Lindsay Hoyle has confirmed he passed information to Scotland Yard that led to Lord Mandelson’s dramatic arrest at his £7.6 million Regent’s Park home on Monday afternoon, despite the Labour grandee dismissing the flight risk claim as “complete fiction.”
The Commons Speaker told MPs this morning he received “relevant” information and alerted police “in good faith” that Lord Mandelson might flee to the British Virgin Islands, adding: “It would not be appropriate to make any further comment.”
Lord Mandelson’s passport was confiscated by police according to BBC reports, with detectives imposing bail conditions including a ban on travelling out of the country. The 72-year-old was held for nine hours of questioning before being released on bail until a date in May.
The Labour grandee reportedly told friends shortly after his release he had been victim of a “complete fiction,” stating: “Despite a previous agreement between police and legal team over a voluntary interview in early March, police arrested me because they claimed… that I was about to flee to the British Virgin Islands and take up permanent residence abroad, leaving Reinaldo, my family, home and Jock behind me.”
Lord Mandelson’s lawyers Mishcon de Reya issued a statement denouncing police for being fooled by a “baseless suggestion.” A spokesman stated: “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.”
Sir Lindsay visited the British Virgin Islands during the Commons recess last week, the location police were apparently told Lord Mandelson intended to flee. He disclosed his involvement to avoid “inaccurate speculation” after his counterpart in the Lords was accused of passing on the tip.
Police allegedly wrongly identified their source as the Lord Speaker during the interview with Lord Mandelson. A spokesman for Lord Forsyth flatly denied any involvement, stating: “Any suggestion at all that the Lord Speaker received information about Lord Mandelson’s movements or communicated any such information to the Metropolitan Police Service, is entirely false and without foundation.”
Sources close to the investigation stated officers considered the information was from a reputable source and there were “strong operational reasons” for the arrest. Scotland Yard confirmed only that such reasons existed for the unusual 4.30pm timing, as criminal suspects are often arrested in early morning raids.
Some weeks ago, detectives agreed with Lord Mandelson’s lawyers that he would voluntarily attend an interview under caution next month regarding allegations he passed secret government information to paedophile Jeffrey Epstein when serving as business secretary in Gordon Brown’s government during the financial crisis.
Documents released by the US Department of Justice suggest market-sensitive information was leaked about potential policy measures, including an “asset sales plan,” a tax on bankers’ bonuses and a bailout package for the euro the day before it was announced in 2010. The emails appeared to be sent to Epstein after he became a convicted sex offender.
Three officers rushed to arrest Lord Mandelson after receiving intelligence from Sir Lindsay, with the ashen-faced peer pictured being led away visibly stunned by the sudden knock at the door. Lord Mandelson has denied any criminal wrongdoing in his dealings with Epstein or acting for personal profit.
There has been speculation that Lord Mandelson’s lawyers are laying ground for a wider complaint about unfairness of his police treatment. That could underpin an argument that he cannot receive a fair trial in the event of any prosecution.
Last week, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested by Thames Valley Police for the same offence of misconduct in public office over similar claims he passed sensitive information to Epstein during his time as UK trade envoy. However, the former Duke of York was released under investigation rather than asked to submit to bail conditions.
Police bail can only be imposed for three months before officers must apply for permission for an extension. In contrast, there is no similar time limit for suspects “released under investigation,” creating different procedural timelines for the two cases despite similar allegations.
Lord Mandelson’s lawyers have demanded the Met produces evidence about the “baseless suggestion” given an interview under caution had already been scheduled for next month. The May bail date will determine the next stage of proceedings as the investigation continues.
