Former UK ambassador questioned over alleged links to Jeffrey Epstein as political pressure mounts

FORMER Labour cabinet minister Lord Peter Mandelson has been arrested after police searched two of his homes as part of an investigation into alleged misconduct in public office.

The 72-year-old, who previously served as the UK’s ambassador to the United States, is accused of leaking sensitive government information to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Officers were seen at one of his properties earlier this month, and he was later taken from his London home in an unmarked police vehicle.

His arrest comes only days after Prince Andrew was detained on suspicion of similar offences, with police also carrying out extensive searches of his residences, including Royal Lodge, over an eleven-hour period. Investigators are now expected to examine electronic devices seized during the operations, including phones and computers.

The Metropolitan Police previously confirmed that warrants were executed at addresses in Camden and Wiltshire in connection with an ongoing investigation involving a 72-year-old man suspected of misconduct in public office.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Hayley Sewart said officers from the Met’s Central Specialist Crime team were leading the inquiry.

The allegations relate to documents reportedly contained within files linked to Epstein, which appear to suggest Mandelson shared confidential or market-sensitive government information during his time in office. The extent of his association with Epstein has become a major political controversy, raising questions about vetting and judgement at the highest levels of government.

The situation has also created significant political pressure on the Prime Minister, who had appointed Mandelson to the ambassadorial role last year. Downing Street has since been forced to release thousands of emails and messages relating to the appointment, with officials continuing to review the correspondence.

Several MPs have publicly criticised the decision to appoint Mandelson, with some calling for senior figures within government to take responsibility for what they describe as a serious lapse in judgement.

Police have not yet confirmed whether any charges will follow.

PEMBROKESHIRE’S most famous unexplained event — the 1977 Broad Haven UFO incident — could attract renewed attention after US President Donald Trump said he would direct American agencies to begin identifying and releasing government files related to extraterrestrial life and UFO sightings.

In a statement on social media, Trump said he would order departments, including the Pentagon, to start “the process of identifying and releasing” files connected to alien life, unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP), and UFOs, citing what he described as “tremendous interest” from the public.

His comments came hours after he told reporters he was unsure whether aliens were real, saying: “Well, I don’t know if they’re real or not.” He also criticised remarks made by former President Barack Obama during a podcast interview, which sparked global headlines about the possibility of life beyond Earth.

The development has particular relevance for Pembrokeshire because of the Broad Haven incident’s proximity to the former military installation at RAF Brawdy, located just a few miles away. At the time of the sightings, the base hosted both RAF operations and United States Navy personnel, raising the possibility that any unusual aerial activity could have been documented and classified by the US military.

The 1977 case involved schoolchildren and adults who reported seeing a silver, cigar-shaped craft and strange humanoid figures near fields close to Broad Haven Primary School. The sightings later became part of a wider wave of reports across west Wales, sometimes referred to as the “Welsh Triangle.”

Although some UK Ministry of Defence UFO files have been released over the years, no definitive explanation for the Broad Haven sightings was ever provided. Because of the US military presence at RAF Brawdy, there remains the possibility that relevant records could exist in American archives rather than British ones.

However, previous US government reports, including a Pentagon assessment in 2024, stated there was no evidence that the United States had encountered extraterrestrial life, and that most UFO sightings were likely ordinary objects or misidentified phenomena.

Any future disclosures would therefore be closely watched by researchers and residents in west Wales alike, particularly given the historical Cold War connections to Pembrokeshire.

PM admits he knew of Mandelson’s post-conviction friendship with Jeffrey Epstein as questions mount over vetting and national security

IT took three attempts for Kemi Badenoch to get a straight answer, but when the Prime Minister finally responded, what remained of his authority appeared to drain away.

At Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday (Feb 4), the Conservative leader targeted the vetting process behind Peter Mandelson’s appointment as the UK’s ambassador to Washington. The line of attack was widely anticipated. Equally predictable were Keir Starmer’s attempts to deflect.

Eventually, however, disclosure proved unavoidable. The Prime Minister confirmed that when he appointed Mandelson, he already knew that the former Cabinet minister had maintained a friendship with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein after Epstein’s 2008 conviction for child sex offences.

A packed House of Commons audibly gasped.

Whatever political cover Downing Street hoped to create by suggesting Mandelson had repeatedly misled questioners about the relationship quickly evaporated. The reality was stark. Those responsible for the appointment knew that Mandelson’s association with Epstein had continued after conviction, imprisonment and release — and still judged him suitable for Britain’s most sensitive diplomatic post.

That decision now raises profound questions about the Prime Minister’s judgment and the advice he received from senior officials and security services.

As MP after MP rose to speak, common themes emerged. Conservative members described the appointment as reckless. Labour backbenchers said it demonstrated a callous disregard for Epstein’s victims. Others questioned whether proper security warnings had been heeded at all.

When Mandelson was later removed from the Washington role, the Government claimed the decision followed “new revelations” about his association with Epstein. That explanation was left in tatters by the Prime Minister’s admission that the relationship was already known.

Yet the Epstein connection may not be the most politically damaging element of the affair.

During the 2008 financial crisis, taxpayers rescued Britain’s banking system after years of reckless risk-taking. Public anger led ministers to propose a 50% tax on bankers’ bonuses. Papers from the so-called Epstein files suggest that while serving as Business Secretary in Gordon Brown’s Cabinet, Mandelson briefed Epstein on confidential discussions about that tax.

One email indicates he even advised that a senior US banker should “slightly threaten” then-Chancellor Alistair Darling over the proposal.

Labour MP Emily Thornberry was among those who branded the conduct “treachery”.

Further disclosures suggest Mandelson also shared market-sensitive information about the 2010 General Election, including the progress of coalition negotiations and advance notice that Brown would step down. Even if intended as political gossip, such information could have delivered a significant trading advantage to well-placed investors.

Whether profits were made is beside the point. The mere possibility that privileged Cabinet intelligence reached a convicted sex offender is politically toxic.

Now the Metropolitan Police Service has launched an investigation into whether any criminal offences were committed, placing the Prime Minister in an increasingly awkward position. Detectives have warned against the release of potentially relevant documents, complicating calls for full transparency.

Although the Intelligence and Security Committee will review the material, public confidence may already be too badly shaken.

Mandelson’s long and controversial career in public life appears finished. The unresolved question is whether his downfall will drag the Prime Minister down with him.

With Labour sliding in the polls, internally divided, facing elections in Scotland and Wales and a looming by-election in Manchester, the political crunch may not be far away.