𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

The former Labour grandee has been accused of passing sensitive information to paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein during his time as business secretary. He denies any wrongdoing. Lawyers for Lord Mandelson said he was arrested, despite an agreement to speak to police voluntarily, after someone told the Met he was planning to flee the country. In a statement to the Commons earlier, Sir Lindsay said: “Members will be aware of comments in the media regarding the arrest of Lord Mandelson.

“To prevent any inaccurate speculation I’d like to confirm that, upon receipt of information, that I felt it was relevant I pass this on to the Metropolitan Police in good faith, as is my duty and responsibility.

“It is regrettable this rapidly ended in the media. As this is a live investigation, members will understand… it would not be appropriate to make any further comment, and I’d like to caution members from doing so.”

A Metropolitan Police spokesperson later said: “The Met has apologised to the Speaker of the House of Commons this afternoon for inadvertently revealing information during an investigation into allegations of misconduct in public office.”

The Guardian reported that officers were meeting the Speaker today to explain the error, which was regarded internally as a serious breach of protocol.

Sir Lindsay is understood to have heard information which he felt he had to share with the police in the UK about Lord Mandelson during a visit to the British Virgin Islands earlier this month while Parliament was in recess.

Lord Mandelson’s lawyers said the report to the Met that he was planning to leave the country was a “baseless suggestion”.

They said: “There is absolutely no truth whatsoever in any such suggestion. We have asked the MPS for the evidence relied upon to justify the arrest.

“Peter Mandelson’s overriding priority is to co-operate with the police investigation, as he has done throughout this process, and to clear his name.”