00:00After hours of questioning by police, Peter Mandelson returns to his home in London.
00:06The former British ambassador to the United States released on bail following his arrest on suspicion of misconduct.
00:13Mandelson is in hot water over claims he passed on sensitive information to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
00:21Officers have arrested a 72-year-old man on suspicion of misconduct in public office.
00:26He was arrested at an address in Camden on Monday, 23rd February and has been taken to a London police
00:31station for interview.
00:33It's a remarkable fall from grace for the man once credited with propelling the Labour Party to power in the
00:401990s.
00:41Peter Mandelson started working for the party in the 80s when it was at its lowest ebb and played a
00:47key role in the new Labour movement.
00:49He was instrumental in Tony Blair's landslide election victory in 1997 and was given the job of minister without portfolio
00:57and then trade secretary.
00:58His reputation as a behind-the-scenes fixer earned him the nickname the Prince of Darkness.
01:04When Labour lost power in 2010, Mandelson started an international lobbying firm where he was able to amass influential contacts
01:12in business and politics.
01:14With a strong network and natural charm, he became the top candidate for ambassador to Washington, a role he was
01:21appointed to by Prime Minister Keir Starmer in December of 2024.
01:25It had been known prior to that appointment that he had a friendship with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
01:30My knowledge of him is something that I regret. I wish I'd never met him in the first place.
01:35Why did you have an association with him? Because he was in jail at the time?
01:40Why did many people meet him? He was a prolific networker and I wish I'd never met him in the
01:48first place.
01:49Mandelson was sacked from his role last September after the depth of his friendship with Epstein started to become clear.
01:55Earlier this month, in light of the latest release of documents related to Jeffrey Epstein,
02:00he stepped down from the House of Lords, where he was appointed as a life peer in 2008.
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