LONDON — London’s Metropolitan Police announced early Tuesday that former British minister and ambassador Peter Mandelson has been released on bail pending further inquiries, following his detention in connection with allegations linked to the Jeffrey Epstein case.
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In a statement, the Metropolitan Police said: "A 72-year-old man has been released on bail after being arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office, pending further investigations."
The arrest of Mandelson, once a titan of the Labour Party, comes just four days after the arrest of former Prince Andrew on Thursday, who is also suspected of involvement in the case of the convicted sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein.
Andrew, formerly the Duke of York, is suspected of leaking potentially confidential information to Epstein during his tenure as the UK’s Special Representative for International Trade and Investment between 2001 and 2011. He was released "under investigation" late Thursday after several hours in custody.
The Metropolitan Police had announced the opening of a probe into Mandelson on February 3, after US Department of Justice documents released in late January suggested he may have leaked market-sensitive information to Epstein, particularly during his time as a minister in Gordon Brown’s government between 2008 and 2010. Police later confirmed searching two of Mandelson’s properties in Camden, London, and Wiltshire.
These developments have severely weakened Keir Starmer’s Labour government, which faces criticism for appointing Mandelson as Ambassador to Washington in late 2024, despite being aware of his continued ties to Epstein following the latter’s sex offense convictions.
Starmer had appointed Mandelson to the high-profile diplomatic post in December 2024, shortly before Donald Trump’s return to the White House. However, he dismissed him in September 2025 after documents detailing his relationship with Epstein were made public.
In response to the scandal, Starmer has apologized to Epstein’s victims, and both his Chief of Staff and Director of Communications have resigned. The government has pledged to publish all documents related to Mandelson’s appointment and dismissal, with the first batch expected in early March.
