Peter Mandelson, former British minister and ambassador, arrested by the police in a case related to Jeffrey Epstein

Former British minister and ambassador Peter Mandelson was arrested on Monday, as part of an investigation into suspicions of passing sensitive information to American financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, writes AFP.

“Police have arrested a 72-year-old man on suspicion of breach of official duties,” police said in a statement, without identifying the suspect, as is customary in the United Kingdom.

The BBC and Sky News broadcast footage of Peter Mandelson, 72, leaving his home in central London, accompanied by a man and a woman who escorted him to an unregistered car.

🇬🇧⚡️-Breaking: Lord Peter Mandelson has been arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office.

The development follows his resignation from the House of Lords earlier this month after it emerged that he had lied about his relationship and correspondence with Jeffrey Epstein. pic.twitter.com/tSRRQteTeu

— ALERT X (@ALERTX360) February 23, 2026

Peter Mandelson was fired in September from the most prestigious position in the British diplomatic service after his close ties to Jeffrey Epstein began to become clear.

British police launched a criminal investigation into Mandelson in early February after Prime Minister Keir Starmer's government released conversations between the former ambassador and Epstein.

Emails between Mandelson and Epstein, released by the US Department of Justice in late January, showed that the two had a closer relationship than was publicly known, with Mandelson providing information to the US financier when he was a minister in former prime minister Gordon Brown's government.

Mandelson, who resigned from Starmer's Labor Party this month and gave up his seat as an MP, has previously said he deeply regrets his association with Epstein, but has not made public statements or returned messages for comment on the latest revelations.

And the former Prince Andrew was arrested by the police

The action comes days after British police also arrested Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the younger brother of Britain's King Charles, for misconduct in public office.

Former Prince Andrew was picked up from his Sandringham residence last Thursday on his 66th birthday, the most senior royal to be arrested in modern history. He was released at the end of the day.

Mandelson called Epstein his 'best friend'

Peter Mandelson, who played a key role in the success of the Labor Party when Tony Blair was prime minister, came under public scrutiny after US congressmen initially released documents that included a letter in which Epstein was called “my best friend” by the British diplomat.

Emails then emerged in the media showing that Mandelson had advised Epstein to fight for an early release in 2008 when he was to be sentenced to 18 months in prison for pimping a minor.

“The emails show that the depth and breadth of the relationship between Peter Mandelson and Jeffrey Epstein differs substantially from what was known at the time of his appointment,” the Foreign Office in London said.

Britain's foreign ministry added that the account of Mandelson's suggestion that Epstein's first conviction was unfair and should be challenged was “new information” and that Prime Minister Keir Starmer had called for his removal as ambassador to Washington.