Former Labour peer says claim he planned move to British Virgin Islands was false
Peter Mandelson has condemned the Metropolitan police following his arrest, claiming detectives acted on a “baseless” suggestion that he was preparing to flee the country.
The former Labour grandee was arrested on Monday after officers were informed he was preparing to leave the UK for the British Virgin Islands. He was taken into custody at a London police station and later released on bail in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
Lawyers for Mandelson said Scotland Yard had previously agreed he would attend an interview under caution next month voluntarily in connection with claims he passed sensitive government information to convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
However, the Met received intelligence on Monday suggesting Mandelson might be planning a trip overseas. The information included the suggestion that the British Virgin Islands could be his destination. Detectives assessed the source and viewed it as sufficiently credible to justify an arrest.
When he was released, police imposed bail conditions restricting his travel overseas. It was unclear whether he was required to surrender his passport.
In a statement, his lawyers at Mishcon de Reya said: “Peter Mandelson was arrested yesterday despite an agreement with the police that he would attend an interview next month voluntarily.
Embed from Getty Images
“The arrest was prompted by a baseless suggestion that he was planning to leave the country and take up permanent residence abroad. There is absolutely no truth whatsoever in any such suggestion.
“We have asked the [Met police] for the evidence relied upon to justify the arrest. Peter Mandelson’s overriding priority is to cooperate with the police investigation, as he has done throughout this process, and to clear his name.”
Mandelson is understood to have sent a message to friends at about 4 am, hours after his release, describing the claims as “complete fiction” and questioning “who or what” was behind them.
In the message, he wrote that police claimed he was about to flee to the British Virgin Islands and take up permanent residence, “leaving Reinaldo, my family, home and Jock [his dog] behind me”.
“I need hardly sa,y complete fiction. The police were told only today that they had to make an arrest on the spot. The question is, who or what is behind this?” he added.
The Metropolitan police said they were not able to provide further information at this stage.
The arrest follows months of scrutiny over Mandelson’s links to Epstein, which led to his dismissal as the UK’s ambassador to Washington last September. He subsequently left the Labour Party and resigned from the House of Lords.
Downing Street is also bracing for the release of a Cabinet Office “due diligence” report into his appointment. Sources said the document warned the prime minister of serious “reputational risk” associated with the decision.
Officials indicated that further documents relating to Mandelson’s appointment are being prepared for release, although some may be withheld while the police inquiry continues.
Police investigating Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor separately confirmed on Tuesday evening that searches at a property in Berkshire linked to that inquiry had concluded.