Peter Mandelson, the United Kingdom's former ambassador to Washington, has been arrested, as the fallout from the release of more Epstein files earlier this month deepens.
In a statement, London's Metropolitan Police — commonly known as the Met — confirmed it had arrested "a 72-year-old man on suspicion of misconduct in public office" and he was being interviewed.
Lord Mandelson could be seen being led away from his home in north London by several police officers on Monday afternoon, local time.
The Met had been investigating the Labour Party powerbroker — who has held several powerful roles in his decades-long career — for about three weeks.
Lord Mandelson was sacked as the UK's ambassador to the United States last year, amid concerns over his associations with late child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
But the US Department of Justice's decision to release about half the so-called Epstein files this month sparked fresh allegations.
Emails contained in the files have led to accusations Lord Mandelson may have shared confidential UK government information with the disgraced billionaire when he was serving as a government minister around the time of the 2008 global financial crisis.
Lord Mandelson is rated among the most influential figures in British politics, and rose to particular prominence as an MP and minister in the 90s and 2000s.
He first started working for the Labour Party in the 1980s, and such was his power, he became known as the Prince of Darkness by his colleagues.
He has served in both the lower and upper chambers of parliament. He was appointed to the latter — the House of Lords — in 2008.
Members there usually hold their completely unelected positions for life, but Lord Mandelson elected to step down from his role earlier this month.
He retains his title of Lord due to parliamentary procedure, however.
"It had been publicly known for some time that Mandelson knew Epstein, but none of us knew the depth and the darkness of that relationship," British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said at the time.
Lord Mandelson's arrest comes after police searched his homes in London and Wiltshire.
He has not addressed the latest allegations swirling around him. However, the 72-year-old has in the past denied wrongdoing.
The accusations surrounding Lord Mandelson have been catastrophic for Sir Keir, who has faced public criticism from within his own party of his handling of the situation.
Lord Mandelson appears in multiple photos in the Epstein files. Email correspondence contained in the documents released by the DOJ appears to show the two in close contact years after Epstein was convicted of child sex offences.
