Commons Speaker passed information to police on Mandelson ahead of arrest

Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle has confirmed he passed information onto police suggesting Lord Mandelson could be a flight risk, adding that he acted "in good faith".

It comes after the peer's lawyers complained about the force's decision to arrest him on Monday as part of its probe into misconduct in public office allegations.

Sir Lindsay told MPs he had passed on "relevant" information about the peer in "good faith".

Lord Mandelson's lawyers say he had agreed to an interview next month, and the decision to take him into custody was prompted by a "baseless" suggestion he was planning to move abroad.

Speaking in the Commons shortly after the Times first reported he had passed information to the Metropolitan Police, Sir Lindsay confirmed he had given the force "relevant" information, adding he considered it his "duty and responsibility".

"It is regrettable this rapidly ended in the media," he added.

He did not provide any details, but the BBC understands he passed on information he received in the British Virgin Islands during a visit last week that Lord Mandelson was planning to travel there.

The Met is understood to have conducted its own assessment of the credibility of the information passed on by Sir Lindsay before deciding to arrest Lord Mandelson on Monday afternoon.

The former Labour minister was taken to Wandsworth police station in London for interview, before later being released on bail pending further investigation. It is understood he surrendered his passport as one of his bail conditions.

It comes after the force launched an investigation earlier this month over allegations that, while he was serving as a minister, Lord Mandelson had passed on market-sensitive government information to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The BBC understands that Lord Mandelson's position is he has not acted in any way criminally and that he was not motivated by financial gain. Lawyers for the peer say he intends to co-operate with police to "clear his name".

Lord Mandelson became the British ambassador to the US in February 2025 but was sacked in September after Downing Street said new information about the depth of his relationship with Epstein had emerged.

The allegations against Lord Mandelson surfaced after the US Department of Justice released a tranche of documents last month, including emails between him and Epstein.