From the glamour of DC to a London police station in a matter of monthspublished at 18:51 GMT

18:51 GMT

Chris Mason
Political editor

A year ago Mandelson was just a few weeks into one of the marquee jobs the British state has to offer – His Majesty’s Ambassador to the United States.

He was sent there by the prime minister as the best point man to Donald Trump.

I went to the British Embassy in Washington around then and Mandelson was clearly revelling in being at the centre of things – the splendour, the glamour.

And where is he tonight? In a police station.

Mandelson is a huge figure in the contemporary history of the Labour Party, having worked for former leader Lord Kinnock, served as a cabinet minister under Sir Tony Blair, and been Gordon Brown’s first secretary of state.

And now, as you read this, he could be sitting opposite police officers in a police station interview room, answering questions under arrest as part of a criminal inquiry.

We should repeat that Mandelson has not commented publicly in recent weeks on the Epstein files but I understand his consistent position is he has not acted criminally and was not motivated by financial gain.

Daniel Sandford
UK correspondent

The BBC understands that Lord Mandelson's arrest was carried out by officers from the Met's central specialist crime division.

Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley was not involved in the decision to arrest him.

Consultations between the police and the Crown Prosecution Service about the case are, we are told, ongoing.

Vinnie O'Dowd
Reporting from north London

It was drizzling at Peter Mandelson's London home when three officers from the Metropolitan Police entered at 16:15.

Half an hour later he emerged, being led out by one of the suited officers, who wore a black lanyard bearing the words "Police Officer".

Another, who had a body-worn camera, guided Mandelson into the rear passenger seat of a white car and nodded to journalists before driving off.

Jack Fenwick
Political correspondent

The government will continue talking to the police about what documents related to Peter Mandelson can be released, BBC News understands.

Downing Street has previously committed to publicly releasing documents related to Mandelson’s appointment as ambassador to the US.

Prior to his arrest, No 10 had been consulting with the police over what documents could be made public.

The chief secretary to the prime minister Darren Jones told MPs earlier that the first tranche of documents would be released in early March.

It had previously been suggested that an arrest could have implications for that process.

But the government still wants to be able to publish documents related to Mandelson, which they hope will back up the prime minister’s claim that Mandelson "lied" during his vetting process.

The BBC understands Lord Mandelson's view is that he answered questions about his relationship with Epstein in the vetting process accurately.

Dominic Casciani
Home and legal correspondent

Misconduct in Public Office is a really complicated offence. It essentially boils down to an allegation that someone who was doing a job on behalf of the British public did something seriously wrong, knowing it to be wrong.

There are four "elements", or factors, that police must focus on during their investigation so that prosecutors can later decide whether or not someone should be charged.

First, the police must establish whether the person they’re investigating was a "public officer" and the incident in question was plausibly part of those duties.

If that’s agreed, detectives will then look for evidence that the incident in question saw the suspect "wilfully" neglecting to perform their duty or wilfully misconducting themselves in some other way. That wordy definition has long been a source of legal debate.

The next question is whether the action they committed was so bad that it was "an abuse of the public's trust".

Lastly, if the evidence has passed those three tests, police need to examine whether the person under investigation acted "without reasonable excuse or justification".

That final question is crucial. It’s a fundamental principle of criminal justice that someone suspected of wrongdoing is given an opportunity to put forward their side of the story - and that starts when the police come and knock on their door.

Image source, POOL

• Peter Mandelson was arrested at his home in Camden, north London, at around 16:30 GMT this afternoon
• Mandelson was seen being led away by plain clothes police officers and put into the back of an unmarked car
• In a statement, the Metropolitan Police said a 72-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office and has been taken to a London police station for interview
• It says the arrest followed searches at homes in Wiltshire and Camden
• Mandelson hasn't publicly commented in recent weeks on the Epstein files, but the BBC understands his position has consistently been that he has not acted in any way criminally and that he was not motivated by financial gain

The news of Peter Mandelson’s arrest on suspicion of misconduct in public office comes after the Met Police carried out searches at properties in Wiltshire and north London earlier this month.

Mandelson was believed to be at home in London when police carried out that search earlier this month.

The force launched an investigation into the ex-Labour minister on 3 February over allegations he passed market-sensitive government information to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The Met has not confirmed the specifics of the alleged offence Mandelson has been arrested over.

Peter Mandelson was seen being led away from his home in Camden, north London this afternoon.

The 72-year-old was seen being escorted from the house by plain clothes police officers and put in the back of an unmarked car.

Image source, Pool

Image source, Pool

Image source, Bloomberg via Getty Images

Peter Mandelson started working for Labour in the 1980s and had been a major figure in the party for decades.

He played a key role in the New Labour movement and Sir Tony Blair's landslide election victory in 1997.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer appointed him as the UK’s ambassador to Washington in December 2024.

It had been known prior to that appointment that he had a friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The peer was sacked from the role last September after Downing Street said new information about the depth of this relationship had emerged.

He stepped down from the House of Lords after the release of Epstein-related documents in the US raised new questions about his dealing with Epstein. However due to parliamentary procedure he retains his title.

A short while ago Peter Mandelson was seen being led away from his London home by police officers.

The Met then confirmed a 72-year-old man had been detained at an address in Camden, north London.

It comes after the Metropolitan Police confirmed earlier this month it had launched a criminal investigation over allegations of misconduct in public office.

That followed the release of emails by the US Department of Justice (DoJ), which led to allegations that Lord Mandelson had forwarded information to Epstein when he was business secretary under former prime minister Gordon Brown.

Peter Mandelson has been arrested. Here is the Met Police statement in full.

"Officers have arrested a 72-year-old man on suspicion of misconduct in public office.

"He was arrested at an address in Camden on Monday, 23 February and has been taken to a London police station for interview.

"This follows search warrants at two addresses in the Wiltshire and Camden areas.”

We'll have more information shortly.