Ex-UK Diplomat Detained in Probe Over Claimed Epstein Ties

(MENAFN) Police in London have detained Peter Mandelson, a former UK ambassador to the United States, as part of an investigation into claims that he shared confidential government information with the late financier Jeffrey Epstein.

Video circulating on social media appears to show the former envoy being accompanied from his residence by detectives and placed into an unmarked vehicle. While the Metropolitan Police confirmed that an arrest had taken place, officials did not publicly identify the individual involved.

”Officers have arrested a 72-year-old man on suspicion of misconduct in public office. He was arrested at an address in Camden on Monday, February 23 and has been taken to a London police station for interview,” a police spokesperson stated on Monday.

Mandelson came under renewed scrutiny earlier this month after US authorities released additional Epstein-related documents. The materials reportedly indicated that he had received $75,000 from Epstein. In the wake of the revelations, the Labour peer stepped down from the party and relinquished his seat in the House of Lords, though he has continued to deny any impropriety. He has said he does not recall receiving any such payment.

The controversy has also reverberated within the government of Prime Minister Keir Starmer. The prime minister’s chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, resigned after acknowledging responsibility for Mandelson’s appointment as ambassador to Washington despite his past associations with Epstein.

In announcing his departure, McSweeney described the decision as ultimately “wrong,” and said the former diplomat had “damaged our party, our country, and trust in politics itself,” while stepping down from his role.

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