Former UK ambassador to US Peter Mandelson arrested amid Epstein probe

Peter Mandelson, the UK's former ambassador to the US,was arrested from his north London home on Monday on suspicion of misconduct in public office, the Metropolitan Police said.

Mandelson had resigned from the House of Lords and Labour Party earlier this month following damaging allegations related to his association with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The Met Police had confirmed soon after that the force had opened aninvestigation into the former frontlineLabour politician, who served in the Cabinet underprimeministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown.

"Officers have arrested a 72-year-old man on suspicion of misconduct in public office,"said a Met Police spokesperson.

"He was arrested at an address in Camden on Monday, 23 February and has been taken to a London police station forinterview.This follows search warrants at two addresses in the Wiltshire and Camden areas.

"We are not able to provide further information at this stage to preventprejudicing the integrity of the investigation," thespokesperson said.

Following the release ofdocuments related to Epstein bythe US Department of Justice last month,Mandelson was accused of passing sensitive information during his time as the UK's business secretaryonto the financier who died in a New Yorkprison in 2019.

The revelations rocked the Keir Starmer-led government, with the British Prime Minister forced to address the matter in Parliament as the Opposition attacked his judgment over appointing the former minister to Washington DC, before being forced to sack him last year.

Meanwhile,Minister Darren Jones told the House of Commons on Monday that the first tranche of files related to Mandelson's appointment as the UK's ambassador to the US will be published in early March.Jones said the government will release documents in tranches as and when they are ready, rather than all at once at the end of the process.

Earlier in February, MPs from across party lines had voted to force the government to release all documents related to Peter Mandelson's appointment.But any documentsseen asimpacting national security or the UK's international relations will be referred toanindependent parliamentary committeefor redactionsbefore release.

Mandelson has previously denied wrongdoing, anddespite his House of Lords resignation,retains his title of Lord until he is formally strippedof his peerage throughparliamentary procedure.