Ex-envoy Peter Mandelson arrested by UK police

• Former UK Ambassador Peter Mandelson was arrested on Sunday, on suspicion of misconduct in public office, following allegations that he shared sensitive government documents with Jeffrey Epstein during his time as a minister.
• The arrest has ignited a political crisis for Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who previously dismissed Mandelson as envoy to Washington over the scandal; the government now faces pressure as it prepares to release thousands of documents regarding Mandelson’s vetting process.

London police on Monday arrested Britain's former ambassador to the United States, Peter Mandelson, amid allegations over his ties to disgraced US financier Jeffrey Epstein.

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

Images on UK television appeared to show Mandelson being driven away from his north London home accompanied by a man and a woman, after police raided his properties earlier this month.

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

The arrest comes days after ex-prince Andrew, King Charles III's younger brother, was arrested in a misconduct in public office probe also related to the latest release of documents related to Epstein.

Mandelson, a pivotal figure in British politics, is being probed over allegations that he sent sensitive documents to the late US sex offender Epstein when he was a government minister, including during the 2008 financial crash.

The ex-politician was sacked by Prime Minister Keir Starmer as envoy to Washington last year when an earlier release of documents linked to Epstein showed the extent of their friendship.

The latest Epstein files released by the United States on January 30 have resulted in the high-profile UK investigations.

Starmer has apologised to Epstein's victims and accused Mandelson of lying about the extent of his ties to the financier during the vetting process for his appointment to Washington.

But Mandelson's appointment has unleashed a political storm with two of Starmer's top aides resigning over the row.

The government is to release tens of thousands of emails, messages and documents on Mandelson's vetting procedure, which could ramp up the pressure on the prime minister and other senior ministers.

Mandelson, also a former European Union trade commissioner, stood down from parliament's unelected upper chamber, the House of Lords, earlier this month.

Officers from the Met's specialist crime team were also deployed earlier this month to search two of his addresses, one in the western English county of Wiltshire and the other in London, according to the police.