a statement from the British Foreign Office said at the time.
On Feb. 1, following the release of another trove of documents pertaining to the Epstein case, Mandelson resigned from the Labor party when it was revealed that police were actively investigating his ties to the sex predator.
If charged and convicted of the misconduct accusations levied against him, Mandelson could face up to life in prison—the same sentence facing former Prince Andrew should he be convicted.
Under British law, Mandelson can be held in custody for 24 hours without any charges being brought against him, although that time frame can be extended to 96 hours under special circumstances.
Andrew, the disgraced royal who is the younger brother of King Charles, was released after 11 hours in custody, having been arrested at his new home on the royal family’s Sandringham estate in the early hours of Feb. 19, which also marked his 66th birthday.
No official charges have yet been filed against Andrew or Mandelson, however police have confirmed that their investigation into the former is ongoing.
At around the same time as Andrew’s arrest, Thames Valley Police were seen carrying out searches of two royal properties: his former home at Royal Lodge in Windsor and Wood Farm, the Sandringham abode where he has been living since he was evicted from his previous dwelling by King Charles.
Misconduct in public office is known to be a fiendishly tricky crime to prove—and lawmakers have faced criticism over a lack of clarity in the ability to convict.
Per the Crown Prosecution Service, the institution that prosecutes criminal cases in England and Wales, misconduct in public office, or MiPO, involves the “serious willful abuse or neglect of the power or responsibilities of the public office held.”
Officials must prove that there is a “direct link between the misconduct and an abuse of those powers or responsibilities” to convict.