Lord Peter Mandelson today condemned police for arresting him and claimed their action was prompted by a ‘baseless’ suggestion he was planning to quit Britain.

The peer was held for around nine hours following his arrest on Monday on suspicion of misconduct in public office.

At around 1.15am on Tuesday, the 72-year-old was pictured as he was driven out of Wandsworth Police Station after being released on bail.

He has been accused of passing sensitive information onto paedophile Jeffrey Epstein during his time as business secretary in Gordon Brown’s government.

A statement released through Lord Mandelson’s laywers said: ‘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. We have asked the MPS for the evidence relied upon to justify the arrest.

‘Peter Mandelson’s overriding priority is to cooperate with the police investigation, as he has done throughout this process, and to clear his name.’

More to follow… 

Lord Peter Mandelson condemned police for arresting him and claimed their action was prompted by a ‘baseless’ suggestion he was planning to quit Britain