Peter Mandelson arrest latest: Peer released on bail as Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre’s family issues statement – UK Times

Just days before Lord Peter Mandelson’s arrest, the advisory firm he co-founded collapsed into administration amid the fallout from the scandal surrounding his ties to paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

Global Counsel said on Friday that it had stopped trading and that UK staff were being made redundant.

It follows reports that the company had suffered a wave of client departures after further links between Lord Mandelson and the disgraced financier came to light.

This left directors with no choice but to bring in administrators, who have now been appointed for the London-based lobbying business, the company said.

The Independent’s political reporter Athena Stavrou has more below:

Lord Peter Mandelson’s long and varied political career has hit a new low as the former Labour minister was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office.

He is accused of passing on information to paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein when he was business secretary.

It is the latest development in a spectacular fall from grace that has seen him resign his Labour membership and stand down from the House of Lords.

You can read the full report below:

Lord Peter Mandelson appears in several photos released by the US Department of Justice as part of the Epstein files.

In the undated images, he can be seen with Epstein on a yacht, in his underwear speaking to a woman, and on a boat.

Being mentioned or pictured in the Epstein files is not a suggestion of wrongdoing.

The probe into Lord Mandelson comes after emails between the pair allegedly showed the ex-Labour peer leaking sensitive government information to the paedophile financier.

A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said: “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, 23 February and has been taken to a London police station for interview.

“This follows search warrants at two addresses in the Wiltshire and Camden areas.”

Lord Peter Mandelson has been arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office.

The Metropolitan Police said the 72-year-old was taken to a London police station for interview on Monday.

The former Labour minister has been accused of passing sensitive information onto paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein during his time as business secretary.

Here is what we know about the pair’s relationship.

Sir Keir Starmer showed a “lack of judgement” in appointing Lord Peter Mandelson as US ambassador, a senior Conservative has said.

Shadow chancellor Sir Mel Stride said there is a “lot we need to know” about how the appointment was made during an interview on Sky News.

“I think it… speaks to a lack of judgement on the part of the prime minister,” he said.

“Part of the process now, of getting to the bottom of exactly what happened will also be: what happened around his appointment, what information was known at what time and by whom, and were the right decisions justifiable decisions taken in that context?

“So there’s a lot that we need to know about.”

Virginia Giuffre’s family have reacted to Lord Peter Mandelson’s arrest this evening in a statement, saying it is “meaningful action”.

“We commend the British authorities for taking meaningful action and treating the Epstein files with the urgency they demand,” her brother and sister-in-law Sky and Amanda Roberts said.

The pair also addressed what they called “the continued inaction in the United States”, saying it is “undeniable”.

“Survivors deserve transparency, swift investigation, and real justice, no matter who is implicated,” they added.

Kemi Badenoch has said the arrest of Lord Peter Mandelson is a “defining moment” for the prime minister.

It’s a matter of when [Starmer] goes, not if he goes”.

“I asked him if he had full confidence in Peter Mandelson, just a few months ago, and he said yes, despite all of these allegations being known, only to see the man arrested shows that the prime minister has terrible judgement,” the Conservative leader told Sky News.

“He’s weak. He has not released the information around the [Mandelson] files, though he sacks the person who is supposed to be overseeing the release.

“I think that shows what kind of person the prime minister is.”