UK police weigh misconduct probe after Epstein leak revelations

British police say they are assessing whether fresh allegations against a former senior minister cross the threshold for a criminal investigation, after newly released US documents suggested confidential government information was shared with Jeffrey Epstein.

The Metropolitan Police confirmed on Monday that it is reviewing reports of possible misconduct in public office following disclosures involving Peter Mandelson, once the UK’s ambassador to Washington and a cabinet heavyweight under Gordon Brown. The review comes after investigative files released by the US Department of Justice revealed emails indicating Mandelson passed details of UK policy deliberations to the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

According to the documents, Mandelson discussed prospective asset sales, possible tax changes, and plans linked to a 500-billion-euro bailout of the eurozone while serving as business secretary in 2009 and 2010. The disclosures have reopened questions about how sensitive information was handled at the highest levels of government during that period.

“Following this release and subsequent media reporting, the Met has received a number of reports relating to alleged misconduct in public office. The reports will all be reviewed to determine if they meet the criminal threshold for investigation,” Metropolitan Police Commander Ella Marriott said in a statement.

“As with any matter, if new and relevant information is brought to our attention we will assess it, and investigate as appropriate,” Marriott added.

While the police statement did not name Mandelson, its timing was closely linked to political pressure building in Westminster. The leader of the Scottish National Party said he had formally written to the police commissioner urging an investigation into the former ambassador’s conduct.

The government response escalated earlier on Monday, when Keir Starmer announced an official inquiry into Mandelson’s relationship with Epstein. Starmer, who removed Mandelson from his diplomatic post last year after the first tranche of correspondence emerged, also said the former minister should be stripped of his lifetime seat in the House of Lords.

Mandelson stepped away from the Labour Party on Sunday, saying he did not want to cause further embarrassment to a government he once helped propel to power in the 1990s. His resignation marked another step in a rapid political fall that has unfolded alongside the steady release of Epstein-related material by US authorities.

The fallout has spread beyond politics. On Monday, a charity founded by Sarah Ferguson, the former wife of Prince Andrew, said it would shut down “for the foreseeable future” following renewed scrutiny of her friendly ties with Epstein. The organisation did not provide further details on its decision.

Meanwhile, the US Justice Department acknowledged that it had removed thousands of Epstein-related files from public access after lawyers for alleged victims warned that insufficient redactions had exposed their identities in the latest document dump.