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Lawyers for Lord Peter Mandelson have criticised the police for arresting the former cabinet minister on Monday after what they described as a “baseless suggestion that he was planning to leave the country”.
Mandelson was released on bail in the early hours of Tuesday after being arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office following claims he leaked confidential UK government memos to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The Metropolitan Police this month launched a criminal investigation into Mandelson, who was business secretary and de facto deputy prime minister in 2009 and 2010, after receiving a number of complaints, including a referral from the UK government.
Mishcon de Reya, the law firm representing Mandelson, said in a statement on Tuesday evening: “Peter Mandelson was arrested yesterday despite an agreement with the police that he would attend an interview next month on a voluntary basis.
“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,” the law firm said.
It added: “We have asked the MPS [Metropolitan Police Service] 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.”
This is a developing story