UK ex-ambassador Mandelson released on bail in Epstein probe

DW News · Feb 24, 2026 · Collected from RSS

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British police on Monday arrested the former UK ambassador to the United States, Peter Mandelson, in a misconduct probe related to his ties to late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. London's Metropolitan Police said "officers have arrested a 72-year-old man on suspicion of misconduct in public office." He was taken to a London police station for questioning and then later released. "A 72-year-old man arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office has been released on bail pending further investigation," the Metropolitan police said in a statement. Police did not name the former ambassador in the statement but the suspect had been previously identified as Mandelson, who was filmed being led by police officers from his London home to an unmarked car. Mandelson is accused of passing sensitive information to Epstein while serving as business secretary, a position he held from 2008 to 2010 under former Labour Prime Minister Gordon Brown. Epstein was convicted of sex offenses involving a minor in 2008.Who is Peter Mandelson? Mandelson served as the United Kingdom's ambassador to the United States from February to September last year. He was dismissed by Prime Minister Keir Starmer after his connections to the late financier came to light in a batch of documents, known as the "Epstein files," that was released by the US Department of Justice. Mandelson was considered a key figure behind the rebranding of the British Labour Party as "New Labour" in the 1990s and served in various ministerial positions under former Prime Minister Tony Blair. His mastery of modern political communications saw him nicknamed the "Prince of Darkness" in British political circles. He was awarded a life peerage in 2008, a non-hereditary title enabling him to sit in the House of Lords and thereby assume a ministerial position despite not being an elected member of parliament. What is Mandelson accused of? Mandelson has been arrested on suspicion of "misconduct in public office" — the same suspected crime as the former British Prince, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. Essentially an allegation of corruption, "misconduct in public office" is considered one of the most difficult crimes to investigate, charge, prosecute and convict. Prosecutors have to prove that a suspect, who must have held a public office, willfully engaged in misconduct to the degree that it constituted "an abuse of the public's trust" and that the person in question acted without reasonable excuse or justification. Mandelson denies any wrongdoing and, according to national broadcaster BBC, is convinced that he "has not acted in any way criminally." Edited by: Saim Dušan Inayatullah