Lord Mandelson arrested: What led to police action?
Peter Mandelson was arrested on Monday on suspicion of misconduct in public office, but how did we get here?
The Metropolitan Police said in a statement on Monday evening that they had arrested a 72-year-old man in Camden.
Mandelson was photographed being taken out of his house at 4:30 pm by detectives from the Met’s central specialist crime division, one of whom was wearing a body cam, but the former Labour grandee was not in handcuffs.
It has been reported that his long-term law firm of choice, Mishcon de Reya, is advising him, with the firm’s head of white-collar crime and investigations, Johanna Walsh, on call.
Richard Cannon, partner at Stokoe Partnership Solicitors, explained, “Arrest is a serious interference with liberty and, under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, it must be strictly necessary and proportionate.”
He noted that the test covers issues such as establishing a name or address, preventing harm, or preventing loss or damage to property, but suggested that none of those factors appear to apply in this case.
In other factors, “police tend to rely on the power of arrest being necessary ‘to allow the prompt and effective investigation’ of an offence”, but Cannon explained this “requires real grounds”, such as a risk to evidence.
As search warrants were already executed at two addresses in Wiltshire and Camden, he added, “it is difficult to see how that risk now arises”.
“The law is clear that arrest to secure an interview is justified only where it is thought unlikely the person would attend voluntarily… In many complex or high-profile investigations, voluntary attendance is both common and entirely effective.”
Nick Brett, partner at Brett Wilson, added, “It is notable that his arrest took place only some time after the execution of search warrants at his properties.”
He was released on bail following an interview. Sharron Boyce, senior associate at Brett Wilson, explained the bail could be with or without conditions attached. The police did not specify under whether any conditions apply.
“In an allegation of such seriousness and complexity, such conditions would usually include no contact with co-suspects and witnesses and residence at a UK address,” she added that a condition could also be added to prevent that person from travelling abroad.
When he was arrested at his home, he was taken to Wandsworth police station on Monday for an interview and, hours later, he was released on bail “pending further investigation”, returning to his home around 2 am on Tuesday morning.
The Met police will not be able to comment on this case at this time to prevent prejudicing the integrity of their investigation.
Probe over Epstein links
The arrest followed the force opening an investigation into the so-called ‘Prince of Darkness’ earlier this month after millions of Epstein documents were released by the US Department of Justice, showing Mandelson allegedly shared market-sensitive information to the convicted paedophile when he was business secretary.
Among the leaks in the files is Mandelson appearing to tell Epstein about the government’s planned asset sales to ease pressure on public finances at the height of the 2008 financial crisis. He also seemed to confirm that a bailout worth around $500bn during the euro crisis was set to be announced.
The scandal-hit ex-diplomat decided to step down from the House of Lords on 4 February after pressure from Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and other Gordon Brown-era figures.
Mandelson was sacked as US ambassador in September after it was revealed that he maintained contact with the disgraced financier after his first conviction. This sacking was before the latest batch of Epstein emails.
Lord Mandelson’s arrest follows that of the former Duke of York, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, who was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in a public office on Thursday over his links Epstein.
The former Prince was arrested by Thames Valley Police and faced an 11-hour police interrogation. He was later released on bail, but remains under investigation.
Mountbatten-Windsor who, along with Mandelson has denied any wrongdoing, has Blackfords’ Gary Bloxsome and Jennifer Richardson, alongside Matrix Chambers’ Clare Montgomery KC, instructed for his legal troubles.