UK parliamentary speaker says he tipped off police over possible Mandelson flight risk

LONDON — The Speaker of the U.K.'s House of Commons said Wednesday he tipped off police that Peter Mandelson, the former ambassador to the U.S. who is facing accusations of leaking information to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, was a possible flight risk.

Mandelson was arrested Monday at his north London home on suspicion of misconduct in public office. He was released on bail early Tuesday morning after more than nine hours of questioning.

Lawyers for Mandelson, a former senior Cabinet minister, said the arrest was the result of a ''baseless suggestion'' that he planned to flee the country and was carried out despite an agreement that he would speak to London's Metropolitan Police voluntarily whenever requested.

Speaker Lindsay Hoyle told lawmakers that he passed ''relevant'' information to police, without disclosing the source.

''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," Hoyle said. ''It is regrettable this rapidly ended in the media."

Hoyle added that it would not be appropriate for him to say anything further because the investigation into Mandelson was ongoing.

''Peter Mandelson's overriding priority is to cooperate with the police investigation, as he has done throughout this process, and to clear his name," his lawyers at the firm Mishcon De Reya said after his release.

Both men face allegations that they passed confidential government information to the disgraced financier. The claims surfaced after the U.S. Justice Department last month released a trove of more than 3 million pages of Epstein-related documents.

Mandelson, 72, appears to have sent Epstein, whom he referred to as his ''best pal,'' sensitive government information that could potentially influence markets when he was a senior minister in the British government in 2009 and 2010.

One internal government report discussed possibly selling government assets to raise money for the U.K. after the 2008 global financial crisis. He also appeared to tell Epstein — who died by suicide in a New York prison in 2019 — he would lobby other members of the government to reduce a tax on bankers' bonuses.

Payment records suggest Epstein gave Mandelson or his husband, Reinaldo Avila da Silva, $75,000 in 2003 and 2004. Mandelson said he had no recollection of receiving that money and questioned the authenticity of bank statements. He has denied wrongdoing.

Mandelson does not face allegations of sexual misconduct.