Lord Mandelson Arrested Over Misconduct Allegations Linked to Epstein Files

Lord Peter Mandelson was arrested at his Camden home on Monday, February 23, 2026, by plain-clothes Metropolitan Police officers. The arrest followed a criminal investigation into allegations of misconduct in public office stemming from recently released Epstein files by the US Department of Justice.

The former Business Secretary was detained on suspicion of improperly sharing market-sensitive government information with convicted financier Jeffrey Epstein during his tenure in the Brown government around 2009. Mandelson has denied any criminal conduct or motivation involving financial gain.

The arrest represents the culmination of an escalating scandal that began unfolding in September 2025. Initial revelations centred on Mandelson’s continued friendship with Epstein following the financier’s 2008 conviction for child sex offenses. By February 2026, additional documents emerged indicating that Mandelson and his husband had received at least $75,000 in payments from Epstein.

The Metropolitan Police launched their formal investigation on February 2, 2026, after receiving complaints from Reform UK and the Scottish National Party. Three weeks later, officers executed the arrest warrant.

The misconduct allegations involve several distinct incidents during Mandelson’s time as Business Secretary:

2009: Mandelson allegedly leaked a high-level Downing Street document to Epstein detailing proposed £20 billion in asset sales and revealing Labour’s tax policy plans. This information would have provided significant market advantages to anyone positioned to act on it.

2010: According to the allegations, Mandelson forwarded confidential minutes from a meeting between Chancellor Alistair Darling and US National Economic Council Director Larry Summers just five minutes after receiving them. These minutes discussed banking regulation and taxation matters at the height of post-financial crisis reforms.

2010: Mandelson allegedly gave Epstein advance notice of a €500 billion EU bailout designed to save the Euro. The same disclosure allegedly included revealing the existence of a secret underground tunnel connecting 10 Downing Street to the Ministry of Defence.
Beyond direct information sharing, the allegations extend to lobbying activities. Mandelson allegedly lobbied UK government ministers to amend policy on bankers’ bonuses at Epstein’s request. He also allegedly lobbied the US government to weaken restrictions on bank trading activities on behalf of both Epstein and financier Jes Staley.

The scandal triggered rapid political consequences before the arrest occurred. Mandelson resigned from the Labour Party on February 1, 2026, and stepped down from the House of Lords in early February 2026. His resignation from the Lords removes the protection of parliamentary privilege, potentially making him more vulnerable to prosecution.

His advisory firm, Global Counsel, which he co-founded after leaving frontline politics, collapsed into administration as clients severed relationships following the Epstein revelations. The firm’s sudden collapse represents a significant financial and reputational blow to one of Westminster’s most prominent figures.

The timing proves particularly awkward given Mandelson’s recent appointment as US Ambassador by the Prime Minister, a role he was forced to relinquish as the scandal deepened. The appointment had been controversial even before the Epstein connections emerged, given ongoing trade tensions and his high-profile lobbying work.

The arrest follows a similar pattern to the recent detention of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor (formerly Prince Andrew, Duke of York) on related charges. Both arrests stem from information contained in the Epstein files released by US authorities, suggesting a broader investigative sweep targeting individuals with documented connections to the convicted financier.

The Metropolitan Police appear to be treating the Epstein files as a roadmap for potential criminal investigations in the UK. The arrests of two such prominent figures signal that status and position offer no protection when evidence of potential misconduct emerges.

Misconduct in public office is a common law offence in England and Wales. It requires proof that a public officer acting as such wilfully neglected their duty or wilfully misconducted themselves, and that such conduct was serious enough to amount to an abuse of the public’s trust.

The offence carries maximum sentence of up to life, though convictions typically result in custodial sentences ranging from months to several years depending on severity. The involvement of market-sensitive information could aggravate sentencing considerations, particularly if financial gain can be demonstrated.

Mandelson’s denial of financial motivation may prove crucial to his defence. However, prosecutors need not prove personal financial benefit if they can establish that the disclosure itself constituted a serious abuse of office.

Mandelson’s political career has been marked by controversy and comeback. Known as the “Prince of Darkness” during New Labour’s ascendancy, he twice resigned from Cabinet positions under Tony Blair before returning as Business Secretary under Gordon Brown in 2008.

His relationship with Epstein appears to have developed during his time as EU Trade Commissioner between 2004 and 2008, before Epstein’s 2008 conviction. The continuation of that relationship after the conviction, and the alleged sharing of sensitive information, represents potentially the most serious scandal of his career.

Following his arrest, we understand that Mandelson is being questioned under caution at a police station. The Metropolitan Police will now review evidence gathered during questioning alongside the documentary evidence from the Epstein files before referring the case to the Crown Prosecution Service.

The CPS will determine whether there is sufficient evidence and whether prosecution serves the public interest. Given the profile of the case and the nature of the allegations, any charging decision will likely take several weeks or months.

If charged, Mandelson would face trial at Crown Court given the seriousness of the allegations. The trial would likely attract significant media attention and could reveal further details about the Epstein network’s connections to British political and financial figures.

The arrest raises questions about vetting procedures for government appointments, the monitoring of ministerial contacts with controversial figures and the Prime Ministers personal judgement. It also highlights the extended fallout from the Epstein scandal, which continues to generate criminal investigations more than four years after Epstein’s death in custody.

For Westminster watchers, the case represents another chapter in the ongoing debate about lobbying, conflicts of interest, and the blurred lines between public service and private commercial interests. Mandelson’s post-ministerial career exemplified the revolving door between government and consultancy that critics argue creates problematic incentives.

The collapse of Global Counsel and Mandelson’s arrest may prompt renewed calls for stricter regulations on former ministers’ commercial activities and their ongoing access to sensitive information and influential contacts.

The arrest of Lord Mandelson marks a dramatic fall for one of British politics’ most influential figures over the past three decades. Whether the allegations result in charges and conviction remains to be determined, but the scandal has already ended his political career and destroyed his business empire.

The case demonstrates that historical connections to Jeffrey Epstein continue to generate consequences for those involved, regardless of their prominence or position. As the Metropolitan Police work through the Epstein files, further arrests may follow, suggesting this chapter in British political scandal is far from closed.